Antinutrients: Hidden Compounds in Plants That May Affect Your Health

Plants contain compounds that keep animals from eating them. Compounds called “antinutrients” prevent the absorption of the nutritients the plant contains. Eating plants may even be a net negative, as your body may lose some nutrients due to the plant toxins.

Protease inhibitors make it harder for your body to digest proteins while triggering immune responses. Grains, nightshades, and legumes often contain lectins, which can damage the gut, resulting in leaky gut, systemic inflammation, and poor nutrient absorption.

Phytates are in many greens, such as spinach and chard, and keep you from absorbing minerals such as iron or calcium. Your body must also use extra calcium to prevent the absorption of phytates.

Many antinutrients occur in common foods:

• Lectins: legumes, grains, and nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants)
• Phytates: greens, such as spinach and chard
• Saponins: legumes and some vegetables
• Tannins: unripe fruit, coffee, chocolate, and tea
• Oxalates: spinach, beet greens, rhubarb and many other plants
• Polyphenols: coffee, tea, chocolate, and some fruits and vegetables
• Gluten: wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, einkorn, and all related versions of wheat
• Goitrogens: broccoli, cauliflower, and kale
• Trypsin inhibitors: wheat and soybeans

Some antinutrients are neutralized by cooking, fermentation, sprouting, or soaking. It's important to note that some of these foods may also have health benefits, so it's important to follow your Revero diet plan available in your app.

Revero Personalized Diet Targets Problematic Antinutrients

The Revero low-carbohydrate diet excludes grains so that means also avoiding antinutrients contained in grains. Revero may recommend that you eliminate (or reintroduce) certain foods or food groups from your diet to identify which foods may be causing adverse reactions or health issues.

This is one way that your personalized diet can help us effectively pinpoint if antinutrients may be problematic for you.

‍