The Plant Paradox Diet Explained. It Changed My Life.

What is the plant paradox diet? If you are looking for an answer to this question, you are in the right place. This website was built around the plant paradox diet, although I prefer to call it a lifestyle because it’s about more than just food.

I discovered the plant paradox in August 2017 after reading an interview with Dr. Steven Gundry. At the time, I was puzzled about some health conditions and weight gain despite trying everything to stay healthy.

I ordered The Plant Paradox book by Dr. Gundry, and after reading it, I felt there was no turning back. In two weeks, I started to see results, and I loved the new food so much that I decided to share my journey with the world.

That’s how this website was born. All the recipes you find on this website are in line with the plant paradox diet: lectin-free, sugar-free, and of course, gluten-free (gluten is a lectin).

What are lectins?

I mentioned above that I prefer to call the plant paradox a lifestyle, not a diet. There is much more than just food to consider when adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Sometimes “the plant paradox diet” and “the lectin-free diet” are used interchangeably. While lectin-free only refers to food, the plant paradox is the larger umbrella, a lifestyle under which a lectin-free or lectin-light diet is adopted.

In this article, we will call it “the plant paradox diet” because that is the term most people, who want information, use when searching.

“So, what are lectins anyway? For the most part […] they are large proteins found in plants and animals, and they are a crucial weapon in the arsenal of strategies that plant use to defend themselves in their ongoing battle with animals. […] Like smart bombs, lectins target and attach themselves to sugar molecules […]. They also bind to silica acid, a sugar molecule found in the gut, in the brain, between nerve endings, in joints and in all bodily fluids, including the blood vessel lining of all creatures. Lectins are sometimes referred to as ‘sticky proteins’ because of this binding process, which means they can interrupt messaging between cells or otherwise cause toxic or inflammatory reactions. ”

Dr. Steven Gundry, The Plant Paradox

Which foods contain lectins?

While most foods contain lectins, some are more harmful than others, and some are harder to destroy by processing. The foods that are considered high in lectins are:

• Grains, pseudo-grains and grasses, except for millet, sorghum, fonio and teff. I recommend reading my article The 4 Gut-Healthy, Lectin-Free and Gluten-Free grains for more insight on grains.
• Beans and legumes contain some of the most harmful lectins, that can be removed by soaking and pressure-cooking.
• Animal protein fed with lectin-heavy foods like soy, corn, and cereals.
• Nightshades and fruits disguised as vegetables: peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes. Also pumpkins, melons and zucchini, goji berries. The lectins are mostly in the seeds and peel of these fruits (yes, they are fruits, not vegetables!), so we remove most lectins by removing these. Pressure-cooking also removes lectins in these foods. Even so, there are people that are extremely sensitive to nightshades, and removing them altogether, at least for some time, is the only option.
• Seeds like chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.

More about reducing lectins in foods here: Lectin Foods: How to Reduce Their Lectin Content

Other foods that are a NO under the plant paradox diet, but not necessarily because of lectins, are:

• Heavily processed foods
• Industrial seed oils
• Dairy from milk with A1 type casein
• Non-seasonal and sugar-heavy fruits
• Sugar and artificial sweeteners (including agave syrup and maple syrup)

If you need help quitting sugar, I recommend reading this article:

• How I Quit Sugar 5 Years Ago. And I Still Eat the Cake

The plant paradox diet is not rigid

Bioindividuality is extremely important in adopting any diet, not only the plant paradox. We are all different at different stages of health, so this can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. That’s one of the reasons the plant paradox diet is split into four different phases:

• Plant Paradox Phase 1: the cleanse, reset or kick start phase, the most strict, lasts for only three days. It can be repeated any time we feel like a reset.
• Plant Paradox Phase 2: the restore and repair phase, following after the cleanse, where all the lectin-heavy foods are eliminated, where healing happens. This can be six weeks or longer, depending on the level of healing each of us needs to achieve.
• Plant Paradox Phase 3: happens after phase 2, when most healing goals have been achieved. In this maintenance phase, lectin-heavy foods can be reintroduced, if prepared appropriately to reduce lectin content: soaking, pressure-cooking, removing seeds and peels, and fermentation. Some of us do well with the reintroductions, and others will realize they need to stay more in Phase 2. We are indeed all different.
• Plant Paradox Keto Intensive Program: This includes a stricter elimination correlated with a ketogenic approach, where the proportion of carbohydrates in the diet is reduced. It is meant for those with auto-immune conditions and chronic illnesses.

Other approaches to the plant paradox diet principles

Since The Plant Paradox book was released in the spring of 2017, and when I’m writing this, a few more books have been released: The Plant Paradox Quick and Easy, The Longevity Paradox, and The Energy Paradox.

The Plant Paradox Quick and Easy is a 30-day program

This is a short version of the plant paradox diet for those looking to get a taste and understand if this works for them before embarking on a lifelong personal project.

In this program, Phase 1 lasts for 7 days, Phase 2 for 2 weeks, and Phase 3 for 1 week. At the end of the 30 days, you will decide if the benefits are worth the lifestyle change.

The Longevity Paradox

Built on the plant paradox diet principles, emphasizing the importance of fasting for a long, healthy life. Below are a few of the main points that are an evolution from the plant paradox diet:

• Fasting. The longevity diet encourages regular fasting, like a 5-day fasting mimicking diet that involves a 900 calorie vegan diet regularly (recommended every month), to skipping dinner once or twice a week to boost our brain.
• Stricter on animal protein. Dr. Gundry recommends 1-3 oz/ day, including eggs, pasture-raised meat or poultry, or wild-caught fish and seafood.
• Eat more legumes. This may come as a surprise, but in fact is just the Phase 3 of the plant paradox diet, where legumes and beans are considered healthy foods if prepared correctly (soaked and pressure cooked). Lentils are considered the best in this category, but all beans and even peas are ok if pressure cooked.

The Energy Paradox

This is a targeted approach for those suffering from chronic low energy levels or chronic fatigue. The benefits of fasting are again highlighted and food-wise, other than the foods in the plant paradox diet and those in the energy paradox, foods high in melatonin and prebiotic fiber are highlighted. Some foods high in melatonin are pistachios, cherries, mushrooms, black and red rice.

As you can see, things are not always black and white. It’s impossible to have a strict dietary approach that works for everyone at all times. We are all different and have different needs, but we are also different at various stages of our lives. What works today might not work tomorrow, what works for a 20-year-old female might not work for a 60-year-old male, and so on… you get the idea.

The need for a framework like the plant paradox diet comes in when we need to start from somewhere. The information out there is confusing, and I don’t think anyone can say they know it all. So we have to pick a side.

I go with my intuition. I resonated with the plant paradox diet approach and having a framework helped me start. At the moment I’m writing this, 4.5 years have passed, and every day is different. I learn new things, apply, and decide what works and what doesn’t work for me.

It’s not a race to the finish

For this article, we will focus on the plant paradox diet framework, and I’d like to start with one of my favorite quotes from The Plant Paradox book to set the right mood.

As I’ve said before, none of the Phases of the Plant Pardox Program […] should be considered a race to the finish. The object is not to get through the program as quickly as possible. Rather than a competition, regard the program as a path to a lifestyle you can live with, a lifestyle that is life- and health- affirming. Always do what you can do, with what you’ve got, wherever you are. If you fall of the wagon for a day or two, simply climb back in. Once you have experienced the health enhancement of the Plant Paradox Program offers, why would you do anything else?

Dr. Steven Gundry, The Plant Paradox

The Plant Paradox Diet: Explained in 12 Steps

1. Read and re-read The Plant Paradox book

I know this might be so obvious to start with, but in fact, so many people fail because they haven’t read the book, or if they did, they forgot part of it. This is natural, so I read mine more than once. I highlighted parts that I considered the most important, and I memorized the YES and NO lists.

If you are at the beginning, make sure you have the lists with you everywhere. You can find my Plant Paradox food list and shopping list here.

Plus, stay updated with the latest information from Dr. Steven Gundry, his research is a living body, and he is not afraid to say if he was wrong about something and some things have changed. 

• The Plant Paradox, Dr. Steven Gundry
• The Plant Paradox Cookbook, Dr. Steven Gundry
• The Longevity Paradox, Dr. Steven Gundry
• The Energy Paradox, Dr. Steven Gundry

2. Change your mindset, take control of your health

All our bad eating habits are just that, habits. A habit is defined as a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. A habit is something you do often or regularly, like eating bread every day, eating out most of the time, or having a donut for breakfast every day, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be changed.

When a habit is formed, your brain goes into automatic mode and the food industry has been capitalizing on that for decades. So simply put, the food industry takes advantage of us being in this automated mode. We should be able to make our own choices based on what makes us feel good and what doesn’t support our health.

I remember when I was younger, I hated eating in the morning. The thought of food when I woke up made me sick. But then I heard so often that breakfast is our most important meal that I started to believe it. Slowly I began to eat early breakfast. It became a habit that I thought I could not perform if I didn’t have breakfast. That was just in my mind, of course. Once I decided I wanted to fast and went back to my natural state of not needing food in the morning, my body just adapted.

Achieve food freedom

Don’t blindly adopt everything new, but do your research, assess your habits and how they influence your health, ask questions and be open to receiving answers. If you are not sure something will work for you, you will have to try. Give it some time and decide how much your health has improved and if the new lifestyle is worth it.

We all deserve to feel vibrant and healthy, and that can be done, for most of us, by taking control of our own life and listening to our bodies. If you practice long enough, you will achieve what I call food freedom, which means that I am perfectly capable of seeing and even cooking food that is bad for me without craving it. 

3. Eat lots of veggies, greens and herbs

There are more than fifty thousand edible plant species around the world – plants that provide a bevy of unique and beneficial nutrients that we consumed as foragers. And yet today, our diets are dominated by three crops: wheat, rice and corn, which together account for 60 percent of the world’s calorie intake.

Max Lugavere, Genius Foods

• Genius Foods, by Max Lugavere

They should make the biggest part of our diet. Build your meals around nutrient-dense veggies and greens. The easiest way to do this, at least for me, is to follow the seasons and what’s available in farmers’ markets and our local supermarkets or stores. Make your first stop in the store be at the produce section, see what’s available and buy a diversity of produce.

It can be easier if you split your veggies into a few categories. These are mine, but you can do whatever way speaks to you most. These are not scientific categories, some cruciferous go on my roots list, and we all know avocados are not technically vegetables. Still, the purpose of these lists is to serve my everyday cooking and planning, not to be scientific or correct. 

• Main cruciferous: broccoli, cauliflower, bok choi, collard greens, Brussel sprouts, kale, cabbage
• Greens and salads (some of them are still cruciferous, but for my cooking purposes, I like to keep them in a separate category): arugula, romaine lettuce, mixed leaves, butter lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens
• Roots and bulbs: rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, carrots, celery root, radishes, beetroot
• Others: avocado, okra, mushrooms, celery, artichokes, resistant starches, asparagus, lemons, limes 
• Herbs: basil, thyme, mint, tarragon, oregano, rosemary, parsley, cilantro

In conclusion, build your meals to be at least 70% (volume) made of veggies and greens.

4. Animal protein should be your seasoning

Use animal protein to add flavor and enhance the nutritional value of your meals. And only eat animal protein if you have access to clean sources. That means 100% grass-fed for beef, pasture-raised for chicken and other poultry, humanly raised pork from small sustainable farms, wild game, wild-caught fish, and seafood low in heavy metals and sustainably caught.

You can start at 8oz animal protein a day (4oz of protein is about the size of your palm without fingers) and try to reduce it even more if possible. My rule is if I don’t find the clean protein I want, I don’t eat it. But I know we are all in different situations, and mine is rather an easy one. Sometimes, doing your best is good enough if you have big families to feed or budget restrictions. 

I always remember my grandma’s stories about their meals when they were kids in rural Romania. They would raise their chickens, but there was no way they could afford to have chicken every day for a family of nine (plus, they were saving them for eggs). So chicken was a treat, maybe once a week or every two weeks, and usually, the parents abstained from eating so the kids would have enough. The abundance of food we have access to today is not normal, and we should be able to go through days of scarcity with no problem. 

5. Fat is your friend, not your enemy

We’ve been brainwashed to think fat is bad for us, so I understand when we become weary of having too much of it. But healthy fats fuel us, and there is no way around it.

Keep it low to moderate on saturated fat, but indulge in good quality extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, avocados, nuts, and nut oils (and remember, cashews and peanuts are not nuts!). Dr. Gundry recommends 12 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil a day. Soak your salads and veggies in olive oil, and make dipping sauces and dressings with extra virgin olive oil. Be careful with nuts if you are trying to lose weight. 

I do not calculate macros, but I learned how to combine foods to make sure most of my calories (at least 70%) come from healthy fats and the rest from a mix of carbs and protein. If you can’t figure that out yourself, a macros calculator might help (plenty of apps are available).

6. Treat fruit like candy

Within a single generation we have gained unprecedented access to sweet fruit. […] Today, 365 days of high sugar fruit consumption is reading our bodies for a winter that never seems to come.

Max Lugavere, Genius Foods

I always had a pretty tough stomach and rarely got sick, but the few times I got sick were from fructose poisoning. At first, I couldn’t make the connection, but then I realized there was a pattern; when I ate a lot of fruit (because, you know, we are taught fruit is healthy), I felt yucky.

I have not eliminated fruits from my life. I enjoy having seasonal fruits in small quantities, mainly those low in sugars like berries, peaches, apples, pears, plums, oranges, grapefruits, kiwi, plums, and pomegranate. They are a treat, and I enjoy them in moderation: twice or three times a week, about 1/4 cup berries, or half of bigger fruit, or a few slices of grapefruit or oranges in a salad.

Sometimes I go for weeks without having any, especially in the winter. I am not counting lemons and avocados here because they are fruits, but they are not limited; the same for figs, which are flowers. Dry figs and dates are allowed in super small quantities, but I suggest having no fruits (except berries) if you are trying to lose weight. Also, no fruits in Phase 1 or if you are doing the Intensive Keto program. 

7. Embrace home-cooking and meal planning

I have to be honest. Meal planning is not my forte. But I force myself to do it and get better at it. I get a lot of cues from my own culture and family.

I grew up in Romania, an ex-Eastern block country where both men and women had full-time jobs, and outsourcing cooking and eating out was not a thing. So people had to find ways of preparing food for a whole family. My mom made big pots of soups and stews every weekend to last us for several days.

Meal planning is an entire topic so I won’t go into details here. But from my experience, it helps to always have in the fridge and pantry:

• Washed and dried salad leaves, including arugula, baby spinach, romaine, curly and butter lettuce, even kale
• Blanched leafy greens vegetables, such as collard greens and Swiss chard
• Avocados and lemons/limes
• Cauliflower rice
• A big pot of soup
• Homemade or compliant store-bought stock
• Cooked animal protein: cooked chicken, meatballs, compliant sausages, shrimps, etc
• Eggs – boiled or not
• A big tray of roasted veggies
• Nut butters and mix of nuts
• Compliant chocolate
• Some baked goods – frozen
• Frozen vegetables
• Frozen meats and seafood
• Onions and garlic, ginger and turmeric, parsley and cilantro

Also, check my shop page for other items that might not be on my weekly shopping list, but I always make sure I have some available.

Keep it simple

Last but not least, you can permit yourself to keep it simple. If you find a few vegetables and greens that you love and don’t mind having them all the time,  go ahead and do it. Some people, like myself, need diversity to stay motivated and happy, and some are happy with more straightforward, fewer ingredients. As long as they are healthy and your diet is balanced, permit yourself to do it, at least to make your life easier at the beginning.

And when you travel and eat out, learn how to order and plan so you can stay on track and enjoy your experience. More details in this article How to stay plant paradox compliant when traveling.

8. Always have something ready to grab and go

A muffin, a biscotti, a fat bomb, a piece of chocolate, a bag of green plantain chips, a mix of nuts, a cracker, a keto brownie, granola, a cookie, nut butters, boiled eggs, olives – all these are items that we should always have around, especially if we know we are easily tempted by food.

Cakes, fat bombs, biscotti, cookies, and muffins freeze well, so make a bigger batch and have them frozen. Have a little compliant snack with you wherever you go. This way, you won’t be tempted when out of the house.

Also, make sure you clean your pantry of all off-limits foods if you know you are easily tempted. These are some of my favorite recipes for snacks and compliant sweet treats:

• Rosemary almond crackers with cranberries and hemp seeds
• Lectin-free savory caraway biscotti
• Keto flaxseed crackers with zaatar spices
• Coco-nuts crunchy granola with green plantain
• Italian almond biscotti with tigernut flour
• Grain free lemon blueberry muffins
• Cranberry macadamia plant paradox cups
• Dr. Gundry’s carrot cake muffins

9. Practice intermittent fasting

For the first time in history, there are more overweight than underweight humans walking the Earth.

Max Lugavere, Genius Foods

It’s been proved (also tried and tested) that giving your body 12 to 16 hours every day break from digestion has immense benefits on our health.

According to Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.,  “One of the major benefits of fasting is a dramatic increase in autophagy, followed by a massive boost in stem cell production.” Autophagy is an essentially biological process, a self-cleaning mechanism within our cells, which helps your brain detoxify, repair, and regenerate itself. Each of us is different, and we need to explore what works and what does not for us.

After trying several ways of fasting, I figured for me the best way to do it is to skip the morning meal, so now my first meal of the day is around lunchtime, and my last one is not later than 7 pm. My mornings are productive without thinking about eating or preparing food, and even my workouts are done before I eat. Having just two meals a day simplifies things. Fasting is healthy for you, and it’s flexible, free, and saves money and time. 

You have to do it under supervision for extended fasting (more than a day). I recommend getting this book if you are interested in exploring fasting: The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung, MD

10. Exercise

Exercise is one of the best ways to boost autophagy in the brain. It keeps us healthy and happy. It’s not about killing yourself exercising, but finding a physical activity that you enjoy, suits your personality, and keeps you active and happy.

Some love running, some hiking, some yoga, some HIIT, some weight lifting, some play tennis, some swim, some just love walking… it doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you are active. Our brains and bodies need that positive stress to stay healthy. If your activity is done in nature, it’s double yummy. 

Dr. Gundry recommends hiking (or any activity that is done against gravity), and I agree. I don’t do as much as I would like (work in progress), but I feel this would be the best activity for me.

Also, I learned that having no time is not a valid excuse, and at least you should be able to do short exercises wherever you are. My favorite one is this 4-minute daily workout, I do it at least once a day, and it feels great (I did it this morning while waiting for my coffee to brew).

• The Nitric Oxide ‘Dump’ – A Very Efficient Workout Strategy, Dr. Mercola

11. Avoid endocrine disruptors

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with endocrine (or hormone) systems at certain doses. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Any system in the body controlled by hormones can be derailed by hormone disruptors. (Wikipedia)

According to Dr. Steven Gundry (pg 111, The Plant Paradox), they are found in most plastics, scented cosmetics, preservatives, sunscreens, household cleaning products, laundry products, register receipts, make-up, deodorants, toothpaste (with triclosan), food treated with pesticides, insecticides and herbicides, NSAIDS, broad-spectrum antibiotics, stomach acid blockers, exposure to blue light. 

Did you know that the US allows some 1,500 toxic chemicals in cosmetic products, banned by most of the developed countries in the world? 

How to avoid endocrine disruptors

Endocrine disruptors are everywhere. Here there are few ideas about how to avoid them:

• Replace the use of plastic with other nonharmful materials. Check my article Four simple ways to reduce your plastic exposure and consumption for some ideas.
• You will barely need any NSAIDS (anti-inflammatory pills) and acid blockers by having an anti-inflammatory diet, since your food is doing the work. I haven’t taken one since I started the Plant Paradox in 2017. 
• Buy organic fruits and vegetables, especially when it comes to The Dirty Dozen. Buy only high-quality meat, as described at point 4.
• Find cosmetic products that don’t use any of the 1,500 toxic chemicals. I use BEAUTYCOUNTER for everything skincare and make-up. I’m sure they make some of the safest products on the market, but they advocate for women’s health and legislation change, so the use of these toxic chemicals be banned from the entire industry. By using and promoting their products, I feel I keep myself and my loved ones safe, and I contribute to something bigger that will benefit future generations. Read more about safer skincare here.
• Try to find safer replacements for your household products. I use Mrs. Meyers for cleaning and hand soaps, and a few months ago, I finally found a safe laundry product, I also like how it works, My Green Fills. Not only they are safe products, but they are made on a refill base, so you will never have to repurchase a jar. You get one at the beginning and then you mix the refill powder with hot water and use the same jar. I use the washing powder, the softener and the Dryer Angel.

12. Find your why and your tribe

We all have a reason for wanting to be healthy, live pain-free, and enjoy a quality life for as long as possible. For some of us is our children, grandchildren, for some our spouse, for some something greater we want to accomplish or be able to pursue our passions for as long as possible. Whatever that is, find it, write it down in big letters, and put it somewhere where you can see it every day. That will remind you why you need to stay committed to a healthy lifestyle.

I’ll end this long article with a warning: this journey might seem a little lonely at the beginning. At least that’s how it felt for me. We are ready when we are ready, and no one can be forced to eat healthily unless they are ready for it. When I started, I was so excited to share the improvements in my health after my first month that I wrote a big article about it (I didn’t have a blog or food Instagram at the time, so I did it on my personal Facebook). To say I was disappointed by the reactions (or lack of…) I got, is an understatement. But that was the moment when I realized I had to make my tribe who would support me in this journey.

That’s how ‘CreativeInMyKitchen’ seed was planted. If the people around you are not ready to hear good news about your health, don’t get discouraged. Search for a group that will appreciate your experience or make your own tribe. When your results are obvious, those ready for the change will come to you with questions. Pay it forward.

Plant paradox diet recipes

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.