As with most groundbreaking books, The Plant Paradox by renowned heart surgeon and nutrition pioneer, Dr. Streven Gundry, left many of us amazed – and overwhelmed. His gut-healing lectin-free diet has helped hundreds of his patients, but has received a bit of controversial feedback since those darned lectins are everywhere.
Going lectin-free could be an important protocol for healing in some cases, but it also left many of us asking ‘what are we supposed to eat?’ Gundry’s follow-up cookbook, might help a bit, but why not take a look directly into the doctor’s fridge? Read on for Gundry’s real life kitchen stash… 
Food philosophy is one sentence:
The only purpose of food is to get olive oil into your mouth.
Always in my fridge:
Five or six kinds of lettuces and chicories, like radicchio.
Recipe staples always on hand:
Cassava flour, coconut flour, blanched almond flour, olive oil, rosemary and Tuscan herbs, six or seven kinds of vinegar and avocados.
Must-have munchies:
Baruka nuts. I’m addicted! Also, pistachios, walnuts and macadamia nuts.
Favorite condiments:
Mustard, horseradish, avocado mayo.
Ingredient that makes everything taste better:
Olive oil!
Go-to proteins:
Quorn, frozen shell fish, wild red shrimp.
Best bargin:
Sweet potatoes and Costo’s Kirkland brand pesto — I could live off of it.
Label-reading tip:
To find out how much sugar is in a product take the total carbohydrates and subtract the total fiber. That will tell you the true amount of sugar. If you want to have real fun, divide that number by four. That will tell you how many teaspoons per serving.
Favorite veggie + what to make with it:
Radicchio — great for your gut bugs! I like it in salad. If you want to really make it interesting, slice it into quarters and grill on the grill. Then pour some olive oil and thick balsamic vinegar over it, and you turn it into a dinner vegetable.
Must-have pantry staples:
Sorghum, millet and Eden canned beans — I prefer lentils. I also have their cannellini beans and black soy beans (only eat beans/lentils if they’ve been cooked in pressure cooker). Also, Miracle Noodles and Miracle Rice.
Craziest thing I buy:
Baruka nuts or perhaps wine from high altitude vineyards. Mount Etna Sicilian wines along with wines from Argentina and Switzerland are some of my favorites.
Indulgent sweet:
Extra dark chocolate, 85% and above.
Dairy favorite:
Aged Italian French or Swiss cheese, mostly raw.
Skip labels that read:
Gluten-free, because those foods are usually filled with other lectins…and the vast majority of people I see who are gluten-free react to the other ingredients in gluten-free foods.
Favorite splurge:
Gelato in Italy
Last minute entertaining tip:
Always have some Costco Wholly Guacamole in the refrigerator and plantain chips in the pantry.
Best grocery shopping:
Costco, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Lazy Acres in Santa Barbara
Simple go-to recipe:
Cappello’s Frozen Fettuccine topped with Kirkland Pesto. It cooks in 90 seconds. (You can find it at Whole Foods in the gluten-free freezer section. This is an exception to my earlier mention).
Favorite food memory:
My mother was the greatest pie maker of all time, and she always had a pie. Every single one of my mother’s pies were amazing.
Learn more about lectin-free living from Dr. Steven Gundry with our interview here. Dr. Gundry will be releasing The Plant Paradox Quick & Easy on early January, which helps break down the lectin-free way of life in a simple, 30-day plan. .
