Thursday Feb 06, 2025

28 - How Veggies are Killing You! The Truth About Eating Plants

Hi Mama!

The first time I heard someone say that vegetables are dangerous, I laughed. Surely, this was a fad that would vanish in five minutes, right? Well… here we are, and the idea is still making the rounds, especially in the carnivore diet world. But is there any truth to it? Should you be side-eyeing your salad?

In this episode, we’re diving into the claims that plants contain toxic compounds that harm your health. We’ll break down what’s real, what’s exaggerated, and why eating four cups of broccoli every three hours is (thankfully) not a real concern.

From sulforaphane in broccoli to lectins in beans and oxalates in spinach, we’re looking at the big picture — because nutrients don’t exist in isolation, and your body is pretty amazing at handling what you eat.

So, before you banish veggies from your plate, join me for a well-rounded, science-backed chat. Because spoiler alert: your kale smoothie is not out to get you.

🎧 Hit play and let’s dig in!

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Sources mentioned:

Su X, Jiang X, Meng L, Dong X, Shen Y, Xin Y. Anticancer Activity of Sulforaphane: The Epigenetic Mechanisms and the Nrf2 Signaling Pathway. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018;2018:5438179. Published 2018 Jun 6. doi:10.1155/2018/5438179

Shapiro TA, Fahey JW, Dinkova-Kostova AT, et al. Safety, tolerance, and metabolism of broccoli sprout glucosinolates and isothiocyanates: a clinical phase I study. Nutr Cancer. 2006;55(1):53-62. doi:10.1207/s15327914nc5501_7

Cornblatt BS, Ye L, Dinkova-Kostova AT, et al. Preclinical and clinical evaluation of sulforaphane for chemoprevention in the breast. Carcinogenesis. 2007;28(7):1485-1490. doi:10.1093/carcin/bgm049

Ryder SD, Jacyna MR, Levi AJ, Rizzo PM, Rhodes JM. Peanut ingestion increases rectal proliferation in individuals with mucosal expression of peanut lectin receptor: study. American Gastroenterological Association. 1997 July 25; doi.org/10.1016/S0016-5085(98)70631-6

Pires AF, Marques GFO, Alencar NMN, et al. Inhibitory effect of Lonchocarpus araripensis lectin in rat acute models of inflammation. An Acad Bras Cienc. 2019;91(2):e20180991. Published 2019 Jun 19. doi:10.1590/0001-3765201920180991

Hartman TJ, Albert PS, Zhang Z, et al. Consumption of a legume-enriched, low-glycemic index diet is associated with biomarkers of insulin resistance and inflammation among men at risk for colorectal cancer. J Nutr. 2010;140(1):60-67. doi:10.3945/jn.109.114249

Vojdani A, Afar D, Vojdani E. Reaction of Lectin-Specific Antibody with Human Tissue: Possible Contributions to Autoimmunity. J Immunol Res. 2020;2020:1438957. Published 2020 Feb 11. doi:10.1155/2020/1438957

Taylor EN, Fung TT, Curhan GC. DASH-style diet associates with reduced risk for kidney stones. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009;20(10):2253-2259. doi:10.1681/ASN.2009030276

Zhuo D, Li M, Cheng L, Zhang J, Huang H, Yao Y. A Study of Diet and Lifestyle and the Risk of Urolithiasis in 1,519 Patients in Southern China. Med Sci Monit. 2019;25:4217-4224. Published 2019 Jun 6. doi:10.12659/MSM.916703

Breslau NA, Brinkley L, Hill KD, Pak CY. Relationship of animal protein-rich diet to kidney stone formation and calcium metabolism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1988;66(1):140-146. doi:10.1210/jcem-66-1-140

Yahfoufi N, Alsadi N, Jambi M, Matar C. The Immunomodulatory and Anti-Inflammatory Role of Polyphenols. Nutrients. 2018;10(11):1618. Published 2018 Nov 2. doi:10.3390/nu10111618

Ozdal T, Sela DA, Xiao J, Boyacioglu D, Chen F, Capanoglu E. The Reciprocal Interactions between Polyphenols and Gut Microbiota and Effects on Bioaccessibility. Nutrients. 2016;8(2):78. Published 2016 Feb 6. doi:10.3390/nu8020078

Westfall S, Pasinetti GM. The Gut Microbiota Links Dietary Polyphenols With Management of Psychiatric Mood Disorders. Front Neurosci. 2019;13:1196. Published 2019 Nov 5. doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.01196

Petroski W, Minich DM. Is There Such a Thing as "Anti-Nutrients"? A Narrative Review of Perceived Problematic Plant Compounds. Nutrients. 2020;12(10):2929. Published 2020 Sep 24. doi:10.3390/nu12102929

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