Lectin Intolerance

[Wolicki]

For those of you who are Lectin intolerant, I would be very curious to know what specific symptoms you had, and how eliminating lectins has made a difference for you.

I've read lots of articles, so I am not really looking for links, but rather anecdotal stories from those who have experienced it. I am particularly interested in if eliminating lectins helped any of you to finally lose some weight. TIA

Janie

[daniknik]

  On 8/16/2010 at 5:09 PM, Wolicki said:

For those of you who are Lectin intolerant, I would be very curious to know what specific symptoms you had, and how eliminating lectins has made a difference for you.

I've read lots of articles, so I am not really looking for links, but rather anecdotal stories from those who have experienced it. I am particularly interested in if eliminating lectins helped any of you to finally lose some weight. TIA

Janie

I don't know if I can truly say that I have a specific lectin intolerance...but the foods that I have the greatest reaction to are all high in lectins. When I read the krispin report Open Original Shared Link he mentions the following: grains-especially wheat and wheat germ, but also quinoa, rice, buckwheat, oats, rys, barley, millet, and corn; legumes--all dried beans including soy and peanuts; dairy; and nightshade vegetables--including potato, tomato, eggplant, and peppers as being the most "toxic" lectin food groups.

My specific symptoms before going off of gluten, milk, eggs, soy, nightshades, legumes, and yeast were as follows: GERD, IBS, depression, night sweats, irregular periods (too frequent), leg and foot cramping, body pain, headaches, anxiety, diarrhea, gas, hypoglycemia, and low energy. Now, having been off of these foods for 10 months I can say that I have seen a resolution in the great majority of these symptoms. I have been able to get off of 6 daily medications...my doctor says my depression and IBS are "in remission" (how nice) and I am no longer suffering from the night sweats, body pain, headaches, diarrhea, or gas. I have still had some issues with anxiety (it's hard to be on this damn diet!) and occasional heartburn but I can honestly say that I feel SO MUCH BETTER! In fact, I've had family, friends, and co-workers all comment on how good I look now, and this includes people who didn't know that I changed anything in my diet.

For me weight loss wasn't a problem (I've always been on the thin side) but I have been able to stabilize my weight and found that I am no longer quite as hungry all of time time. I also do better if I stay away from too much sugar as that will cause me to become light-headed and woozy if I don't balance it out with some protein.

Hope this helps. Hang in there! It's totally worth all the hard work!

[Wolicki]

Thanks, Daniknik! Anyone else?

[koz158]

Thank you for sharing. I am looking into lectins as an issue my fiancee may have in addition to her gluten intolerance. Have you heard of or used any to the techniques or products by Dr. D'Adamo (www.4yourtype.com)? I'm looking at a couple of different products but I was hoping somebody could speek to their effectiveness before I purchased them.

[mushroom]

I missed this thread (on a subject I have pursued endlessly) when it cycled through last year. I am a great believer in the lectin intolerance theory and everything I am intolerant of is high in lectins.

For me, lectins cause what a former member of this forum called a "cytokine storm" which causes terrible bloating and gas, putting extreme pressure on my heart and lungs. It used to cause me to faint (vaso-vagal syncope) and then it set off atrial fibrillation (again coming from the vagus nerve) from which I still suffer (now, sometimes, indepently of lectins). My lectin foods are corn, soy, legumes, citrus, nightshades (in addition there are lectins in gluten). Fortunately the dairy lectins don't bother me at all. If you have not read the Krispin Report mentioned, do so. You can regain the ability to eat some lectin foods. I can now tolerate some potato starch in breads, and also corn starch, but haven't pushed the boundaries too much yet.

I have also tried the product Lectin Lock which can be ordered online and found it to be effective. I take it with me when I eat out in case I get some accidental lectin exposure, and I find that it prevents the cytokine storm by giving them ( in my gut) the sugars they are seeking when they go storming through my body .

[koz158]

Thanks for the feedback. I will take a look at the article mentioned.