Is Plant-Based Food Dangerous?

Is Plant-Based Food Dangerous?

A lot of people have been calling into question whether a "vegan" or plant-based diet is truly the ideal way to eat despite the mountain of scientific literature showing it increases longevity and combats chronic illness. 

The reason this has become questioned more and more is because it is true that plant-based foods do have compounds in them called anti-nutrients. Maybe you've heard of oxalates, lectins, and phytates. These are all anti-nutrients that are present in a lot of the plant-based foods that we recommend you eat regularly. Could we have been wrong about our diet all along?

What Are Anti-Nutrients?

Anti-nutrients are chemical compounds predominantly found in plant-based foods, especially legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds. They can be toxic if consumed in high amounts, damage our intestinal lining, and prevent us from absorbing nutrients in our food. Plants produce these anti-nutrients to discourage insects and mammals from consuming them and they commonly take the form of either lectins, phytates, or oxalates.

While anti-nutrients are important to be aware of, they are NOT a reason to panic and to give up foods like spinach or beans because anti-nutrients can largely be deactivated.

 

Phytates

Also known as phytic acid, phytates are among the most well-known anti-nutrients found in plants and are primarily found in nuts and seeds. Phytates act in the way you'd expect them to when you hear the word "anti-nutrient" because their primary function is to lock your ability to absorb many types of nutrients such as phosphorous, calcium, iron, and many more. The good news is that the majority of phytates can, indeed, be deactivated by either soaking them or combining them with a food high in vitamin C.

Oxalates

Oxalates are another common anti-nutrient that are found in foods such as potatoes, beets, spinach, nuts, and legumes. These anti-nutrients often inhibit the production of essential digestive enzymes and can cause indigestion, diarrhea, bloating, and other gastrointestinal disturbances. Fortunately, the great majority of oxalates are destroyed in the cooking process and can be further disabled with soaking prior to cooking.

Lectins

Lectins are the anti-nutrient you will most commonly find in grains and legumes. Lectins may prevent you from absorbing vital nutrients while also contributing to leaky gut by damaging the interior lining of your intestines. If you struggle with autoimmune disease, this is one of the most important anti-nutrients you need to be aware of. The good news is that virtually all of the lectins can be deactivated by soaking, sprouting, and cooking your legumes and grains thoroughly. You have to do all three, however, and if you suffer from autoimmune disease this is extraordinarily important.

 

A Plant-Based Diet Is Still Ideal

Anti-nutrients can be extremely disruptive and even harmful to our health if left unchecked, but fortunately we have many ways of deactivating them. It's important that we're soaking and sprouting our grains and legumes, it's important we cook these foods thoroughly, and it's important to combine foods high in phytates with rich sources of vitamin C such as leafy greens or lemon juice.

Despite the presence of anti-nutrients, a plant-based diet remains the number one diet for combating chronic illness and increasing longevity. Stay the course and enjoy many healthy happy years ahead of you.

God Bless,
Mercy Ballard