The Hidden Toxins in Your Favorite Snacks - Dr. G's Quick Health Tip | EP 375.B

Summary

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The Dr. Gundry Podcast – Episode 375.B

Title: The Hidden Toxins in Your Favorite Snacks – Dr. G’s Quick Health Tip
Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Dr. Stephen Gundry
Theme:
This concise solo episode spotlights the “hidden toxins” lurking in everyday snack foods. Drawing on his decades of clinical practice and nutritional research, Dr. Gundry highlights six major classes of problematic ingredients commonly found in snacks—explaining their effects on gut health, metabolism, and disease risk. Practical advice for label-reading and safer snack choices is woven throughout.

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Main Episode Theme

Dr. Gundry explores the unexpected health risks found in popular snack foods, focusing on how certain ingredients—sometimes present even in “healthy” or “organic” snacks—may contribute to inflammation, gut dysfunction, weight gain, brain fog, and chronic disease.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Lectins: The Sneaky Gut Disruptors

• [01:55]
  • “Many of your favorite snack foods, particularly if they're grain based, are probably loaded with lectins.”
  • Lectins are plant proteins acting as a defense mechanism. When consumed in excess, they can promote “leaky gut” (intestinal permeability), a major driver of inflammation.
  • Grain products—including wheat, rye, barley, oats, and corn—almost always contain lectins (“It doesn’t matter whether it says organic or all natural. The lectins are in there.”)
  • Excess lectin intake may cause low energy, weight gain, and pain.
  • Strategies: peel, deseed, and/or pressure cook foods like legumes or nightshades to reduce lectin content—but pressure cooking does not destroy gluten lectins.

2. Sugar: Hidden and Harmful

• [03:31]
  • “The average American now eats 153 pounds of sugar per year, whether they know it or not.”
  • Many snack foods—even “healthy” breads—contain high levels of sugar. Example: one slice of bread = four teaspoons of sugar.
  • Sugar feeds “bad bugs” in the gut microbiome, encouraging overgrowth that drives cravings, inflammation, and metabolic issues.
  • Natural sweeteners (coconut sugar, agave, honey) are still sugar.
  • Label Reading Tip: Don’t just look at “added sugars”—subtract fiber from total carbohydrates to estimate actual sugar per serving (4 grams = 1 teaspoon).
  • Quote:
    • “Take that number of carbohydrates that you just calculated, divide by four, and that'll tell you how many teaspoons per serving you're eating of sugar. And when you do that, I guarantee you it will blow you away…” [05:20]

3. Artificial Sweeteners: Double Harm

• [06:35]

  • Artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, sucralose) are “gut killing ingredients.”

  • They trick the brain and pancreas, causing insulin spikes and worsening hunger/cravings:

    • “You have sweet receptors…they’re there to tell your brain that you just ate fruit...When you taste sweet things that aren’t sugar, that insulin actually lowers your blood sugar and your brain goes, what the heck? You got cheated.”

  • Evidence (Duke University, 2007): “One packet of Splenda (sucralose) kills off 50% of your gut bacteria.” [08:18]

  • Links exist to weight gain, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.

  • Dr. Gundry’s recommended alternative:

    • “My favorite non-caloric sweetener is allulose. Non-GMO allulose…is actually a true sugar, nothing artificial about it. And it’s the first sweetener the FDA has declared a prebiotic.”

4. Vegetable Oils: Omega-6 Overload

• [11:15]
  • Most processed snacks contain “vegetable oils” (sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, cottonseed, soybean, etc.), all high in omega-6 fatty acids.
  • Historical natural intake: Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio was 3:1; modern diets are now 20-50:1.
  • Excess omega-6s disrupt mitochondrial function and contribute to inflammation and brain health problems:
    • “Our mitochondria...are overwhelmingly now subjected to these polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are omega 6s.”
    • “It’s the short-chain omega-3 fats like alpha linolenic acid that are paramount in protecting your brain health.”
      (ref. his book Gut Check and podcast with Dr. Cate Shanahan [12:40])
  • Action: Carefully read labels; avoid snacks with these oils, especially when they are high on the ingredient list.

5. Glyphosate (Roundup): Ubiquitous but Dangerous

• [13:10]
  • Glyphosate disrupts beneficial gut bacteria by interfering with their shikimate pathway; causes leaky gut, reduces serotonin production, impairs mitochondrial function, and is a probable carcinogen:
    • “Glyphosate independently causes leaky gut…it independently kills off the tryptophan pathway producing bacteria in our gut.”
  • Over 80% of Americans and 87% of children have high glyphosate in urine.
  • Buying organic is not a guarantee, as chemical drift can contaminate organic crops.
  • “Seeing the word non-GMO has nothing to do with whether there's Roundup in your food.”

6. Artificial Coloring: For Looks, Not Health

• [16:09]
  • Commonly found in candy, sports drinks, some pickles, smoked salmon, and salad dressings (e.g., Red Dye #40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6).
  • Linked to ADHD in children and potentially cancer.
  • “Brain imaging has actually revealed that red dye 40 can dramatically affect brain function.”

7. Forever Chemicals (PFAS)

• [16:54]
  • PFAS (“forever chemicals,” over 15,000 in use) are found in products with stain-/water-resistance or heat resistance, including processed foods and food packaging.
  • “They do not naturally break down” and have been linked to cancer, liver, thyroid, kidney, birth defects, and decreased immunity.
  • “The higher the amount of carryout or restaurant food you consume—especially in plastic containers—the higher your PFAS blood levels.”
  • Advice: Buy organic, cook at home, and never reheat food in plastic.

8. Neu5GC: Inflammatory Red Meat Sugar

• [18:03]
  • Unique sugar molecule found in beef, lamb, pork, and dairy—not found in poultry, fish, or shellfish.
  • “Viewed as an inflammatory molecule by our immune system…mischievous for heart health, for brain health, for even cancer.”
  • Safer alternatives: pastured chicken, wild fish/shellfish, or fermented sausage/dairy (where the bacteria consume Neu5GC).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lectins:

  • “First and foremost is lectins in these snack foods. So anytime you are looking at a snack, if it's got a grain product...then it almost certainly has lectins in them.” [02:14]

• On Hidden Sugar:

  • “A piece of bread has four teaspoons of sugar per slice. So if you're having a healthy, organic, organic whole wheat sandwich, believe it or not, you're having eight teaspoons of sugar just off the bat.” [03:45]

• Artificial Sweeteners:

  • “When I was a Diet Coke addict and I used to drink eight diet Cokes a day, I was fat because I was always hungry because my brain told me to go find more.” [07:40]

• Vegetable Oils:

  • “Please read the label carefully. And if you see these vegetable oils, really stay away, particularly if they show up high on the list of ingredients.” [13:00]

• Glyphosate:

  • “Guess what? More than 80% of Americans and 87% of our children have large amounts of glyphosate in our urine.” [14:45]

• Forever Chemicals:

  • “If you take something out from a restaurant that is in a plastic container, please, please, please put it on glass or ceramic before reheating it because the forever chemicals are in that fast food.” [17:55]

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Actionable Tips

• Check ingredient lists—especially for grains, oils, colors, and unrecognizable additives.
• Always look at “total carbohydrates minus fiber” to estimate real sugar intake.
• Choose foods with non-GMO allulose if you seek a sweet flavor.
• Favor snacks made with olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil instead of omega-6-rich vegetable oils.
• Buy organic, but be aware of possible contamination.
• Transfer restaurant or takeout food to glass/ceramic before reheating.
• Opt for seafood, poultry, or fermented meat/dairy over beef, pork, or lamb to avoid excess Neu5GC.

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Overall Tone and Closing Message

Dr. Gundry’s tone remains practical, earnest, and slightly cautionary, with plenty of emphasis on actionable changes and label awareness. He encourages listeners to be proactive about food choices, reminding them that empowering their health can transform lives.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |-----------------------------|--------------------| | Lectins in Snacks | 01:55 – 03:30 | | Hidden Sugars & Label Tips | 03:31 – 06:15 | | Artificial Sweeteners | 06:35 – 10:07 | | Vegetable Oils | 11:15 – 13:10 | | Glyphosate (Roundup) | 13:10 – 16:09 | | Artificial Coloring | 16:09 – 16:54 | | Forever Chemicals (PFAS) | 16:54 – 18:03 | | Neu5GC in Meat & Dairy | 18:03 – 19:22 |

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For a more in-depth look and related resources, Dr. Gundry refers listeners to his books—Gut Check, The Plant Paradox, and the upcoming Gut Brain Paradox—as well as recent episodes with expert guests on these topics.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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I want to talk about some hidden problems in probably your favorite snacks that you may not know are there now. First of all, my favorite topic, lectins. Many of your favorite snack foods, particularly if they're grain based, are probably loaded with lectins. Just remember that lectins are part of the plant defense system against being eaten and lectins are proteins that are really good at promoting leaky gut. That's intestinal permeability. And leaky gut is one of the biggest drivers of inflammation. So one of the ways to keep inflammation subsided is not so much eating anti inflammatory foods, whatever that means, but eating foods that don't promote leaky gut. And first and foremost is lectins in these snack foods. So anytime you are looking at a snack, if it's got a grain product, whether it's wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, then it almost certainly has lectins in them. It doesn't matter whether it says organic or all Natural. The lectins are in there. Now, too many lectins can cause low energy, weight gain, pain, and so much more. Now, a lot of the foods in my know list are notorious for containing lectins, like legumes, like grains, like nightshades. You can detoxify a lot of these, but by peeling and deseeding them, or pressure cook if you must eat them. But a word of warning, pressure cooking does not destroy the lectin gluten in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Okay, number two, this should come as no surprise, but there's sugar, most likely in your favorite snack food. The average American now eats 153 pounds of sugar per year, whether they know it or not. And that's because a lot of the snack foods that you're eating that are loaded with sugar don't necessarily taste sweet. In fact, sadly, a piece of bread has four teaspoons of sugar per slice. So if you're having a healthy, organic, organic whole wheat sandwich, believe it or not, you're having eight teaspoons of sugar just off the bat. It's in everything else. It's in salad dressings, it's in sauces, it's in condiments, it's in fruit juice, it's in most yogurts. You name it, it's there. Now, why is it so bad? There's nothing intrinsically bad about sugar, except, unfortunately, the bad bugs in your gut think sugar is absolutely delicious. And the more you eat of it, the more they actually tell your brain to find more. The bad news is that the good guys, the gut buddies, can't utilize that sugar. They can't get to it. The bad guys take it long before the good guys see it. So you overpopulate your gut with the bad guys, and you starve the good guys to death. And that's one of the huge drivers of what's making us all so sick. Now, sugar has lots of names besides sugar. Coconut sugar. Sorry, it's sugar. Agave. Sorry, it's sugar. Honey. Sorry, it's sugar. High fructose corn syrup. The list goes on and on. Now, how do you know how much sugar is in your product? Do not look at the label under sugar. Do not look at the label saying added sugars. Look at total carbohydrates. It'll have grams. Right Underneath it will be fiber. Take the total carbohydrates. Take away the fiber. You can't digest that. That will give you the total grams of sugar in that product. Now, for getting your head around that, there's 4 grams of carbohydrate in a teaspoon of sugar. So take that number of carbohydrates that you just calculated, divide by four, and that'll tell you how many teaspoons per serving you're eating of sugar. And when you do that, I guarantee you it will blow you away how much sugar you're actually eating in those healthy snack foods. Well, okay, then maybe artificial sweeteners are the way to go. Please don't go running for those products just yet. They might be missing sugar, but they're loaded with gut killing ingredients. Saccharin, aspartame, sucralose. These are equally as poisonous for two reasons. Number one, you have no sugar receptors on your tongue. You have sweet receptors. In fact, two thirds of your taste buds are sweet receptors. They, they're there to tell your brain that you just ate fruit, which was the only source of sugar long ago, and that sugar is on the way. And your brain should tell your pancreas to make insulin to handle that sugar. And when you taste sweet things that aren't sugar, that insulin actually lowers your blood sugar and your brain goes, what the heck? You got cheated. Sugar didn't arrive. Go back and find some more and keep doing it until you found some. Now, when I was a Diet Coke addict and I used to drink eight diet Cokes a day, I was fat because I was always hungry because my brain told me to go find more. Now, what I didn't know is that the sucralose in Diet Coke was actually killing my gut microbiome, as was the saccharine, as was the aspartame. And so I was, you know, the worst possible case of what these artificial sweeteners do to me. Back to 2007, Duke University study showed that one packet of Splenda sucralose kills off 50% of your gut bacteria. And you want your gut bacteria. Believe me, these products promote weight gain by making you go find more to eat. And sadly, these products have been linked to Alzheimer's disease, to cancer. So just beware of snacks that say sugar free or diet. Now, I should mention that my favorite non caloric sweetener is allulose. Non GMO allulose allulose is actually a true sugar. There's nothing artificial about it. And it's actually the first sweetener that the FDA has declared is a prebiotic, meaning it feeds friendly bacteria. So it's a win win. And there's actually been a couple human studies showing that it induces weight loss rather than weight gain.

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[Dr. Stephen Gundry]

All.

Right, what else is in your snacks? I guarantee you there is probably one or more vegetable oils that you don't want want in your snack. Now a lot of these are also well hidden. It may say vegetable oil, it may say sunflower oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil. The list goes on and on. All of these are actually mostly high omega 6 fat oils. Now you may remember there's omega 3 fats and omega 6 fats and both are actually essential. Essential means we need them, but we can't manufacture them, so we have to acquire them from our diet. Unfortunately, we have so much omega 6 oil in our diet now that the ratio between omega 6 fats and omega 3s, which is usually three parts omega 6 to one part omega 3 in a natural environment. Now we have anywhere from 20 to 50 times more omega 6 than omega 3 in our diet. So what does that mean? It means that our mitochondria, which need a balance of both, are overwhelmingly now subjected to these polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are omega 6s. And as I've written about in Gut Check and you'll see in my upcoming book the Gut Brain Paradox, that it's the short chain omega 3 fats like alpha linolenic acid that are paramount in protecting your brain health. In fact, listen to my recent episode with Dr. Kate Shanahan on the dangers of these high omega 6 PUFAs. We actually do a really deep dive into it. So what snacks have these? Virtually everything. So please read the label carefully. And if you see these vegetable oils really stay away, particularly if they show up high on the list of ingredients. What else is in your snack? More than likely, if it has grain products. Gravity Glyphosate. Now, glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup. As many of you know, it interferes with the shikimate pathway. And the shikimate pathway is actually how plants produce proteins. But unfortunately, bacteria also use the shikimate pathway. And we now know that glyphosate independently causes leaky gut. It independently kills kills off the tryptophan pathway producing bacteria in our gut. And the tryptophan pathway makes serotonin, the feel good hormone. And is it any wonder that we have this incredible epidemic of anxiety and depression, thanks in part to glyphosate killing off these good bacteria? Glyphosate impacts mitochondrial function because guess what? Mitochondria are actually engulfed bacteria. Now, the World Health Organization has classified glyphosate as a carcinogen. And there are currently multiple billion dollar lawsuits against glyphosate for multiple cancers. 70% of our agricultural crops are sprayed with Roundup. And so seeing the word non GMO has nothing to do with whether there's Roundup in your food. Now, the sad thing is Roundup doesn't have to appear on the label because it's approved as Safe by the FDA. Guess what? More than 80% of Americans and 87% of our children have large amounts of glyphosate in our urine. So what can you do? Well, buy organic always. But that's not a guarantee, because multiple organic oat products as tested by Consumer Reports and the Environmental Working Group test positive for glyphosate even though they're organic. And that's because glyphosate is sprayed on fields. And glyphosate can drift from one field over to an organic field. So just be cautious. Artificial coloring. Artificial coloring is used in candy, sport drinks, and baked goods. They're actually in certain brands of pickles, smoked salmon, and salad dressing. Most common are red dye number 40, yellow dye number 5, and yellow 6. These have been linked to ADHD in children and even cancer. Interesting. Brain imaging has actually revealed that red dye 40 can dramatically affect brain function. Finally, forever chemicals. You're now learning about Pfaess. These are a class of 15,000 chemicals that are used to make products resistant to water stains and heat. They're called forever chemicals because they do not naturally break down. Sadly, they're linked to cancer, liver problems, thyroid issues, birth defects, kidney disease, decreased immunity and other serious health problems. New research has shown that diets rich in forever chemicals such as processed meats and butter will likely increase levels of toxic PFAAs in human blood over time. Also, research has shown that these higher PFA blood levels are among those people who consume, carry out or food prepared at restaurants. So my advice Buy organic cook at home. If you take something out from a restaurant that is in a plastic container, please, please, please put it on glass or ceramic before reheating it because the forever chemicals are in that fast food. Finally, Neu5GC I've talked a lot about this before. Neu5GC is a sugar molecule in beef, lamb, pork and milk. It's not in fish, it's not in chicken, it's not in shellfish. Neu5GC is viewed as an inflammatory molecule by our immune system. And if you've read Gut Check or even the Plant Paradox, you know that neu5gc is mischievous for heart health, for brain health, for even cancer. The good news is that if you buy fermented sausages or fermented dairy products, the Neu 5 GC is eaten by bacteria. But in general, you're much better off buying pastured chicken or wild fish or wild shellfish as your meats of choice. Just when you thought summer couldn't get any hotter, Pluto TV is turning up the heat with thousands of free movies presenting Summer of Cinema. Stream your favorite blockbuster films. Live like Gladiator, I will have my Vineyards Good Burger. This is what I do. Fast food Beverly Hills Cop, the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, and Julie and Julia. Bon Appetit. All for free on your favorite devices. Pluto TV Stream now pay Never.

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