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Plant defences? A Closer Look at Phytic Acid & Lectins

Written by Veronique @ Our Low Carb Life Clinic

Summary
  • Plants contain defence chemicals to protect them from predators. 
  • Eating an entirely plant based diet means you are regularly consuming these toxins
  • Some of these chemicals may be harmful to humans (espeically those with pre existing chronic disease)
  • Cooking and preparation techniques can reduce exposure to plant toxics (for tips & tricks, scroll down)

Plants don't want to be eaten, either.

Plants are living, breathing, and extraordinarily clever members of our ecosystem... plants might not have claws, or legs for running away like animals do, but plants certainly have ways of defending themselves from being eaten. 

Plants make their own natural toxins to protect their seeds… because just like every other creature on earth, plants want their babies to survive and thrive. So, when you eat plants, you’re eating the plant’s poisons, too. 

These home-made pesticides can hurt our health – especially if our diet is entirely plants. 

From nutrient deficiencies[1] to mood swings, schizophrenia[2], tummy upset, joint pain[3], allergies and arthritis - If you experience any of these, you might want to think twice about these plant toxins. 

Phytic acid & lectins are found in plant foods. They are anti-nutrients, which may prevent you from absorption nutrients like iron, zinc, chromium & calcium.

Plant pesticides: phytic acid and lectins

Phytic acid binds our essential minerals.

In our gut, phytic acid binds onto minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc, chromium and calcium – meaning we don’t get them [4] [5]. It can also stop us from absorbing enough protein. This puts us at risk of nutrient deficiencies. 

Phytic acid is found in the seeds and skins of plants. It is very high in plant-foods like almonds, peanuts, soybeans, chia seeds and flax seeds.

Lectins are large, sticky, plant-proteins. 

Lectins are released by the plant when it’s stressed, to protect its seeds. 

Humans cannot digest lectins. Lectins damage our gut-lining, crossing over the gut barrier and moving into our blood. In the blood, these foreign, undigested lectins bind to our immune cells, aggravating our immune system… it goes into over-drive, leading to pain, inflammation, and disease.  

Gluten is a lectin. Lectins are large, sticky plant proteins which can damage the gut lining & promote inflammation.

Read more about gluten
And because they’re so sticky, lectins also bind together and accumulate: in places like our joints, our nerves, our bladder and our thyroid. [6] And this causes real world problems: lectins are linked to autoimmune conditions like type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis [3] [7] [8].  

Fun fact: gluten is actually a lectin. You can read about gluten here. 

You can also find lots of lectins in plant foods like:

  • Legumes (lentils, peanuts, chickpeas, soybeans, kidney beans, peas)
  • Foods made from wheat, corn, oat, rice and quinoa (like bread, wraps, crackers, and pastries)
  • Nightshades – like potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant.

Plant-based tips & tricks: phytic acid & lectins

  • Experiment with soaking, sprouting and fermenting foods which can break down phytic acid and lectins [5] 
  • Swap tofu for fermented soy – like tempeh, natto and miso[5]
  • De-seed and de-skin: try blanched almond meal  
  • Try pressure cooking: the lectins in foods like lentils and beans will break down at a high heat [9]
  • Add lemon juice to your bean salad: the combination of Vitamin C and vinegar inactivates phytic acid… which means you get to absorb more nutrients.[10]

Inforgraphic download

Questions? Just reach out! We love to chat. 

- Our Low Carb Life Clinic
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References

1.           Gilani, G., C.-W. Xiao, and K. Cockell, Impact of Antinutritional Factors in Food Proteins on the Digestibility of Protein and the Bioavailability of Amino Acids and on Protein Quality. The British journal of nutrition, 2012. 108: p. S315-S332.
2.           Bressan, P. and P. Kramer, Bread and Other Edible Agents of Mental Disease. Front Hum Neurosci, 2016. 10: p. 130.
3.           Cordain, L., et al., Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. The British journal of nutrition, 2000. 83: p. 207-17.
4.           Brune, M., L. Rossander, and L. Hallberg, Iron absorption: no intestinal adaptation to a high-phytate diet. Am J Clin Nutr, 1989. 49(3): p. 542-5.
5.           Gupta, R.K., S.S. Gangoliya, and N.K. Singh, Reduction of phytic acid and enhancement of bioavailable micronutrients in food grains. Journal of food science and technology, 2015. 52(2): p. 676-684.
6.           HV, A.K. and T. Muralidhar, Beneficial and harmful properties of Lectins. International Journal of Herbal Medicine 2019. 7(3): p. 29-32.
7.           Vojdani, A., Lectins, agglutinins, and their roles in autoimmune reactivities. Altern Ther Health Med, 2015. 21 Suppl 1: p. 46-51.
8.           Gong, T., et al., Plant Lectins Activate the NLRP3 Inflammasome To Promote Inflammatory Disorders. The Journal of Immunology, 2017. 198(5): p. 2082.
9.           Pusztai, A., Biological effects of dietary lectins. Recent advances of research in antinutritional factors in legume seeds, 1989. 17.
10.         Rose, A., Phytic Acid: A Visual Summary Of The Research On Home Kitchen Remedies For Phytic Acid. 2011: Purple Oak Press.
11.         Noonan, S.C. and G.P. Savage, Oxalate content of foods and its effect on humans. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 1999. 8(1): p. 64-74.