What is Leaky Gut and What I Did to Get Better

What is Leaky Gut?

Leaky Gut Syndrome, also recognized as Increased Intestinal Permeability, gets its name from the way that the intestinal wall becomes weakened and damaged, thus unable to keep large proteins, bacteria, microorganisms, etc from passing into the bloodstream. The body reacts to the foreign invaders in a way that sets off the immune system, eventually causing an autoimmune dis-ease.

The small intestine is about 7 meters (23 feet) long and has an incomprehensible amount of microvilli on top of villi, all protruding from its walls to absorb any necessary nutrients from the mush flowing through our digestive tract.

When this intestinal wall becomes increasingly damaged it gives more chances for larger particles to pass directly into the bloodstream and the damage also inhibits vital nutrients from being absorbed properly.

This can lead to inflammation in the body from chronic exposure. Symptoms soon follow, some not so serious as others but definitely indicators of digestive "malfunction".

Symptoms of Leaky Gut can include:

• Bloating/ Digestive Problems

• Headaches/ Migraines

• Food Sensitivities

• Skin Issues

• Fatigue

• Thyroid Conditions

• Joint Pain/ Arthritis

• Weight Gain

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Depression/ Anxiety

What Causes A Leaky Gut

Damage done to the gut can be caused over time by poor diet, chronic stress, toxin overload, and bacterial imbalance.

Poor diet

The biggest culprits include the proteins found in:

• Unsprouted Grains- The Lectin protein binds sugars and prevents good bacteria from doing their job. examples; Wheat, Rice, Spelt, Soy

• Sugar- Feeds bad bacteria!

• GMOs- Foreign to the body

• Conventional Dairy- A1 Casein protein has been shown to have negative health effects.

• Gluten- I wish there was something better to say about gluten but it doesn’t do anything positive for the body.

Remember, BALANCE and MODERATION is key. Always be aware of the quality you're consuming.

Chronic Stress

Stress weakens the immune system! The body cannot do its job of fighting off bad bacteria and invaders. Some simple stress-reducing solutions:

• Get adequate sleep

• Rest one day a week

• Schedule in fun

• Surround yourself with positive, uplifting people

• Meditate

Toxin Overload

Worst Offenders:

• Antibiotics

• Pesticides

• Tap Water

• Aspirin

• NSAIDs- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Dysbiosis

Imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. My solution was to change this ratio and introduce more probiotics, the good guys.

What caused My Leaky Gut

Gluten and sugar...

Gluten and Sugar are bad guys in anyone's diet but in my body, they (along with other undigested proteins) were passing right through my weakened intestinal wall, floating through my blood stream, and putting continual stress on my liver. Once I learned that our livers detox through our skin (my rash!) I continuously researched and built connections between everything relating to the body systems and organs, signs and symptoms, and care. It all made sense now, I learned how to understand what my body was telling me and I knew I needed to cleanse my gut to heal my liver and thus my skin!

I developed Leaky Gut and my main symptom was a chronic all over body eczema rash. Since implementing serious changes in my diet and healing my gut naturally since March 2016, I've seen an amazing difference in my skin! I share the exact steps I took in this post. This post is adapted from the notes I wrote down in my journal to document my healing.

How I HEALED my Leaky Gut

Remove, Replace, Reinoculate!

REMOVE:

• Sugars

• Starches

• Grains

• Conventional meat and dairy

• any GMO foods

• Tap water

• Pesticides

• Anti-inflammatory drugs

• Antibiotics

I chose to look at all aspects of my life; environment, beverages, food choices, and product choices. I read ingredient labels NO MATTER WHAT, this is so important and makes you accountable for the decisions you make for your well-being and health. I stuck to foods with no more than 5-9 ingredients on the label and each ingredient had to be something I understood and knew was edible in it's natural form. To avoid this ingredient list hassle, the trick is to buy 70% of your groceries from the fruits and veggies section.

REPLACE:

I wouldn't have made it through if I constantly focused on the foods I couldn't eat. Honestly, I did get really sad and down at times because I felt my freedom with food had been taken away but when I thought about wanting to see results, I stuck to it.

There are so many foods you can eat and The KEY IS TO FOCUS ON THIS LIST. Below I listed the most common foods I found myself eating during my healing time.

• Fermented items daily- Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Kombucha (Careful on the intake of sugar-filled Kombuchas when you first begin to heal)

• Veggies- Artichoke, Asparagus, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Garlic, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Onions, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Watercress, Zucchini

• Certain Fruits- Apples, Figs, Pears, Berries, Lemons

• COCONUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING- Oil, Butter, Milk, Flakes, Yogurt

• Herbal Teas- Non-Caffeinated (I mostly drank Rooibos, Dandelion, Mint, Nettle, Ginger-Pear)

• Herbs and Spices- Basil, Black Pepper, Chamomile, Cilantro, Cumin, Dandelion, Ginger, Lemongrass, Mint, Oregano, Sea Salt, Turmeric (Fennel and Licorice Root can be very helpful but I hadn't implemented them)

• Others- Wild Caught Salmon, Olives, Olive Oil (quit the canola oil if you haven’t already, not good for you), Apple Cider Vinegar, Egg Yolks, Avocados, Ghee, Aloe Vera Juice, Seaweed, Miso, Brown Shirataki Yam Noodles, Sprouted Seeds

I always brought my YES food list to the grocery store. After reading a ton of leaky gut articles online, I made a meal plan specific to my condition. Everyone wont need the same things but it’s helpful to know what worked for someone else.

REINOCULATE:

Now that I shared which foods are safe to eat to not further irritate the gut, adding in a greater population of good bacteria and healing supplements is essential! Click the link to see all of the natural supplement options out there to aid in healing your gut lining!

Probiotics:

• Enteric-coated or delayed rupture pills if possible (this is so that the pill will survive through the stomach acids to get to the intestine)

• At least 7 different strains and 5 billion CFUs (colony forming units)

• "Live and Active Cultures" Viable at the time of manufacture

• Research well-known, specific strains to look for you specifically, like: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus plantarum

• Use a new probiotic with the change in the seasons.

Vitamins:

• Omega 3 Fatty acids

• Zinc

• Vitamins A, B, C, D and E

• Magnesium

• Iron

• Calcium

• Selenium

In conclusion

In my mind, daily life went like this:

• Cleanse, starve out, and kill the bad bacteria (No sugar!)

• Heal the gut lining (with L-Glutamine and coconut for example)

• Dump good bacteria in your body with fibers so they can eat and thrive (Probiotics + Green Leafy Veggies!!)

• Supplement with extra vitamins for heart and brain health.

• Water..., Breathe..., Relax..., Repeat.