When it comes to weight loss, does it feel like you’ve kissed a hundred toads but never gotten your happy ending? Then Steven Gundry, MD, is here for you. The Yale-trained doc has made it his mission to introduce the world to a lectin-free diet and remove roadblocks that keep healthy-seeming diets from working magic. His latest strategy, a twist on the popular keto and carnivore diets, “is based on mind-blowing new research,” he says.
Margaret Clauder’s mind was definitely blown. Before she tried his approach, she was resigned to gastric bypass. Then, “in one month I lost 10 pounds, came off antidepressants for the first time in over 10 years and canceled a knee replacement,” says the Texas mom, 68, down 100 pounds total. Read on to find out if Dr. Gundry can help rewrite your story.
How inflammation triggers disease and weight gain
For decades, growing research has shown that chronic inflammation drives many of our most common health problems. How do we get inflamed in the first place? Blame stress, toxins and a zillion other little culprits. But diet is the easiest to control. “When people eat to bring inflammation down, they often find that brain fog clears, nodules of arthritis on their fingers disappear, even diabetes and heart disease go away,” says Dr. Gundry, a heart specialist who first got interested in nutrition as a way to help patients avoid surgery.
His new book, The Gut-Brain Paradox, explores dietary techniques that relieve neuroinflammation, improving brain function. (Low-lectin eating is so good for our brains, a recent study found it can cut symptoms of ADHD by half!) And, yes, the same strategies shrink waists. Because as inflamed tissues heal, they stop releasing compounds that block fat burn, “so people can lose a lot of weight,” he says.
No matter what motivates you to start an anti-inflammatory diet, expect a cascade of health benefits. Margaret, for example, was hoping to ease knee pain and shed a few pounds. “I could barely believe it when my mood issues, prediabetes and other medical problems also started to go away,” she says. “If you feel stuck in a bad place, try this plan.”
A lectin-free diet tames inflammation
Like many experts, Dr. Gundry suggests avoiding highly-inflammatory refined sweeteners and processed foods. But he’s famous for taking things further, suggesting we skip seemingly healthy foods like wheat, corn, beans and nightshade vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Why? “They have high amounts of lectins, natural toxins in plants that help protect them from insects,” he explains. But lectins often inflame and damage our GI tracts.
On top of that, they kill off good bacteria in our guts that fight inflammation and “directly influence everything from metabolism to brain and heart health.” Lectins may even block receptors that help our brains and muscles turn blood sugar into energy—leading to excess sugar that’s both inflammatory and fattening.
While a lucky few folks have gut bacteria that neutralize lectins, most of us don’t. “Consider giving up lectins for six weeks to see the difference it makes,” urges Dr. Gundry. And if you want to speed-heal and speed-slim, he has a hack for that.
The keto and carnivore twist on a lectin-free diet
A keto diet rules out many high-lectin plants like wheat and potato, while a meat-only carnivore diet rules out all lectins. Meanwhile, cutting carbs (a key component of both approaches) forces the body to fuel itself with ketones, a special fuel made in part from stored fat. “It’s why these diets can work well,” says Dr. Gundry. Yet some patients are resistant to key benefits of even a lectin-free carnivore diet. What gives? Dr. Gundry had an ‘aha!’ moment when he discovered research showing eggs, beef and pork contain a molecule that may worsen inflammation, particularly for anyone with a damaged gut.
With that in mind, he created his “Chicken and the Sea” regimen, a twist on the carnivore diet where you eat only poultry, seafood and certain fermented dairy (like sour cream and goat cheese). Yes, it’s limited. But it’s only for a short time. “This program was designed for people who don’t respond to a less restrictive diet,” he says. “Our testing shows it works well.” The idea is to use it for six weeks to three months, allowing your gut to heal, then you can try reintroducing high-quality red meat and low-lectin plants.
Another option: Use Chicken and the Sea as a jump-start, setting yourself up to eliminate inflammation and burn fat as swiftly as possible. No matter how you use it, “it can reverse many effects of aging on your body and brain. And it can help break your fat loss barrier.”
Lectin-free diet success story: Margaret Clauder lost 100 lbs.
When Margaret first experimented with Dr. Gundry’s diet techniques, “I had already put a deposit down for bariatric surgery,” she shares. “I’d done every weight-loss plan, and I had given up.” So why bother with a new diet at all? She also needed a knee replacement, “and my orthopedic doctor said I had to stop all pain medicine because it was compromising my liver.” She stumbled on Dr. Gundry while searching for natural pain relief. “He gave many examples of patients, even a knee patient, who’d had miraculous turnarounds.”
Margaret started building meals around smoked chicken and seafood, plus cabbage, kale and other low-lectin veggies. She replaced sugar and carbs with Dr. Gundry–approved options like allulose or monkfruit sweetener and almond-based pasta. “I saw immediate results,” she shares. “In two weeks, I barely needed a cane. Weight was falling off. I had more energy and my mood lifted. I got off antidepressants and haven’t needed them since.”
As time went on Margaret, was surprised by how much her brain fog lifted and her memory sharpened. “Now I think of lectins like swallowing razor blades,” she says. “They cut open your gut and allow bad stuff to escape. It affects your whole body. When you avoid foods high in lectins, everything gets better from head to toe!”
Margaret finds she loses fastest when using a not-so-strict keto version of the approach. “I went from 265 pounds to 165 without bariatric surgery. No knee surgery either. My energy is pretty incredible. It’s like I’m 20 years younger!”
How to start Dr. Gundry’s ‘Chicken and the Sea’ diet
To try Dr. Gundry’s approach, enjoy chicken, any poultry and seafood as staples. Sour cream and sheep or goat cheese are fine too. Prefer a more flexible keto diet? Add asparagus, cruciferous veggies, onion, sweet potato, olive oil, avocado and/or nuts.
Courtesy Dr. Gundry
Find a full list of allowed foods in The Gut-Brain Paradox or at DrGundry.com.
Low-lectin breakfast
Cook up a hearty serving of no-sugar-added turkey or chicken sausage; enjoy with optional sautéed onions.
Low-lectin lunch
Toss slaw mix, sour cream, salt/pepper; enjoy with cooked shrimp and onion in coconut/cassava tortillas, such as Siete brand.
Low-lectin dinner
Sauté chicken with olive oil and herbs; serve with steamed broccoli and baked or sweet potato.
Additional reporting by Cailey Griffin
Keep scrolling for more inspiring weight-loss success stories
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She Lost 125 Lbs. on a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet—And Her Menopause Symptoms Vanished
The Glucose Goddess Helped Me Lose 73 lbs at 73—‘I Thought the Scale Was Broken!’
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
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