As I mentioned in the About Me section, I'm highly sensitive to lectins. In fact, much of Loren Cordain's latest work has been in highlighting the danger of this particular toxin in the formation of autoimmune disease -- a very scary thought. Lectins are present in many foods, but are found at toxic levels in the following:
Grains (wheat, rye, barley, malt)
Legumes (soy, peanuts, beans)
Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant)
You can find an extensive scholarly discussion here.
And a video of Loren Cordain himself discussing both the background of the paleo diet and the science behind the dangers of lectins (this is part 1 of 7, you can link to the rest from Youtube):
Grains? I should try to avoid them. They make me feel very sick.
ReplyDeleteLegumes? They're not much of a problem for me, except they have too many calories, and I need to lose weight.
Nightshades? I love red/yellow/orange bell peppers, and also tomatoes. They seem to be just fine for me. I think there's nothing wrong with peppers and tomatoes. In fact, since they are (non-sweet) fruits, they evolved to be eaten by mammals and other seed-dispersing animals.