Cardiologist and heart surgeon Dr. Steven Gundry reveals that gluten is just one variety of a common and highly toxic plant-based protein called lectin. Lectins are found not only in grains like wheat but also in the "gluten-free" foods most of us commonly regard as healthy, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and conventional dairy products. These proteins, which are found in the seeds, grains, skins, rinds, and leaves of plants, are designed by nature to protect them from predators (including humans). Once ingested, they incite a kind of chemical warfare in our bodies, causing inflammatory reactions that can lead to weight gain and serious health conditions. Dr. Gundry offers simple hacks we easily can employ to avoid lectins, including: Peel your veggies -- most of the lectins are contained in the skin and seeds of plants; simply peeling and de-seeding vegetables (like tomatoes and peppers) reduces their lectin content; shop for fruit in season -- fruit contain fewer lectins when ripe, so eating apples, berries, and other lectin-containing fruits at the peak of ripeness helps minimize your lectin consumption; swap your brown rice for white -- whole grains and seeds with hard outer coatings are designed by nature to cause digestive distress -- and are full of lectins. With a full list of lectin-containing foods and simple substitutes for each, a step-by-step detox and eating plan, and delicious lectin-free recipes, The Plant Paradox illuminates the hidden dangers lurking in your salad bowl and shows you how to eat whole foods in a whole new way. Visit the author's website at drgundry.com.