Lectins are a type of protein that enable molecules to stick together. Google searches for ‘lectin’ have continued to rise since a spike last summer, as articles dissecting claims that they cause weight gain, and inflammation damage gut health spread online.
Foods including grains, particularly whole wheat, beans and legumes, nuts, aubergines, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, dairy products and eggs contain lectins - which doesn’t leave an awful lot left to eat. And that doesn’t sound like a particularly balanced diet.
Megan Rossi, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, explained to The Independent that a “high” intake of lectins can in fact cause harm “but there is more to the story than we’ve been told.” Lectins in canned navy beans - which include the haricots used in baked beans - were reduced to less than 0.1 per cent of its original level. Eating a harmful amount of lectins is pretty hard. As long as food is prepared properly, lectins aren’t an issue for most people, she says.
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