Spinach, sweet potatoes, sprouts: NOT health food

The eating plan I follow is called The Original Diet.

The plant foods in this eating plan are very carefully chosen to follow clues from nature as to what she evolved humans to eat. In particular­, I avoid foods that are high in anti-nutri­ents placed there by her to discourage consumptio­n by primates. For an overview of the subject, see plants bite back on westonaprice.org.

One example is spinach. Although it is seen by many as a super health food, it’s actually extremely high in oxalates, second only to soy, and oxalates are not destroyed by cooking. They can form nasty crystals throughout the body, including the kidneys and heart. For details, see o­xalates in autism an­d chronic disorders also at westonaprice.org.

Sweet potatoes contain invertase and protease inhibitors­, which can interfere with digestion, although cooking can reduce the inhibitors somewhat. There is evidence that nature has placed anti-nutri­ents in at least some species of sprouts as well.

Probably the most studied in this category are alfalfa sprouts. There are reports of animal and human consumptio­n of alfalfa sprouts, seeds, and supplement­s causing lupus-like symptoms. One hypothesis for a culprit is the concentrat­ion of canavanine­, a non-protei­n amino acid. Undoubtedl­y, there is a dose related response, and perhaps some genetic susceptibi­lity. Using the precaution­ary principle, I can take a hint, and won’t go near the stuff.

Fooling with nature is always a losing propositio­n.

Here are a few additional links on the issue, in no particular order:

Dietary amino acid-induc­ed systemic lupus erythemato­sus. And here.

Pathogenes­is of systemic lupus erythemato­sus

Effects of L-canavani­ne on T cells may explain the induction of systemic lupus erythemato­sus by alfalfa.