Steven R. Gundry

This book had me feeling like I fell into a grocery store funhouse where every fruit and vegetable was suddenly an enemy. The author takes the idea of lectins and turns it into a full blown monster movie, complete with warnings that make you afraid to look at a tomato. Instead of feeling informed, I felt like I needed a flow chart, a support group, and maybe a stiff drink just to understand what I was supposedly allowed to eat. The fear mongering is wrapped in a tone that promises secret show more knowledge, but it reads more like a long infomercial for the author’s supplements.

What really makes it crumble is how often the advice contradicts basic nutrition research. The book leans heavily on dramatic claims while softening you up for the part where you are encouraged to buy the author’s products. It stops feeling like health guidance and starts feeling like a sales pitch in a lab coat. By the end I was convinced of only one thing. If you follow this plan, you will absolutely lose something. Your money, your patience, and maybe your grip on which foods are actually good for you. show less

This book is full of interesting and surprising information about the chemical and nutritional content of foods. One thing that I don't like about this book is that the author sells his own brand/version of supplements on his website. So this book could be viewed as an extensive marketing tool promoting the very products that he profits from on his website. Keep this in mind when you are reading specific recommendations. Another important caveat is that Dr. Gundry cites many anecdotal cases show more to substantiate his claims. For example, see "Cured of Crohn's Disease" on page 80. He relates stories about two women who claim they were "cured" of Crohn's disease by following Dr. Gundry's Plant Paradox diet, but he does not provide any medical evidence to substantiate his claims. He states that he is relying solely on their testimony of their so-called cures. This does not seem to me to be proper behavior for a physician. A little skepticism towards Dr. Gundry's claims is probably called for. show less

Comprehensive (read: too long) book describing plants, grains, animal proteins, lectins and the how and why of their behavior in our guts... in detail. Contains lots of nutritional science about foods we know are unhealthy. More alarming are the facts Dr. Grundy provides about foods we thought were good for us, but are seriously detrimental to our health, i.e. whole wheat, corn, tomatoes, soy and many more.

Dr. Grundy explains that our digestive systems cannot process the lectins from many show more of these foods, and result in inflammation and leaky gut. He believes our eating these foods are the reason behind the substantial increase in obesity, alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, auto-immune diseases, exhaustion and brain-fog.

The Plant Paradox includes detailed lists of foods to avoid, foods that can be eaten in small quantities, and foods that are safe, and a section on recipes and supplements.

As a lay person in the field of diet and nutrition, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of information, the details, and how little I knew of 'evil' lectins. I ended up thinking; there is no way I can change everything he suggests. I understand that Dr. Grundy cannot simply tell people: everything you believed about food is wrong, do it my way. He has to build up to the why by explaining the science behind it.

I think a shorter, more simplified book with a less aggressive style would work better for most people. show less

Well written, entertaining, and it does work. I have met Dr. Gundry and worked with him to get my personalized schedule for supplements. Since I started this system five months ago, I have dropped from 212 to 181 lbs - I'm 6 feet tall, so I'm very close to my target weight. I go back in for blood work this week, to check on my progress with cholesterol control. My first set of blood work was very good and showed marked improvement, without any perscription meds, after only 6 weeks on the show more diet. It's been 5 months now, and the diet still serves me well. I highly recommend this book to everyone who does not eat mainly vegetables yet (pretty much everyone). show less