Plant Paradox Diet Full Shopping List & FAQs

While avoiding lectins is central to the Plant Paradox regime, there is much, much more to Dr. Gundry’s wildly popular diet than that. The main difference is that whereas the lectin-free diet simply has you avoiding foods that contain lectins, he goes a step further and prescribes healthy foods as follows. You should be consuming copious amounts of diverse prebiotic fiber and resistant starch. Doing so is excellent for your microbiome as it increases microbial diversity, which is strongly correlated to good health. This could account for the benefits of the Plant Paradox Diet just as much as avoiding the harmful effects of lectins. Keep sugar intake very low, including limiting consumption of fruit, especially if it’s out of season. Consume animal products in moderation, with the exception of seafood. Your food should be organic and locally sourced as much as possible

Lectins are microscopic proteins that plants evolved to defend themselves from predators, including insects and animals (that includes humans!). They are essentially indigestible and have the unique ability to increase the permeability of your intestines. That means that they can pass through the wall of your gut, and will and be treated as foreign invaders by your immune system. This causes an inflammatory response, which can set the stage for a host of diseases, as well as weight gain.

Generally speaking, all grains and legumes have more lectins than anything else. In some cases, pressure cooking can destroy the lectins. Nightshade vegetables, squashes, and select nuts and seeds are also rich in lectins. A full list of lectin-containing foods is included further above.

The Plant Paradox Diet starts with an optional 3-day cleanse (don’t worry, you still get to eat!). After that, there’s Phase 1, a 14 day period where your diet is somewhat limited, but you still get to eat a lot of delicious food. Depending on the results you’re getting, Phase 1 may last longer than 14 days. During Phase 2, which lasts an additional 6 weeks, you’ll significantly expand what you can eat but will still be avoiding all foods with lectins. After that, depending on how you feel, you can consider slowly reintroducing foods that contain lectins, in moderation. However, some people feel so great that they have no interest in doing so. Others won’t be able to without having symptom flareups.

Prebiotic fiber such as inulin is naturally occurring fiber in foods that cannot be entirely digested by your body. Instead, it’s digested by microbes, and as such it feeds your microbiome. The more variety of prebiotic fiber you consume – and there’s a lot out there – the better! Diversity on the plate results in diversity in the gut, and microbial diversity is strongly correlated to good health. Eat as many veggies as possible, save for the ones that have lectins of course, like nightshades and squash.

Yes. In addition to the tens of thousands for people who swear by the Plant Paradox Diet, Dr. Gundry has had hundreds of his patients go on his program, has tracked their results, and has published and presented his findings. People are losing weight and overcoming a variety of diseases, from the minor to the serious.

Yes, the Plant Paradox Diet is great for weight loss. Lectins can cause inflammation, which is associated with weight gain. Removing them can reverse this. A more diverse microbiome is also associated with a healthy weight, and few diets are better for your microbiome than the Plant Paradox program. Finally, in avoiding refined, processed foods, including grains and starches you will inevitably reduce your carb intake.

Yes, Kelly Clarkson was very successful on the Plant Paradox Diet. Remarkably, she wasn’t even trying to lose weight – she was on the diet to improve her overall health (which she also did).

Yes, as is often the case when someone is having great success, Dr. Gundry has his critics. However, for every critic, he has tens of thousands of fans. I’ve read some of the attempts to debunk the Plant Paradox Diet and it’s clear no one has read the full book, let alone actually been on the diet! Bottom line: A LOT of people feel great (and lose weight!) on the diet. It’s wildly popular for good reason. Try it for yourself and see how you feel!

People have written in asking if Dr. Gundry has any protein hacks, and what his favorite sources are. If he’s published any hacks, I have not heard of them. What we do know is that he does not recommend a high-protein diet. He recommends animal protein in moderation, especially seafood, but likes to get most of his protein from vegetables. It’s possible that his hack is to eat high-protein vegetables such as spinach and avocado. If you know what Dr. Gundry’s protein hack is, write in and let us know!