‘Anti-nutrients‘ (ANs) are compounds found primarily in plant-based foods that interfere with the absorption and utilization of certain nutrients. Essentially, thet consitute a plant’s defense mechanism against predators. ANs include a range of compounds.
- Phytates (Phytic Acid): Found in whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes. They can bind to minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium calcium etc and reduce their absorption.
- Lectins: Found in legumes and grains, they can interfere with nutrient absorption and cause digestive discomfort.
- Oxalates (Oxalic Acid): Present in leafy greens, they bind to calcium and other minerals, making them less available for absorption.
- Tannins: Found in tea, coffee, and some legumes, they can inhibit the absorption of iron and interfere with the digestion of protein.
- Goitrogens (Glucosinolates): Found in cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cabbage, and kale), they can interfere with iodine uptake by the thyroid gland.
For avoiding problems, it is relevant to remember that most ANs are reduced or deactivated by normal food preparation methods like soaking, sprouting, boiling, and fermentation.
So, why the hooha?
Diets like keto, paleo, and carnivore eliminate or restrict whole food groups (like grains and legumes) that are high in ANs. Proponents of these diets hype the topic of anti-nutrients to justify excluding these plant foods. In the wellness sphere, the negative aspects of ANs tend to be exaggerated, leading to fear-mongering about consuming perfectly healthy foods.
Several of the compounds classified as ANs (e.g. phytates and tannins) have, in fact, significant health benefits. Reasonable experts acknowledge that ANs exist and can inhibit nutrient absorption. However, they stress that for the vast majority of people consuming a varied and well-prepared diet, the negative effects are negligible.
In summary, for most people consuming a balanced diet, ANs should not be a major concern. The overall benefits of eating whole, plant-based foods far outweigh the potential negative effects of ANs.
7 Responses to What’s all this hooha about ‘anti-nutrients’?
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With multiple compounds in every food, it is difficult to know which of them gives you symptoms, in the case of legumes, grains and cruciferous it is possible that there is a sensitivity to some FODMAPs like it was shown before in people who thought they have non celiac gluten sensitivity.
So when they stop eating some food group and feel better, they cant be sure its the antinutrients fault for sure.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29102613/
Since adopting an ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet, I’ve noticed that two red spots, one on each cheek and measuring 0.5 cm each, have disappeared and never returned. A dermatologist had diagnosed them as rosacea. She recommended using sunscreen to prevent the spots from worsening. I didn’t do that, nor did I use any other remedies. I believe this cure is due to the diet I adopted, consuming chickpea flour, rice flour, golden flaxseed, brown flaxseed, chia seeds, peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and soy extract every day, in addition to all kinds of vegetables, greens, and vegetable oils.
Consumption of red meat and processed meat is associated with several types of cancer (colon, rectum, colorectal, breast, endometrium, lung, hepatocellular carcinoma, kidney, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bladder, breast, colorectal, endometrium, esophagus, stomach, lung, nasopharynx, oral cavity, oropharynx, and prostate). Stroke, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, and mortality; red meat and especially white meat are associated with pancreatic cancer.
do you have a point?
From a spiritual point of view, animal blood carries a large amount of ectoplasm, which is absorbed by spiritual entities that practice evil. Therefore, as long as slaughterhouses exist, there will be sustenance of all kinds of disorders, such as robberies, femicides, and wars between factions and countries, spilling human blood, which is even richer in ectoplasm, further strengthening these spiritual beings. When the love practiced by vegetarians is practiced by all of humanity, a new peace will reign on planet Earth!
The intestine is one of the few organs that we can directly care for through diet. It is like the earth; when we make it fertile, plants develop well, producing flowers and fruits. Similarly, when our intestine is “fertilized” with vegetable fibers (soluble and insoluble), nutrients are made available to all other organs, causing them to produce their “flowers and fruits.”
if you say so.
Although neither I, nor the books channeled by spiritual authors, nor the historical accounts of human and animal sacrifices to appease spiritual entities can be scientifically proven, we must believe in and practice what we consider most ethical for the health of humans and other members of nature.
When humans eat animals, they cause suffering and death to countless other species. Butterflies, hummingbirds, and moths die from lack of nectar from plants replaced by pasture. Snakes, frogs, baby birds, and others cannot escape the fires used to clear land and plant monocultures to feed livestock (the pesticides used in these monocultures also kill birds, frogs, beneficial insects, and other species important for the balance of ecosystems). Monkeys and birds are deprived of native fruits due to deforestation to create farms for raising animals for human consumption.
Since animal meat is readily available in supermarkets, humans also indulge in polluting rivers. Even the vast oceans are struggling to cope with fishing, with fish stocks declining significantly each year, making life difficult or impossible for dolphins, whales, and other species. Fishing nets also cause suffering and accidental death to dolphins, turtles, fish, and even whales. The raising of animals in captivity sometimes leads to infections that decimate millions. The consumption of meat accustoms humans to indifference towards the misfortune of others, and this indifference ends up being practiced against their own species.
it`s like the soil (not the Earth).