Of the dozens and dozens of fad diets in the media, none is trendier than the Plant Paradox which—thanks to a very public endorsement from Grammy-award-winning singer Kelly Clarkson—has become the diet across the country. But what is the Plant Paradox and does it actually work?—those are the two questions the team at Allure Medical is going to try and answer in this blog post.
What is the Plant Paradox?
The Plant Paradox is a diet created by a cardiologist based out of Palm Springs, California by the name of Dr. Steven Gundry.
Over the course of his career and through his interactions with thousands of patients, Dr. Gundry has reached the conclusion that certain plants—namely those high in proteins called “lectins”—are extremely damaging to human health.
Lectins, of which gluten is the most well-known, are proteins that bind to carbohydrate (sugar) molecules inside the body and alter the way those molecules are processed by the digestive system. According to Dr. Gundry’s research, these alterations lead to serious inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and gastrointestinal problems.
Therefore, the Plant Paradox is a diet that argues against the consumption of a number of commonly eaten “healthy” foods including many fruits, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, etc.), nuts, legumes, grains, and dairy products.
What makes the Plant Paradox so unique?
The Plant Paradox is a diet unlike any other in the world.Whereas almost every other fad diet out there encourages dieters to increase their intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, the plant paradox tries to discourage dieters from eating them. At its core, the Plant Paradox is an undeclared war on certain “healthy foods” which makes it extremely unusual when evaluated against other fad diets like the Atikins Diet or The Zone Diet.
Does the Plant Paradox work?
Maybe. Although Dr. Gundry’s research and findings are undoubtedly interesting, they’re limited in scope—his patient sample size is too small and his research has scientific gaps that leave key questions unanswered.
For example, if a diet primarily built on the consumption fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and dairy were so toxic, how can so many cultures around the world who subsist on such a diet survive? And if a diet rich in legumes or grains is so counterproductive to normal human health and function, why aren’t even more people getting sick? These are just a few of the questions researchers will need to answer before they can prove or disprove Dr. Gundry’s hypothesis in the Plant Paradox diet.
The bottom line?
The Plant Paradox may help some people (like Kelly Clarkson) lose weight, but the fact remains that “different diets work for different people” and while some people might see incredibly results from the Plant Paradox, others “on the diet [would] do horribly.”
If weight loss is a real goal, it’s best to stick to a regimen of regular exercise and “purposeful eating”—a conscientious approach to eating where you pay attention to the kind of foods you’re eating and how they make you feel—as opposed to leaning heavily on the rules of a specific fad diet.
And if purposeful eating combined with regular exercise fail to your specific weight loss results you’re looking for, considering making an appointment with the team at Allure Medical to discuss scientifically proven weight loss options, or try reading some of Dr.Mok’s Hormone Replacement books to learn more about your hormones and weight loss.
