http://www.healthy-eating-politics.com/toxins-in-food.html# Lectins: toxic protein compounds found in most foods, but in heavy amounts in many seeds, grains and legumes. Large amounts of lectins can damage the heart, kidneys and liver, lower blood clotting ability, destroy the lining of the intestines, and inhibit cell division. Cooking neutralizes lectins to some extent, and digestive juices further destroy them. People living at high altitudes, where water boils well below 212 degrees should cook lectin containing foods in pressure cookers to avoid lectin poisoning. Lectin toxins in food are found in:
* Grains, especially wheat and wheat germ but also quinoa, rice, buckwheat, oats, rye, barley, millet and corn, and all products made from them (oils, vinegars, alcohols, flours, etc..)
* Legumes (all dried beans, including soy and peanuts and the products made from them)
* Dairy foods, if the cows producing the milk are fed grains instead of grass (this would include most commercial milk products)
* Plants in the Nightshade family, including potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.
The lethal toxin Ricin is made from castor beans, which contain large quantities of a particularly deadly lectin. Raw black beans contain enough lectins to kill rats in one week. This article discusses in depth the health effects of lectin consumption.
In addition, this paper discusses the ability of lectins to bind to insulin receptors on your cells, enabling the transport of glucose into the cell, much like insulin does. The import of this is that even vegetables and nuts, which are staples in a low carb diet, can stall weight loss if they contain active lectins which mimic insulin.