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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Have you conquered the cleanse and the six-week programs of the first two phases? Are you ready for Plant Paradox Phase 3?
Plant Paradox Phase 3 is the time for you to stop thinking about this as a diet. The Plant Paradox Program is meant to be a permanent lifestyle change.
Read more about what to expect during Plant Paradox Phase 3.
Reintroducing Lectins in Plant Paradox Phase 3
Once you’ve restored a healthy holobiome, you can reintroduce some lectin-containing foods in Phase 3. Plant Paradox Phase 3 is meant to implement a lifestyle that you can maintain for the rest of your life.
Don’t rush to start Phase 3, and if you’re particularly sensitive to lectins, you may not want to reintroduce them at all. You can safely and happily stay in Phase 2.
In Phase 3, you’ll:
- Continue to eat all PPP-approved foods
- Continue to avoid most off-limits foods (we’ll go into which ones you can reintroduce next)
- Increase your ketogenic fats, which are in MCT oil and coconut oil
- Eat less frequently and less food overall
- Reduce your animal protein intake to 2 ounces (or fewer) per day
- Try intermittent fasting
- Maintain your body’s internal clock by aiming to get an hour of daylight each day
- Avoid blue light in the evenings
One at a time, you can reintroduce the following foods and monitor your tolerance and any adverse reactions.
- Immature vegetables (with tiny or no seeds), such as zucchini, cucumbers, and Japanese eggplant
- Peeled, de-seeded nightshade and squash vegetables, such as peppers and heirloom tomatoes
- Pressure-cooked legumes
- Indian white basmati rice
Cutting Animal Protein
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.
Fasting During Phase 3
If you choose, Phase 3 encourages trying different forms of fasting to cleanse your gut.
- Go on a calorie-restricted vegan fast for five days each month; those regular spurts of controlled eating offer the same benefits as being on a calorie-restricted diet all month. To do this, you’d just follow the vegan version of the three-day cleanse (Phase 1) for five days.
- Try intermittent fasting, which means you’d eat just 500-600 calories per day twice a week, and eat normally (according to the PPP) the rest of the week. This tends to also help weight loss.
- Stretch the time between your meals, aiming to go 16 straight hours without eating each day. This improves metabolic flexibility, the ability to adapt to different energy demands.
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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
