Pressure Cooking And Boiling Destroy Lectins In Beans:

You may already know some of the most famous reasons why pressure cooking is considered healthy, such as the ability of pressure cooking to help vegetables retain some vitamins. But what you perhaps didn't know is that pressure cooking is also one of the best cooking methods for destroying a class of anti-nutrients called lectins in beans. Now, if you don't happen to own a pressure cooker, not to worry, also boiling will inactivate those lectins and you will just need a bit more time. To get the full scoop, keep reading.

First Some Background: What Paleo Folks Say About Bean Lectins. Paleo enthusiasts often talk about lectins, proteins that occur in a wide range of plants. In the Paleo community, lectins have gotten a bad rap because some (but by no means all) lectins can be extremely toxic when consumed in large enough amounts. Agglutinins, which are found in legumes like beans, are an example of a group of lectins that may be problematic.

To support their argument that beans and other legumes are dangerous, Paleo advocates often refer to an investigation described in the April 1999 issue of the BMJ. The investigation followed an apparent food poisoning that affected a large number of hospital workers after they had eaten a meal containing red kidney beans. The investigators found no pathogenic bacteria in the food, but the beans contained an abnormally high concentration of the lectin phyto-hemagglutinin. (1) However, what Paleo folks sometimes forget to mention is that the red kidney beans that caused the incident hadn't been cooked properly.

In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, common edible beans that have been prepared and cooked properly are unlikely to cause lectin-related adverse effects in healthy people (2).

Today, even some Paleo experts, such as the best-selling author Chris Kresser, allow properly cooked beans in their clients' diets. In his book, Your Personal Paleo Code, Kresser argues that it's OK to eat beans and other legumes in moderation provided that you tolerate them well and that they don't replace more nutrient-dense foods, and that they are prepared in a way that makes their nutrients more bioavailable.

The Best Ways to Inactivate Lectins in Beans: Pressure Cooking and Boiling. So, how long should you cook beans and other legumes, and at what temperature, if you want to minimize their lectin content? And are there any differences between cooking methods (e.g. pressure cooking vs boiling)? Let's take a look at some facts:

Neither dry nor moist heating at 70°C (158°F) for several hours had any significant effect on the lectin activity of common legumes, a much higher temperature is needed to inactivate legume lectins (3, 4, 5). According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), consumption of beans cooked in slow cookers, which cook food at low temperatures for several hours, has been associated with foodborne illness outbreaks (6). Soaking beans and other legumes in water and then cooking them in water at or close to 100°C or 212°F (i.e. boiling) appears to be highly effective at inactivating legume lectins. When prepared and cooked this way, the lectin activity in fully hydrated soya beans, kidney beans, fava beans (aka broad beans) and lupin seeds was eliminated already after 10 minutes (and after 1 hour when cooked at 95°C) (4, 5, 8). Note, though, that this study only looked at lectins, and longer cooking times may be required to destroy other anti-nutrients/toxins (i.e. to make these legumes safe for consumption).

Pressure cooking seems to be particularly effective at inactivating lectins. One study found that cooking beans for only 7.5 minutes in a pressure cooker was enough to inactivate their lectin activity. (2, 9, 10) Properly processed beans seem to have little to no residual lectin activity, and in most cases, legume lectins appear to be inactivated before the legumes are considered edible. However, since lectins are more resistant to dry heat treatment, soybean oil and certain foods containing soy flour can have some lectin activity. (2, 9, 11)

Beans, The Takeaway. If you've got a pressure cooker and love beans but are worried about their lectin content, you're in luck, pressure cooking is one of the best ways to inactivate lectins in beans. If you happen to have one of those multi cookers that can be used both as a pressure cooker and a slow cooker, only use the pressure cooking functionality for your bean dishes, slow cookers don't reach temperatures high enough to destroy lectins in beans. And, for all those who don't own a pressure cooker, there's no need to worry: also boiling beans is a good way to get rid of lectins, you will just need a bit more time!


1. Freed, D. (1999). Do dietary lectins cause disease? The evidence is suggestive and raises interesting possibilities for treatment. BMJ, 318(7190): 1023-1024.
2. Lajolo F. and and Genevese M. (2002). Nutritional Significance of Lectins and Enzyme Inhibitors from Legumes, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50(22):6592-8.
3. Pusztai, A (1991). Plant lectins. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
4. Grant, G and van Driessche, E. (1993). Legume Lectins. Physiochemical and nutritional properties, Recent Advances in Anti-Nutritional Factors in Legume Seeds. Wageningen Pers.
5. Pusztai, A. and Grant, G. (1998). Assessment of lectin inactivation by heat and digestion. Methods Mol Med., 9:505-14.
6. Bad Bug Book, 2nd edition. Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook. Food and Drug Administration.
8. Grant, G et al (1982). The effect of heating on the hemagglutinating activity and nutritional properties of bean Phaseolus vulgaris seeds. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 33, 1324-1326.
9. Liener, I. (1994). Implications of antinutritional components in soybean foods. Crit. ReV. Food Sci. Nutr., 34, 31-67.
10. Bressani, R. (1993). Grain quality of common beans. Food ReV. Int. 9, 237-297.
11. Deshpande, S. (1992). Food legumes in human nutrition: a persona perspective. Crit. ReV. Food Sci. Nutr., 32, 333-363.

High Sources Of Lectins In Foods:
Soy Beans Kidney Beans Navy Beans Pinto Beans Lima Beans Wax Beans Castor Beans Fava Beans
Jack Beans String Beans Field Beans Sweet Peas Green Peas Cow Peas Horse Grams Lentils
Mung Beans Soybean Sprouts Barley Bulgar Buckwheat Wheat Germ Quinoa Kamut
Spelt Grain Cerials Wheat Corn White Rice Brown Rice Oats Millet
Rye Baked Goods Tomato Unpealed Potato Sweet Potato Zucchini Carrots Rhubarb
Beets Asparagus Turnips Cucumbers Pumpkin Radishes Sweet Peppers Blackberries
Strawberries Pomegranate Grapes Quinces Mushrooms Sunflower Oil Banana Papaya
Currants Pine Nuts Hazelnuts Peanuts Sunflower Seeds Safflower Oil Chocolate Coffee
Caraway Nutmeg Peppermint Marjoram Garlic Sesame Seeds Almonds Cashews
Chia Seeds Pumpkin Seeds Canola Oil Corn Oil Cotten Seed Oil Grape Seed Oil Peanut Oil
  • Wheat Germ Contains One Of The Types Of Lectin That Isn't Destroyed During Digestion.

Low Sources Of Lectins In Foods:
Amaranth Wild Rice Ostrich Grass Fed Meat Free Range Chicken Free Range Eggs
Grass Fed Dairy Chestnut Water Foul Coconut Free Range Turkey Macadamia Nuts
Pecans Pistashios Walnuts Flax Seeds Hemp Seeds Sesame Seeds
Coconut Oil Sesame Oil Flax Seed Oil Avacado Oil Macadamia Nut Oil Red Palm Oil
Rice Bran Oil Walnut Oil Apples Blueberries Cherries All Citrus Fruit
Kiwi Fruit Nectarines Peaches Plums Pomegranates Raspberries
Strawberries Monk Fruit Xylatol Stevia Jerusalem Artichoke Syrup Erythniol
Yacon Pealed Potato Flax eed Oil

List of Foods that Contain Lectin
Last Updated: Apr 16, 2015
List of Foods that Contain Lectin

Lectins, a type of protein found in many plant foods, can cause damage to the lining of your gastrointestinal tract or your organs and interfere with metabolism when consumed in large amounts, according to a study published in "Toxicon" in September 2004. However, they may also have some health benefits. For example, a review article published in "Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition" in 2005 noted that lectins may have some anti-cancer potential via changes to the immune system and minimizing the growth of tumors, although research is still in the preliminary stages.

To give you an idea of their diversity, here is a table of lectins which have been discovered. These 50 are just a sampling of the thousands & perhaps tens of thousands in our diet, most of which are unknown and unstudied. With the exception of dairy and wheat, many foods have only had one type researched even though they may contain several.

50 Lectin Foods Listed In Alphabetical Order:


Lectin Name*


1. Avocado Persea americana agglutinin PAA
2. Bananas Plantain agglutinin none assigned (BanLec is shortened name)
3. Barley Hordeum vulgare agglutinin HOV
4. California Crab Cancer antennarius agglutinin CCA
5. Carrot Daucus carota agglutinin DAC
6. Chickpea Cicer arietinum agglutinin CPA
7. Cocoknut Crab Birgus latro agglutinin BIL
8. Corn Zea mays agglutinin ZMA (corn lectin is more often used)
9. Eggplant Solanum melongena agglutinin SOM
10. Elderberry Sambuccus nigra agglutinin SNA
11. Fava Bean Vicia faba agglutinin VFA
12. Garlic Allium sativum agglutinin ASA
13. Gourd Luffia actangula agglutinin LUA
14. Jackfruit Artocarpus integrifolia agglutinin (Jacalin) JAC
15. Kidney Bean Phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin PHA
16. Leek Allium porrum agglutinin APA
17. Lentil Lens culinaris agglutinin LCA
18. Lobster sialic acid-specific lobster lectin LAg1
19. Mango Mangifera indica agglutinin MIH
20. Milk (mammals, incl. cow) A1 beta-casein (beta-casomorphin-7) BCM-7 (name of 7 amino acid segment unique to A1)
21. Milk (mammals, incl. cow) A2 beta-casein none assigned
22. Milk (mammals, incl.cow) phosphorylated whey glycoprotein PP3
23. Milk (mammals, incl. cow) chitinase-3-like protein 1 (chitinase-like lectin) Chi3L1 & YKL-40
24. Milk (mammals, incl. cow) pregnancy-associated glycoproteins PAGs (numerous subtypes)
25. Mung Bean Vigna radiata agglutinin VRA
26. Mushroom Agaricus bisporus agglutinin ABA
27. Mushroom Psathyrella velutina agglutinin PSV
28. Oat Avena sativa agglutinin AS
29. Onion Allium cepa agglutinin ACA
30. Pea Pisum sativum agglutinin PSA
31. Peanut Peanut agglutinin PNA
32. Peppers (bell and hot chili peppers) Capsicum annuum GLP1 CaGLP1
33. Potato Solanum tuberosum agglutinin STA
34. Pumpkin Cucurbita maxima agglutinin CUM
35. Rice Oryza sativa agglutinin OTL
36. Rye Secale cereale agglutinin SCL
37. Salmon Salmon serum lectin SSL
38. Sesame Sesamum indicum SEI
39. Shallot Allium ascalonicum agglutinin AAA
40. Snail Helix hortensis agglutinin HEL
41. Soybean Soybean agglutinin SBA
42. Squash Cucurbita pepo agglutinin CUP
43. Sweet Pea Lathyrus odoratus agglutinin LOA
44. Sweet Potato Ipomoea batatas lectin IBL
45. Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum agglutinin LEA
46. Winged Bean Psophocarpus tetragonolobus agglutinin PTA
47. Wheat Triticum vulgare agglutinin TVA
48. Wheat Germ Wheat germ agglutinin WGA
49. Wheat Germ Succinyl wheat germ agglutinin sWGA
50. Wine and Grapes Vitis vinifera lectins none assigned

*Name listed refers to the verbiage which is most commonly seen in medical and scientific papers. A given food can and will have multiple names e.g. avena sativa agglutinin is the same as oatmeal lectin.
**Abbreviation refers to that which is most commonly seen, some have multiple abbreviations e.g. SBA and SBL for soy.

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