The Plant Paradox

From renowned cardiac surgeon Steven R. Gundry, MD, the New York Times bestselling The Plant Paradox is a revolutionary look at the hidden compounds in "healthy" foods like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains that are causing us to gain weight and develop chronic disease.

Most of us have heard of gluten—a protein found in wheat that causes widespread inflammation in the body. Americans spend billions of dollars on gluten-free diets in an effort to protect their health. But what if we’ve been missing the root of the problem? In The Plant Paradox, renowned cardiologist Dr. Steven Gundry reveals that gluten is just one variety of a common, and highly toxic, plant-based protein called lectin. Lectins are found not only in grains like wheat but also in the “gluten-free” foods most of us commonly regard as healthy, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and conventional dairy products. These proteins, which are found in the seeds, grains, skins, rinds, and leaves of plants, are designed by nature to protect them from predators (including humans). Once ingested, they incite a kind of chemical warfare in our bodies, causing inflammatory reactions that can lead to weight gain and serious health conditions.

At his waitlist-only clinics in California, Dr. Gundry has successfully treated tens of thousands of patients suffering from autoimmune disorders, diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases with a protocol that detoxes the cells, repairs the gut, and nourishes the body. Now, in The Plant Paradox, he shares this clinically proven program with readers around the world.

The simple (and daunting) fact is, lectins are everywhere. Thankfully, Dr. Gundry offers simple hacks we easily can employ to avoid them, including:

• Peel your veggies. Most of the lectins are contained in the skin and seeds of plants; simply peeling and de-seeding vegetables (like tomatoes and peppers) reduces their lectin content.
• Shop for fruit in season. Fruit contain fewer lectins when ripe, so eating apples, berries, and other lectin-containing fruits at the peak of ripeness helps minimize your lectin consumption.
• Swap your brown rice for white. Whole grains and seeds with hard outer coatings are designed by nature to cause digestive distress—and are full of lectins.

With a full list of lectin-containing foods and simple substitutes for each, a step-by-step detox and eating plan, and delicious lectin-free recipes, The Plant Paradox illuminates the hidden dangers lurking in your salad bowl—and shows you how to eat whole foods in a whole new way.

Steven R. Gundry, MD, is the director of the International Heart and Lung Institute in Palm Springs, California, and the founder and director of the Center for Restorative Medicine in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. After a distinguished surgical career as a professor and chairman of cardiothoracic surgery at Loma Linda University, Dr. Gundry changed his focus to curing modern diseases via dietary changes. He is the bestselling author of The Longevity Paradox, The Plant Paradox, The Plant Paradox Cookbook, The Plant Paradox Quick and Easy, and Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution, and has written more than three hundred articles published in peer-reviewed journals on using diet and supplements to eliminate heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disease, and multiple other diseases. Dr. Gundry lives with his wife, Penny, and their dogs in Palm Springs and Montecito, California.

“The Plant Paradox offers a true paradigm shift in the way we think about food. Whether you’re paleo, gluten-free, low-carb or plant-based, Dr. Gundry’s profound insights and practical advice will help reverse both autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease.” — Terry Wahls, MD, author of The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles

“Once in a generation a doctor and a book comes along that completely changes the way we think about food and our health. Dr. Gundry is that physician and The Plant Paradox is that book. Following his advice, like I do personally, is life changing.” — Tony Robbins, author of the New York Times bestseller Unshakable

“It is rare that a book on health and nutrition introduces truly novel concepts, and rarer still that it backs them up with solid scientific data and clinical proof of validity—but The Plant Paradox does just that. We all owe Dr. Gundry a debt of gratitude for his insight and dedication to a new level of superb health.” — Dale Bredesen, MD, Professor of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine; Founding President, Buck Institute; and author of The End of Alzheimer's

“A fresh, learned perspective on eating healthy, The Plant Paradox is profound, clear, and convincing. Much more than just another dietary fad, Dr. Gundry’s scientifically proven approach to restoring a healthy microbiome will reorient your approach to food.” — Kirkus Reviews

“If you have ‘tried everything’ or you or a family member are still troubled by stubborn pounds, autoimmune disease, or even heart disease, you owe to yourself to read this book. The Plant Paradox is going to dramatically improve lives, it’s that simple.” — Jonathan Carp, MD

“Fellow panelist Dr. Steven Gundry, author of The Plant Paradox–which argues that certain fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans are harmful to the body–promised the crowd they would feel better if they wean themselves off their medicine cabinets. Swallowing just one Aleve, he declared, is like “swallowing a hand-grenade.”” — Rina Raphael, Fast Company

“He famously helped Gwyneth Paltrow rethink her eating habits, so it was no surprise to see heart surgeon Steven Gundry, MD, onstage at the Goop conferenceover the weekend. And along with admitting that he usually skips breakfast—which is crazy when you think there are coffee-avocado smoothies to be had—the renowned doctor also talked gut health. (We’re listening…)” — Nisha Gopalan, Well + Good

“Dr. Gundry is a true trailblazer, always at the forefront of scientific knowledge. The Plant Paradox shows the world what pioneer thinking is about and is a must-read book for anyone interested in being as healthy as nature has designed them to be.” — Alejandro Junger MD, New York Times bestselling author of Clean, Clean Gut and Clean Eats

“The Plant Paradox elegantly explains how plants defend themselves from being consumed by humans, and how eating the wrong ones at the wrong times immeasurably hurts our health. An eye-opening read.” — Mehmet Oz, MD, Professor of Surgery, New York Presbyterian/Columbia University

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