Welcome to Hold the Lectin.
Who?
My name is Geneviève. I am an explorer of food and a personal growth enthusiast who has a passion for all things healthy and healthful! I live in the Greater Toronto Area with my wonderful husband Lenroy and amazing daughter Noa.
15 years ago, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). RA is a debilitating auto-immune disease that can be downright nasty! For the better part of those 15 years, I have suffered from incapacitating and sapping symptoms related to RA.
Always searching for ways to improve my health and feel amazing, I spend a lot of time researching foods and lifestyle choices that can add value to my life and that can really help me to feel better. Going lectin-free was one of those lifestyle choices that had an amazing and positive impact on my health. Ultimately, I created wellness by eating lectin-free foods.
~ I created wellness by eating lectin-free foods ~
What?
Hold the Lectin is an online space dedicated to helping you empower yourself and take charge of your health by adopting a lectin-free lifestyle. A lectin-free lifestyle involves eating foods that contain little to no lectins.
What are lectins?
Very simply, lectins are plant proteins that can have positive and negative health effects. In other words, they can be good for you or they can be bad for you. Not very helpful, right? The question always comes back to what are your symptoms? What’s not working right within your body? Once you know what’s not working, you can find ways to help yourself.
Let’s talk about the good. “Lectins can act as antioxidants and they can slow down digestion. Certain lectin-containing foods are associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease, weight loss, and type 2 diabetes. These foods are rich sources of B vitamins, protein, fibre, and minerals, and healthy fats.” – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The bad news is that “Lectins are defined as proteins that bind to carbohydrates. They resist being broken down in the gut and are stable in acidic environments. When consumed, lectins can also produce nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, and diarrhea. Milder side effects include bloating and gas. Lectins can also bind to cells lining the digestive tract. This may disrupt the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, and affect the growth and action of intestinal flora. Because lectin proteins bind to cells for long periods of time, they can potentially cause an autoimmune response and are theorized to play a role in inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.” – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Let’s use me as an example for a moment, I have rheumatoid arthritis. So, I’m interested in how lectins affect my specific condition; my specific body. So, I did my homework and researched lectins. What I came up with, led me to The Plant Paradox book by Dr. Steven Gundry.
By following the Plant Paradox program, my body immediately started to heal and the vast majority of my RA and dis-ease symptoms disappeared.
~ Dr. Gundry developed the Plant Paradox program, which is a lectin-free program/lifestyle. I liked what I read. I tried it. It worked for me. ~
Many of the staple foods in the Western diet contain lectins. The paradox is that plants (plant proteins, aka lectins) can cause us ill health. By removing the lectin protein from your diet (even temporarily), you may be able to vastly improve your health. Hold the Lectin will help you to navigate your fabulous lectin-free path to health, thus maximizing your health potential. Hold the Lectin features delectable and easy to prepare recipes, amazing community & support, resources and all things lectin-free.
Why?
The short of it all is that when it comes to yearning for better health and chasing after it, I am just like you – on a quest for better health. I live in the same world as you, with the same struggles as you do. I too am tired of feeling “less than” healthy. I too just want to feel better. In fact, I want to feel extraordinary! This quest for better health led me to try all kinds of programs, remedies, diets, restrictions, etc. All of these attempts were made in the name of making me healthier. Perhaps, you have been trying all kinds of things too. Bravo to us! The path to self-improved-health involves trying out many avenues to find the path that works best for us individually. Like me, your search led you to The Plant Paradox program [link to book review] and to removing lectins from your diet.
Again, bravo, a great step forward!
Why a blog?
The inspiration behind Hold the Lectin lies in my need to share positive and helpful information and in my need for a lectin-free community. I love to research all things health-related, especially all things lectin-free and this website is my platform to share those things with you. HoId the Lectin is my way of helping you reach your best health potential. In it, you will find what you need to know about living lectin-free and more importantly, you will find community, connection and inspiration that will facilitate, motivate and inform you on your lectin-free journey. As they say, “sharing is caring”!
When I started this formidable endeavour (Plant Paradox program and lectin-free journey), I knew that I was going to need solid support and Oprah-style encouragement. I asked the folks in my tribe if they wanted to be lectin-free with me. My best friend Andrea decided that the program wasn’t for her. When I asked my sister Anna, she may have said something like “hard no!” My parents, the most healthful people I know, are already living their own brand of healthy, so they were out. My husband wasn’t a good candidate… Or so I thought. I was a little worried (OK, a lot worried) that he was going to be my one and only PP (Plant-Paradox), buddy. He joined me on the 3-day detox and that’s when my worry turned to a solid dose of appreciation, admiration and sheer excitement that I had my own team (of 2!) and that my husband was my partner. Truth be told, he was the only one who signed up for what I imagine Ironman training to be like. The other truth to be told is that while my sister, my best friend and my parents did not take this lectin-free journey, they did indeed support me in the best way that they could. The point is you’re going to need an amazing support team.
Hold the Lectin has already signed up to be part of your team.
How and When?
Hold the Lectin will regularly provide you with
- easy to prepare lectin-free recipes
- regular pep-talks and cheerleading sessions
- informative and motivating newsletters
- support, community and inspiration
- regular question & answer sessions
- seasonal contests
Where?
Hold the Lectin can be delivered right to your inbox so you never miss a lectin-free thing.
and start your inspiring lectin-free journey.