Anyone else read this new book by Stephan Gundry? It’s tone is pretty lame and cutesy but I was curious about his approach to lectins in food being a major cause of inflammation. He doesn’t really seem to understand what compromises a ketogenic diet, but nonetheless calls one of his protocols the “keto plant paradox” program. He also says that coconut oil and MCTs are “made of ketones”, and is adamant that we reduce our intake of animal protein as it’s effect on insulin levels keeps our bodies from utilizing our energy stores (i.e. body fat). He recommends two ounces of animal protein per day. I think this guy doesn’t really know what he’s talking about…on the other hand he has some interesting thoughts on the defensive mechanisms of plants and why they can be harmful to our health. And yet he advises people eat "vegan proteins " like hemp burgers and Quorn (a processed meat substitute product). Hmmmmm…not sure what to make of all this…
Plant paradox?
I have a copy on hold at the library. I read this type of book (like always hungry, finished that last week) just to see if there is anything new or interesting. What I see is a trend of:
- Doctor writes book, first few chapters are “scientific background” and anecdotal evidence from their own experience/practice
- Second half of book is “meal plan” and recipes that will change your life (most are some variation of paleo/atkins)
- Sell supplements/diet bars/packaged food to the masses (it must be good, it’s from a doctor! and they have a best-selling book!)
- Sip margaritas on the beach while the profits roll in
I know this is jaded but I’ve read 6-8 books that follow this example. The really flashy ones add in youtube videos of VERY high quality while the “real scientist” seem to just put videos up without regards to professional editing (something I life, the rougher quality seems more genuine to me).
Another trend I’m seeing in this space is that it seems that folks are getting any kind of doctorate they can (Gundry seems to have a fairly good pedigree) in order to start the “process” I mentioned above.
Once again, this might seem jaded and negative but it’s not from a negative point of view, just a point of view that is always questioning the motivations behind books/programs of this nature.
On the plus side, if this book and others of it’s ilk, serve to wake people up about the dangers of carbs and the coming tsunami of type II diabetes and the impact it’s going to have our econcomy, then I guess that’s a win.
If I remember I’ll respond again after reading the book.
Cheers!
Tim
I’ve watched a youtube interview of him promoting his book and watched a few minutes of one of his infomercials pushing a ridiculously overpriced powdered fruit polyphenol supplement.
He has a tendency to speak in absolutes, lectins are plant poisons and are the cause of just about every disease. He will talk about an anecdotal story with a patient and state it PROVES such and such. He has a very long list of entire categories of plants that must be avoided to be healthy but provides zero statistics regarding the percentage of people who have issues with any given species. He makes a lot of claims like science shows such and such but never actually dives into a real analysis of any scientific studies.
I suspect there are some grains of truth buried within his dogma but I don’t find him a compelling source of actionable info.
@infromsea yeah that’s exactly the formula. Very dumbed down and redundant. At least I got it from the library so I’m not paying for his margaritas 
I read it before going full Keto. (I’ve been full Keto for 4ish weeks and a little Keto for a few weeks prior to a two week vacation before that.) I don’t think Gundry’s “absolutes” are correct, but I do think its good added information for doing eliminations in diets were you try to identify different categories of foods that are giving you immune issues. (Eliminate x food for a month then eat and see if it flairs up an issue you have.). Elimination diets aren’t new though. PP did help me some for a month with focusing on health of my gut biome, but after going full Keto, it seems like Keto is curing all issues I had. I do have an immune system that tends to hate me, so if it starts fighting me in the future with any of the issues I’ve had getting stronger again, I’ll take the PP info in mind to try to identify a culprit. Honestly though, Keto has had a more direct, thorough, and ongoing improvement for me than PP did. There’s also no doubt that Guidry is trying to sell products. I don’t think those products are harmful, and do help, but I do think they are unnecessary. It’s obvious to me now that it’s all been about my increasing insulin resistance.
(My issues were eczema, bloating, IBS, increasing weight with “healthy eating”, pre-diabetic symptoms, severe intolerance to wheat but didn’t test positive for celiacs, achy joints, brain fog, a few others. I’ve never been a soda drinker or much of a fast food eater either, but one branch of my family tree was T2D with that SAD diet. I’d be the extra 150 lbs now with T2D if I had been eater their way too.)
But . . . but if you watch Gundry’s YouTube videos he always signs off by saying, “Remember, I’m Dr. Grundry, and I’m always looking out for you.” So he’s clearly operating from altruistic motives, cuz he told me so himself.
Yeah.
Dr Gundry was my gateway drug into Keto. My wife is medical and his ideas hit the ‘OK, let’s try this’ note for her. Going full keto straight up would have been too confronting and ‘wrong’ for her.
Whatever it takes, baby 
Yeah! I thought it was funny that I started reading the book after polishing off a pound of fatty rib eye…according to him I’m basically asking for a tumor.
