"I cringed when I heard a patient tell me their physician told them this without any inclusion on the health benefits of pulses or discussion as to why they should avoid them in the first place," said Elizabeth Ann Shaw, MS, RDN, CLT, CPT, to POPSUGAR.
"While some individuals may experience dietary discomfort with lectin consumption and need to avoid them, many, on the other hand, can delightfully enjoy pulses and fruits that contain lectins, which coincidentally are a great component to a healthy diet," she said. Instead of taking an all-or-nothing approach to this advice, ask your physician for food sensitivity testing to rule out if lectins are really the cause of your discomfort or not.