Lectins: The Dietary Dilemma of Our Time!

After reading about the 'belly' doctor, 'listening' to the grain brain doctor and watching the functional medicine man on PBS, months later, more unsettling news about our modern diet surfaced. What next, I thought? I am now faced with more troubling dietary news from a most illustrious man of medicine. Is this for real? Oh, my. Is our food world collapsing? I thought our choices had dramatically improved.

Had I been living a dietary lie since birth? Dr. Oz had the newest expert, a renown cardiologist, on his show, recently, in a snippet food segment, warning us about the plant protein called lectins, found in many of the foods we eat. It seems these proteins, found in plants, dairy and meats are present as a defense mechanism for the plant or animal against intruders who might eat them - other animals and us! (Step aside, gluten). Lectins, mother nature's toxic messengers of defense, are hidden in many of the healthy foods we eat. (Dear Dr. Oz: The doctor should have been the whole show not a small snippet of it, near the end. That was a great disservice to your viewing audience.)

In his latest book, The Plant Paradox, (I have not read it, in its totality, yet.) the 'lectin' doctor, a world renowned cardiac surgeon, a surgical inventor with patents pending, talks about our modern diet, with its after effects of weight gain, cholesterol and autoimmune diseases. He is a gifted researcher and director, having performed the most pediatric heart transplants in the world. Who is not going to heed the warnings of a man of medicine with such a list of credentials? The doctor cautions us against eating certain species of the plant kingdom, quite a few actually. Whole grains were not meant to be. The paleo diet is also on notice. I am so sad. Stay away from the seeds inside and skin outside. I'm listening, with trepidation. A life time of 'healthy' eating cannot be wrong, now. I love the skin of baked potato, apples and the zest of lemons. Green bananas are fine. (They are resistance starch and the peel is not eaten, anyway). The other three men of medicine have said similar things about grains, those denizens of my food world. Are we now adjudicating for processed foods, somehow? Are we doomed?

Lectins are found in legumes, grains, dairy, meats and plants. We are being told to soak dried beans in more frequent water changes, overnight and again before boiling them for 10 minutes. Rinsing canned versions, preferably organic, of course, helps to remove more of these sinister lectins. Remove all seeds and skin, from vegetables. I think many of us do. Certain seeds and nuts are a no-no. Oh, my. Lectins are in there, too. O.K. I get it. Sweet potatoes are fine, thank goodness. Leafy greens are super. Many foods have a numerical lectin count that diminishes with proper cooking. The raw diet is now under the looking glass.

Here's Momsey's 'paradox': I gave birth to an infant, over three months too soon, decades ago, eating a diet consisting of whole grains which 'early' man rarely/never consumed. The doctor and other 'experts' dismiss outright my 'food pyramid'. (I had no choice.) I ate what could be tolerated, minutes at time. Sleep or naps were 'our' salvation. Our baby's pediatric specialists were astounded by our first born's birth weight of three pounds, two ounces. Babies begin to gain weight in the 3rd trimester. Our son never made to the end of his second.

"The proof is always in the pudding." My 'pudding' is proof that my 'biology', though it struggled through three pregnancies, knew what it was doing for our baby. But now, those food choices are suspect. What has changed? Has human biology or plant biology changed since then? It was this simple daily diet that was central to our son's, in utero, survival. There were no cravings for the 'wrong' foods or processed food, including much loved pickles. Relentless morning sickness lasting all day, everyday, controlled what I ate and when. A small window of opportunity, lasting minutes, existed to feed our son. Food was expelled within 10-15 minutes of eating, in a body not meant to carry to term or 'build' a fetus. Cooking whole grains such as buckwheat kasha, cornmeal, oatmeal, red river cereal that mix of cracked wheat, flax seeds and rye, kept our son alive! He arrived, a living, breathing miracle, because I literally 'survived' on grains, these ill-advised choices of modern man, according to the illustrious lectin doctor. The baby grew into a funny man of strength.

As I ponder the food universe, thinking about what to do next, I realize some food choices will not change but preparation methods must. I will still chomp on the whole raw apple, seedless, but not peeled. There is ursolic acid, the muscle builder, just under the surface of the apple's skin. I am not throwing it out! Our dogs love those tree fruits and benefit from them in their diet. The battle will be fought in the grocery aisle. White and green tea 'extracts' are tops with the doctor so I will endeavour to tip the scales in favour of these centuries old Chinese teas, more often. I enjoy them anyway and have been for decades. Whew. But other teas matter, too, for me. Citrus will be juiced or peeled as needed, then eaten. I will still eat dried/canned legumes but mindful of the increased water changes for their preparation. They are a cheap food choice, high in protein but delicious, too. Boiling them for 10 minutes will follow. I will endeavour to use my pressure cooker in instances where I might not have, in the past. High heat cooking destroys lectins.

Momsey is in information overload. How does all of this help vegans, vegetarians or raw foodists? The Paleo diet is under close scrutiny, too. Beware. We are all different in our unique ways. Lectin number counts vary for each food within a type. The lectin number is high in some foods but not necessarily dangerous to our health because of it. Our unique human biology matters. 'It' seems to begin in the gut - again! But first 'it' must be healthy. The origins of food allergies, doctors say, are rooted in this nightmarish lectin puzzle? How did we get here? Where's my Italian Rum cake? With my green/white tea brew, I should be fine for another day!

More later.

Homemade Fish and Chips

Cod Loins. The pieces of fish were thick serving-sized pieces. Only salt had been used to 'preserve' them. I was fed up with the take-out overcooked fried fish variety and companion 're-fried' chips, in over-used oil of 'questionable parentage' and paying top dollar for the privilege. One piece of fish with thrice-fried fries and barely there coleslaw was enough! There was the time when our fish and chips order arrived to our table already rancid, fried in oil that should have been discarded long ago. The customer is not king, anymore. Let us take our dollars home.

The other day, we had fish and chips at home, in that place where good food usually happens. The worry of quality and quantity, gone awry, was history. We were getting annoyed reminding 'them' not to overcook the fries, disappointed in the one size-fits-all piece of fish and asking where the side order of coleslaw was, refusing to accept the 2 tablespoons of this cabbage mix as if that was regulation side dish to the main fish course. (a head of cabbage that makes oodles of slaw with a cheap grated carrot included, cost $2-$3 at the retail level.) Barely there coleslaw, over-cooked fish and leftover fries, refried again. Whatever has happened to common sense and respecting the consumer? Gone, I guess.

Following is Momsey's recipe for homemade fish and chips. Buy the fish you want. Wild caught is preferred. Experiment with different kinds. How bad could that be? Expand your world of seafood. What is good for fish is fine for other seafood, as well. Choose a high smoke point oil. A low smoke point oil, such as olive oil is harmful to health, degrades quickly, changes colour while it smokes and is a very costly oil to use. I use avocado, sunflower or peanut oil, to name a few. Other frying oils are yours for the choosing. Cooking at home is so much cheaper, fun, healthier and relaxing, especially, when babysitting pets and young children. Home is where the heart and good food are found.

The batter I make consists of any combination of organic all-purpose flour, powdered buttermilk, baking powder, tapioca flour, brown rice flour and organic sprouted buckwheat flours. (Keep a record of the list of all ingredients and the changes made to achieve perfection). An egg is added though I forgot to include this dairy staple, the other day. Grass fed or organic 2% milk is used since learning of the health benefits of organic and grass fed. Organic is the way I go for all baking and cooking purposes. (Water or beer can be substituted for milk for the liquid in the fish batter). Spices such as tumeric, onion powder, salt and pepper can also be added. We are only limited by our imagination and our food preferences. The batter is left to rest. The fish pieces are dipped in tapioca flour (gluten-free) to facilitate batter adhesion before pieces are dipped into batter for frying. Oil should be hot, not smoking. Never leave unattended!!

Fish can also be simply pan fried with seasoned sourdough breadcrumbs as a outer coating. Season as needed. Coat with egg prior to dipping into breadcrumbs. Yum, yum. Place battered fish into hot oil, slowly, to help batter stick to fish before going fully, into oil. (The 'yellow' fleshed or russet potato fries have already been blanched in a bit of oil, in the air fryer). My final step for the fries is to continue the cooking time, in oil, for that final takeout-look and taste. This final step is not required though I do it now for that extra kick of yum! Cooking the cut potatoes fully can be done in the air fryer. I choose the oil step, a few minutes more, at medium high heat, for overall crispness, colour and flavour. The battered fish, once deep fried, can be returned to air fryer to crisp the outside 'coating' and placed on bed of fries, next to the homemade coleslaw.

Coleslaw can be made many ways. There is the oil and vinegar dressing, boiled then added to mix and allowed to infuse flavour, overnight, in the fridge. Grated carrot that great precursor of vitamin A is added. Other vegetables can be added, too. Then there is the dollop of mayonnaise with vinegar, sugar and salt to create that barely there dressing for immediate indulgence. Another version is simply mayo with salt and vinegar, a common coleslaw dressing many might prefer. My mom's version was still different, an accompaniment to sandwiches, meats or chicken: lemon juice, salt, pepper, and diced green onions mixed into shredded cabbage and carrots for that healthy no-dairy version. This 'childhood' coleslaw was served, often, with much delight. Finally, we have delicious homemade fish and chips with that barely noticeable batter coating that is as yummy and healthy as the fish itself, with a large bowl of coleslaw! What a meal! What a deal!

Gentle. Loving. Endangered!

The baby elephant had been found wandering, alone, in the wild. His chances of survival without help were dismal, at best. He reminded me of our sweet Mr. 'Wiggles', as this orphaned baby looked into the camera's eye. I was riveted to his adoring 'pink' face, with its simple message of love and hope. Sadly, the baby was unaware that momma was dead, nearby, as he struggled to get her to stand. The story of overwhelming sadness and hope held me in its grip.

The story begins in Nairobi, Kenya, at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust sanctuary, in Nairobi National Park. The program profiles the plight of one 3-month-old baby elephant named Sities, having been rescued from imminent death when his momma was felled by an ivory poacher's bullet. I was in awe of the devotion shown  these infant mammals by their male keepers. It was above and beyond anything I had ever known. 

 

The stroke of death in the cruel world of ivory poaching made Sities an orphan, hours away from certain death.  I was saddened and hypnotized by the plight of Sities and other baby elephants, not realizing how grave the situation was for them, the black rhinos and many other endangered species on the planet.

Sities had hours maybe a day to live. He was captured, without sedation, as this emergency 'travelling' medical procedure can prove fatal, then brought to the elephant nursery and paired immediately with a male keeper, his soon-to-be surrogate mom. ... This gentle human lives with Sities, in a 'house' built for two, in a bonding arrangement that can last for two years. Baby elephants grieve over loss and can literally starve themselves to death during this stressful period of mourning. Several male keepers are involved in his 'revolving' life care, reducing the elephant baby's dependency upon a sole gatekeeper in his life, a threat to his long term survival, later.

Elephants are loving, caring, gentle creatures much like us, yet unlike us, in the ways that are unseemly. The species creates cohesive, nurturing bonds within the strong elephant family structure. The human male keeper's role is to nurture and care for the elephant infants so that they may rejoin other members of their species, in the wild, by the age of two. The hope is that an adult female elephant will claim one orphan baby as her own and assume the role of 'mom', when these juveniles are introduced to other members of the elephant herd in daily outings to the 'park'. Re-integration into the species is the sanctuary's goal for all orphan elephants.

Elephant babies are totally helpless, fragile beings, requiring a human or elephant 'element' in the critical bonding experience necessary, from birth, for their survival. I was in awe of the shared commitment of the many dedicated male keepers hired to raise these elephant babies. The human male keepers had families of their own yet their strong faith in what they were doing brought them to this world renown elephant sanctuary to save orphaned elephant babies. ... 

 

Human infants feed every 3-4 hours; baby elephants, every few minutes, for a little bit, round the clock, a nearly two year commitment! The male keepers of these orphaned elephants must feed and teach these babies how to drink and bathe, too. The continual touching and handling of the infant mammals and their trunks helps teach these tiny elephants basic life skills that must be learned for survival outside the safety of the animal sanctuary.

There was a time when it was thought that baby elephants could tolerate cow's milk. Many died as a result of this error, unable to digest fully the protein in cow's milk formula, the 'perfect' food everyone thought. At the Nairobi nursery, an 'elephant' formula, 28 years in development, now contains coconut milk and fat, the ingredients most like elephant milk. (Over time, elephant plant food is introduced during the weaning process). But Sities does not know how to drink but is learning and will be taught this life-saving skill by his male keeper over a period of months. The male keepers are routinely rotated, creating change in the elephant's daily routine thus reducing separation anxiety, later, when the 'teen' elephant rejoins his herd.

Following is a passage written by Jessamy Calkin, Feb. 24/2012 that explains the helplessness of orphaned elephants. 

 

"We must do more and be ever so grateful and 'supportive' to those who have spent their lives, through much anguish and pain, saving elephants and other species from perilous extinction. Into the eyes of innocence we see the future. Eradicating poaching and restoring habitat are just a beginning to the story of elephants and other endangered species."

 

“ It is an extraordinary feeling, being surrounded by little elephants. Some of them approach curiously, frisking me with their trunks and nuzzling, gently, as I stroke the tops of their whiskery heads. Their skin is rough but sensitive; the backs of their ears, soft and velvety. They like to wind their trunks around your arm and draw your hand into their mouths to suck your fingers. They look up at you through eyelashes that are ridiculously long and iridescent in the sunlight, as if they are wearing green mascara. It feels very luxurious to be among them.” _ J.Calkin. Feb. 24/2012