The Anti-Nutrient Debate

Some food chemicals (such as lectins and oxalates) have been given the title ‘anti-nutrients’ and depending on which research paper you read, they are either to be avoided or heartily included in each meal.

Food fads are an interesting thing, they are generally something considered healthy like green smoothies or fermented vegetables but as we all have different bodies, what is healthy for you is not necessarily healthy for another.   

Generally a varied diet of unprocessed whole foods will improve your health, but certain components of these foods can cause issues in sensitive people. For plants to survive and grow, they have created substances that protect them from predators, which can also cause issues for us.  

Reactions to these anti-nutrients can trigger a myriad of symptoms from gut problems, itching skin, headaches, fatigue, all in the belief that we should eat those foods as they must be good for us. 

What are anti-nutrients?

Antinutrients are compounds found in plants that are part of their chemical defense mechanism that further helps them to repel predators along with external protection like spikey leaves or hard shells. They can affect us in two ways, they can either bind to micronutrients in the plant which stops you being able to absorb them or they inhibit digestive enzymes from working so you can’t break down food properly. 

For example, oxalates bind to calcium and prevent it from being absorbed by the body, whereas too many tannins can inactivate the enzymes in our gut that break down and absorb proteins. In some people, anti-nutrients can cause inflammation in the digestive tract which can cause systemic inflammation over time.

Common types of anti-nutrients

The most common types of antinutrients are gluten, phytates, tannins, lectins, and oxalates. Some people are more sensitive to antinutrients than others, with gluten being the most common, recent research has found it could affect up to 20% of the western population.

Interestingly though, not all gluten sensitivities are related to gluten being an anti-nutrient, which is different from other anti nutrients like lectins and oxalates. (I will do a whole blog on gluten another time, so I won’t go into big detail about it in this blog). 

With the stress that our modern lifestyles places on our gut health and microbiome, we have become more susceptible to have issues with digesting these components, and developing reactions to them. Other people who may be more sensitive to anti-nutrients, as they have high amounts in their diet, include vegetarians or vegans, as they are found in many plant based foods. 

Here is a breakdown of the different types of anti-nutrients, how they can affect your body and how to minimise their effects.

What are oxalates?

Oxalates, also called oxalic acid, are a compound created in our bodies and by plants as a waste product of vitamin C metabolism. Our bodies can produce oxalate on its own or obtain it from food. Vitamin C can also be converted into oxalate when it’s metabolized. Most people’s bodies will naturally release oxalates, but consuming high amounts can affect our body ability to process them. 

When oxalates bind with minerals in the digestive tract they can accumulate as harmful crystals in the body. They are associated with diseases where the crystals gather in the bone, myocardium, blood vessels and skin, with kidney stones being the most common example. 

When oxalates bind to calcium in the kidneys they form calcium oxalate kidney stones. For most people these compounds are removed in the urine, and don’t cause a problem. Urinary oxalates can be formed naturally as a waste product in the body or from dietary oxalates. 

Oxalates can also impair the healing of injured tissues and joints and people who have had gastric bypass surgery or other surgeries that affect the way the digestive system works may also have high oxalate levels in their urine. 

They can be found in green leafy vegetables, the highest concentrations being spinach, silver beet and rhubarb. They are also high in soy products, almonds, potatoes, especially with skin on them, beans, legumes, raspberries, cocoa and dates. In Britain, the highest proportion of oxalates found in the diet was from tea! Send us an email on clinics@naturalallergytreatment.com.au to obtain a comprehensive list of foods that contain oxalates.

Some of the oxalates eaten can be broken down in the gut before they binds to calcium, iron, or zinc by our gut bacteria. Oxalobacter formigenes, actually uses oxalate as an energy source, but not everyone has this type of bacteria in their gut, especially if they have had repeated antibiotic use. The amount of oxalates the body absorbs may depend on the composition of your gut microbiome. 

Boiling or soaking foods high in oxalate will reduce the oxalate content. Supplementation of calcium may help as well as calcium binds to the oxalate in your gut which helps reduce the amount you absorb.

What are lectins?

Lectins are naturally occurring proteins that are found in most plants. They serve a protective function for plants as they grow, but they don’t actually have any nutritional value when consumed in foods. They are a carbohydrate binding protein, with the most familiar one to most people being gluten.

Lectins can damage the lining of the Gastrointestinal tract (GIT), causing the gut to become inflamed and not functioning as well. The normally tight junctions in the intestinal wall widen, allowing various undigested food particles, toxins and bacteria to pass through into our bloodstream. This is known as leaky gut or intestinal permeability.

Some people are more sensitive to lectins than others, especially if they already have a bowel disorder like Cronh’s or Coeliac disease. In these people even small amounts of lectins generate immune related symptoms like intestinal inflammation, joint pain or skin flare-ups.

If a person has enzymes that do not function correctly, consuming excess lectins may lead to nutrient deficiencies and digestive problems. This is because the body cannot break down lectins, instead they bind to nutrients and cells lining the GIT.

They block mucosa which is the natural barrier and protector against bacteria and viruses in the intestine and throat. This creates a prolonged state of inflammation which can lead to an auto-immune condition.

They can also alter the body’s hormonal balance, as they mimic proteins in your thyroid which can trick your body into attacking your thyroid gland.

Because lectin proteins bind to cells for a long period of time they can potentially cause an autoimmune response and so can play a role in inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and type I diabetes.

They can also interfere with the absorption of minerals, especially calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc.

Foods high in lectins include legumes – beans, lentils, peas, soybeans, peanuts, Whole grains – wheat, quinoa,barley buckwheat, corn, millet, oats and rye. Nightshades – tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, squash, whole grains, and peanuts, cashews, almonds, A1 milk/dairy products. Meat raised conventionally can also contain lectins as they are fed to the livestock. (pasture raised/grass fed ok), and fruit (some seasonal ok). 

Sprouting to reduce lectins 

To sprout your seeds/grains/legumes, place them in a container and cover with a couple of cm of water over the top. Cover with a cheese cloth or wire mesh and leave to soak overnight then rinse thoroughly in a colander under running water drain and place back into a clean container. Continue to rinse and drain at least twice a day for the next couple of days. Once a little sprout ‘tail’ pokes out give it a final rinse and prepare/eat as desired. The leftovers will last up to 5 days in the fridge.

Lectins are mostly found on the seed coat, so when you add water the seed germinates and the coat gets metabolized along with the lectins. The longer the sprout the longer they are deactivated. Unless it is Alfalfa sprouts which when sprouted enhance lectins. White rice is better than brown as brown rice contains lectins in the hull.

Soaking and cooking to reduce lectins

Place grains and legumes in a container and cover with a couple cms water over the top for 4 to 8 hours. When the time is up, rinse thoroughly with a colander under running water. Use a pressure cooker if going to eat beans, tomatoes, potatoes, quinoa as it will break down the lectins. (it won’t break the lectins down in wheat, oats, barely, rye and spelt). It is also important to note that the lectins in peanuts are not destroyed through soaking or heating.

Fermenting to metabolise lectins

During fermentation, beneficial bacteria metabolises many hard to digest compounds including lectins. Not all lectins are completely destroyed by fermenting, (e.g beans). Foods that are fermented include miso, tempeh, natto, sauerkraut, kvass, dosa, lassis, kefir, kombucha, and sugar free yogurt.

What are tannins?

Tannins are a class of chemicals found in plants from the family of polyphenols, common types include resveratrol, (from red grapes, red wine, cocoa), curcumin from turmeric, and anthocyanins found in blueberries and other dark berries. Polyphenols act as antioxidants which can reduce cellular damage from free radical damage and are antiinflammatory.  When drunk or eaten tannins create a dry astringency in the mouth, like the puckering feel you can get from strong tea or red wine. 

Like the other antinutrients, tannins help protect plants from predators and fungi and can also block the absorption of nutrients. Tannins bind to proteins and reduce their digestibility. They can also block the absorption of iron, specifically the tannins found in tea.

If you enjoy your tea black it’s best to have it between meals or add milk to it, the tannins will bind with the proteins in the milk instead of the proteins in your gut which prevents them from interfering with iron absorption.  Eating vitamin C rich foods like potatoes, capsicum, or oranges before or after you drink tea or included in a meal with tannins in it can also help neutralize them.

Women are more susceptible to low iron than men, especially if they are on a vegetarian or vegan diet. Some people have sensitivities to tannins, especially from red wine, they can develop the symptoms of headaches/migraines, facial flushing and digestive problems. There can be mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, panic disorders as well.   

Foods high in tannins include tea, coffee, herbs, spices, nuts, fruit – grapes, apples, pears, berries, stone fruit, persimmons, red wine, beans, chocolate. 

You can reduce tannin concentrations by steeping tea for a lesser time, and cooking tannin foods by roasting, slow cooking, pressure cooking and baking.  Avoiding the peel of citrus fruits will also reduce your tannin exposure. 

What are phytates?

Phytic acid, or phytates is the stored form of phosphorus found in seeds, nuts, legumes and unprocessed whole grains. When seeds sprout, the phytate is broken down and the phosphorus is released which is then utilized by the young plant.  The amount of phytic acid varies depending on the plant species, environmental conditions, climate and soil quality. It is often used commercially as a preserve due to it’s antioxidant properties.

Phytic acid is considered an antinutrient because we as humans lack the phytase enzyme needed to break it down. As it passes through our digestive system it binds to minerals like iron, zinc and calcium so they are not well absorbed by the intestine. This only happens when phytic acid is eaten with foods containing these minerals at the same meal. If your diet is high in foods containing legumes, nuts, seeds and beans then there is a higher risk of malnutrition.

Preparing foods properly that contain phytate can reduce the overall amount. There are natural enzymes, named phytases, that are present in high-phytate foods that can be activated with cooking, soaking, sprouting, and fermenting which lessens the phytate content naturally. 

• Cooking phytate-rich foods can decrease the phytic acid content depending on the food, how long it is cooked for, and the level of heat used. 

• Soaking beans and grains for at least 24 hours can decrease phytate content but the water used to soak them either needs to be cooked or thrown away.  Canned beans have been cooked so some of the phytates have been removed, but always rinse away the liquid they have come in as it can accumulate in it. 

• Adding in vitamin c rich foods to a meal with legumes and whole grains can decrease phytate content. (lemon juice, sprouts, capsicum).

• Including garlic and onions to beans, seeds and grains can enhance iron and zinc absorption which will help to negate the effects of phytic acid in these foods.

• Sprouting activates the phytase enzyme and can reduce phytate concentrations by over 60%, so eating sprouted beans is another option

• Some species of gut bacteria produce enzymes that neutralize phytates as well.

Like the other anti-nutrients they have health benefits as well, they have blood glucose-lowering effects (which are beneficial for diabetes prevention and treatment), can potentially help in preventing heart disease, and new research on human intestinal cells has shown that they may potentially act as an antioxidant. 

The Health Benefits of Plant Foods

If you haven’t already noticed, the foods that contain the highest concentrations of ‘anti-nutrients’ are whole grains, beans, and some leafy greens. Beans and many whole grains (and leafy greens but to a lesser extent) contain soluble fibre, which is what we call a prebiotic.

Prebiotics are essentially food for our gut bacteria (in fact, it is the only food they prefer to eat). When they digest soluble fibre, they produce magical compounds called short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which make the colon more acidic. A more acidic colon can ward off disease-causing, inflammatory bacteria that can cause intestinal inflammation. SCFA also feeds the cells that line your intestinal tract, which generally promotes a healthier gut lining.

Feeding the good bacteria in your gut a diverse range of different plant foods also increases the diversity of different gut microbes. When we have a balanced microbiome, filled with many different species of microbes, we are essentially reducing our risk for chronic disease. Polyphenols (plant compounds that have antioxidant activity), which are exclusive to plant-based foods (like beans), can also act as prebiotics. 

Although fibre is not an essential nutrient, it is a vital nutrient that feeds the good bacteria in our gut. When they don’t have enough food, they start to munch on our intestinal lining (called mucin) as a backup carbohydrate source. If this mucus layer continues to degrade, this may, over the long term, lead to gut dysfunction and an increased risk for gut diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Plant-based foods are excellent for gut health, so it’s essential to take a balanced approach towards your diet and avoid getting sidetracked with the latest fad diet!

Natural Allergy Treatment

Alongside using these various preparation techniques, our natural allergy treatment called Positive Association Technique (PAT) can help address any reactions to these substances, to help allow you to take a balanced approach to your diet and health.

As part of an Initial PAT Consultation, we use a technique called muscle testing (or kinesiology) to help pinpoint your reactions to various foods, food chemicals, airborne and chemical substances.

Following testing, you will work with your qualified Naturopath to address your reactions to these substances using a natural allergy treatment called Positive Association Technique (PAT).

We have clinics located all over Australia and in Auckland, New Zealand, and help hundreds of people manage their symptoms each year.

To find out more about how we can help you, get in touch!

• Call us on 1300 853 023 / 09 479 5997 (NZ) to chat to our friendly staff
• Send us your question HERE
• Request a Free PAT Information E-PACK HERE

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Please note that this blog post contains general information only. Always consult your health care professional before changing your diet, starting new supplements or regarding any medical condition.