This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of "The Plant Paradox" by Steven R. Gundry. Shortform has the world's best summaries of books you should be reading.
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Can you go plant-based on the Plant Paradox Program? What does a lectin-free vegan diet look like?
Read about how a lectin-free vegan diet works and how to adapt Plant Paradox for vegetarians.
Benefits of a Lectin-Free Vegan Diet
Eating lots of animal protein doesn’t help you live a long, healthy life. However, most popular health information encourages protein—some diets even put it center stage. But you can use the plant paradox for vegetarians to reduce your animal protein consumption.
This phase of the PPP reduces animal protein consumption from 8 to 2 ounces a day. If that sounds like a challenge, consider this: Studies of Seventh-day Adventists (who are notoriously long living) show that vegans live the longest, followed by vegetarians who eat little dairy, then vegetarians with a regular dairy intake, and finally those who eat some chicken and fish.
Plant Paradox for Vegetarians and Vegans
Vegetarians and vegans need alternative sources of protein and often rely heavily on beans and legumes. While these are generally off-limits because of their lectins, preparing them in a pressure cooker actually destroys the lectins and makes beans and legumes PPP-approved; additionally, pressure-cooked beans are great nourishment for good microbes and improve memory and longevity.
The pressure cooker also makes other lectin-containing foods PPP-friendly, including
- The nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers)
- The squash family
- Certain grains and pseudo-grains
Reducing Protein
Although it may seem daunting to limit your protein to 8 (and eventually 4) ounces a day, you don’t need as much protein as you probably think.
You only need .37 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight (1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds). In other words, a 150-pound person needs 25 grams of protein a day, and a 125-pound person only 21 grams.
Furthermore, you’re already getting most of that protein from inside your own body: Your mucus and intestinal lining cells contain protein, so each day your body recycles and digests about 20 grams of protein without eating a single egg or piece of meat.
Meal Plan Substitutions for a Lectin-Free Vegan Diet
While the Plant Paradox Program overall recommends eating less protein, the long-term lifestyle change has some animal protein in the basic meal plan. You can make substitutions if you’re on a lectin-free vegan diet. Vegan and vegetarian alternatives to meat include grain-free tempeh, VeganEggs, cauliflower steaks, hemp tofu, and pressure-cooked legumes.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best summary of Steven R. Gundry's "The Plant Paradox" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full The Plant Paradox summary :
- Why eating more vegetables isn't enough, and why some vegetables are toxic to your body
- The science behind lectins and how they tear apart your body, making you fat and sick
- The 6-week program to get your body back on healthy grack
