Some of us have a reaction to certain foods we eat. And, when we finally identify which ones they are for certain, we will know to always avoid them. I think at least, for me, the gluten in wheat bothers me in a couple of ways…

Wheat may possibly affect you the same, but you may not know it yet. One, is I feel like it causes problems in my gut. Maybe, it’s leaky gut syndrome. But, also, my ears get plugged up, my lungs congested and my sinuses flare up after I eat anything made of wheat and a few other grains like barley and rye.

‘I don’t know, I have never gone to a doctor for the tests. All I know is when I stop eating it, all the symptoms simply disappear, and that’s good enough proof in itself as far as I’m concerned’ ~ your author

Wheat also is high in lectin. You might want to read about it, here. You know, there are so many twists to a healthy diet, one can become confused very easily. That’s why I kept a diary about how I felt eating different foods. It helped me to remember what to eat and not.

Main Foods I avoid eating for best health

• Refined oils like olive oil, palm oil and all the others
• Sugar and especially corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup
• All animal products including eggs and dairy
• Processed and refined foods
• Junk and snack foods
• Wheat, barley, rye and everything else except Basmati rice
• I keep eating seeds and nuts to a bare minimum
• So, what’s left to eat? Plenty. I eat food I love and eat a lot of it. I never starve. Find out how I eat, here

Tomatoes, kidney beans, soybeans, peanuts and potatoes have lectins. Yet, at the same time, these are all great sources for antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. But, the question remains: Should you avoid them? I say, pay attention to how your body reacts before you give up any plant based whole food.

Legumes, like kidney beans and soybeans should be boiled and cooked thoroughly. This will eliminate most of the lectins. Furthermore, I buy my tofu sprouted. Sprouting soy drastically lowers its lectins.

Many foods we eat like those mentioned above contain a significant amount of lectins. But, thankfully, they are eliminated either by cooking, fermentation and sprouting. So, these foods probably don’t affect most of us adversely.

Nightshade vegetables can cause problems for some people. So, watch how eating them makes you feel. For example, the more commonly known nightshades are your tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, eggplant and tomatillos. I eat two peeled fried in no oil potatoes everyday, but don’t bake them anymore because doing so can create acrylamide.

Note- consult your doctor before you change your diet.