Table Of ContentContents
Cover
Title Page
Introduction
PART ONE: WHAT IS THE PLANT PARADOX?
One: Lectins and Your Health
Two: “So What Exactly Can I Eat?!”
Three: The Plant Paradox Program
Four: The Plant Paradox Kitchen
PART TWO: RECIPES
Five: Appetizers and Snacks
Six: Morning Meals
Seven: Soups and Stews
Eight: Noodles and Bowls
Nine: Main Dishes
Ten: Vegetables and Sides
Eleven: Sweet Bites
Twelve: Drinks
Thirteen: Sauces, Condiments, and Dressings
Acknowledgments
Resources
Endnotes
Index
About the Author
Copyright
About the Publisher
Introduction
This cookbook has been a long time in the making. Soon after I began giving my
patients a now-infamous list of “just say no” and “yes, please” foods and sent
them on their way with about ten recipes, I recognized the need for a more
comprehensive resource that could help them maintain their new way of eating.
And so for years, I’ve been collecting recipes from friends and patients and
developing my own repertoire. It’s taken a lot of trial and error, tasting and
testing, and plenty of dirty dishes, but I’ve finally been able to compile the
collection of tasty, healthy, and diverse recipes that my patients—and you
readers—deserve.
But let me back up a bit. If you’re just coming to this book without having
read The Plant Paradox, you may be thinking: what is this list you’re talking
about, and why do I need it? For the past seventeen years, I’ve been treating
patients with a combination of nutritional therapy and conventional medicine.
People generally come to see me when they’re struggling with a chronic disease
and just can’t seem to get better. They arrive at one of my clinics—in Palm
Springs or Santa Barbara—on a personal journey to regain their health or their
loved one’s health, or to take their “good enough” health to robust, vibrant
health.
As my patients and regular readers know, I saw and continue to see dramatic
reversals of diseases I once thought impossible to manage; changes that we can
track with sophisticated blood work and that my patients can feel and see. Many
of these changes are directly linked to nutritional alterations we’ve made to their
diets. And so I wrote The Plant Paradox to explain the philosophy behind the
list: the idea that proteins called lectins found in many common “health foods”—
including fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans—can damage the gut, cause
inflammation, and contribute to disease. Removing major lectin-containing
foods from the diet, combined with minimizing exposure to environmental
toxins, are the practices at the core of the Plant Paradox program.
The Plant Paradox Cookbook is written first and foremost for all of you who
have applied my “rules” and regained your health, but keep finding yourselves
asking that immortal question: “What the heck can I eat?” I know that you live
in the real world of two-job families, commutes, after-school practices, and
socializing, and that relatively few of you reside as I do in Southern California,
where beautiful, fresh produce is available year-round. And I know that thinking
about going lectin-free can seem impossible, or at least impractical, when you
already have too many things to manage on your to-do list. That’s why I’ve
written a cookbook with simple recipes anyone can master and accessible
ingredients (and substitutions for less-accessible ingredients) you can source
easily. I’ve also incorporated your feedback and suggestions for the types of
dishes you most wanted to see. No eating plan that encourages deprivation or
sacrifice has ever worked, and for good reason: eating is pleasurable! I of all
people understand and appreciate that point—I love a good meal and am not
immune to the temptation of my old favorites. That’s why you’ll find Plant
Paradox–approved versions of all of your most-loved foods in this book, from
bagels and pancakes to pizza and pad Thai, spaghetti and meatballs to brownies
and ice cream. I know it’s hard to believe, but you can reap the benefits of the
program while indulging in all of these seemingly forbidden dishes.
That brings me to the second reason for The Plant Paradox Cookbook: the
Plant Paradox program works! It’s just that simple. I’ve documented it in
thousands of patients in my clinics and I’ve reported my results at major medical
conferences, but the real joy I get is when I receive an email or a letter, or read a
review online, saying that this program has positively impacted someone’s life.
Whether it’s finally losing weight after many failed attempts; lowering blood
pressure and cholesterol markers; improving heart health; reducing or going off
of immune-suppressive drugs or thyroid medications; resolving MS or lupus
(and the attendant painful symptoms); or slowing or reversing the progression of
cancer or dementia, you’ve shared so many incredible successes with me that I
am truly humbled. Your stories are why I get up and go to work each morning,
and why I write books like this one: to make available to everyone the healing
powers of the Plant Paradox program.
And lastly, this book is written for you “holdouts” who may have heard
about this crazy Plant Paradox thing, but are reluctant to give up your beloved
grains and favorite foods. This cookbook was written maybe most of all for you,
to make it easier for you to find out what all the fuss is really about and to give
this lifestyle a try in the easiest possible way: by making delicious meals.
So, even if you haven’t read The Plant Paradox, you can jump right in with
this book and join the lectin-free (or at least lectin-light) club. Over the next few
chapters I’ll offer a brief overview of the Plant Paradox plan so that all of us—
old hands or newbies alike—will be up to speed and ready to dive into the
kitchen!
In case flipping through these pages and catching a glance of the gorgeous
photos hasn’t persuaded you, let me assure you: I’ve got incredible dishes from
James Beard Award–winning chefs, contributions from my recipe contest at
GundryMD.com, and a bunch of out-of-this-world recipes from patients and
followers that I know you will love. And they were all made with you, your
health, your busy life, and your taste buds in mind. I can’t for you to try them.
Welcome to The Plant Paradox Cookbook!
Part One
What Is the Plant Paradox?
Chapter One
Lectins and Your Health
