What is Leaky Gut?

Leaky Gut, also known as “intestinal hyper permeability” or “increased intestinal permeability”, basically means that the intestinal linings, which are meant to retain the contents of the digestive system apart from the rest of the body has been compromised, permeable thus allowing immense particles to travel across the membrane of the gut and into the bloodstream. Our bodies then react through an immune response on these particles, which can be food proteins or chemicals; this condition results to different health conditions, such as food allergies, autoimmune conditions, mood disorders and chronic health challenges.

What are the symptoms of leaky gut?

Leaky gut leads to digestive symptoms such as constipation, bloating, diarrhea or gas, however, sometimes it brings more serious and complex symptoms such as food rashes, food allergies, fibromyalgia, eczema, chronic fatigue syndrome, blood sugar issues, migraines, weight gain, mood issues like anxiety and schizophrenia, Hashomoto’s thyroid syndrome, autoimmune conditions and infertility.

What can I do to heal a leaky gut?

Dietary intervention is of immense help in treating leaky gut. Generally, there is several gut healing protocols such as GAPS Diet, SCD or the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Autoimmune Paleo Protocol and BED or Boy Ecology Diet. What’s common in all of these diets is the elimination of culprit foods such as legumes, hard-to-digest grains, gluten, starches and sugars, but these diets must include healing foods such as pasture-raised meats, organic vegetables, bone broths, cultured or fermented foods and healing fats.

Actually, there are experts that cater clients in addressing leaky gut issues and other gut problems (such as IBS, parasites and Canadian Overgrowth) and aside from healing diet, they also suggest supplements or other ways to improve digestion, stabilize blood sugar levels, support balance in the hormones and replenish deficient minerals. But, even if you are not working along with a practitioner, you can start supporting your gut health today through the removal of the restricted foods and the inclusion of gut healing foods.

Foods to Include in Your Diet

Grass-Fed Beef

The foods that a cow eats can have a major effect on its nutrient composition and beef from grass-fed cows is more nutritious than beef from grain-fed cows. Grass-fed meats are two to four times richer in heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Higher in “good” unsaturated fats and lower in “bad” saturated fats. Three to five times higher in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) content. Loaded with over 400% more of vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and E. Virtually devoid of risk of Mad Cow Disease. Grass-fed beef contains significantly more of the antioxidants vitamin E, glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase than grain-fed beef. These antioxidants play an important role in protecting our cells from oxidation, especially delicate fats in the cell membrane such as omega-3 and omega-6. oxidation

Bottom Line: Most cows start out on pasture, drinking milk and eating grass. However, conventionally raised cows are later moved to feedlots and fed grain-based feeds, while grass-fed cows may continue to live on grassland.

Healthy, Natural Fats

Healthy fats are undeniably important to your health. Regardless of what you have heard from the past, natural fats including saturated fat are not bad for our health. Trans fat, processed, oxidized cholesterol and refined polyunsaturated fats like corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil and corn oil are the types of fats you should avoid, however, natural fats that you can get from pastured and organically raised animals (lard, tallow, ghee and butter), avocado oils, non-hydrogenated coconut oil and pure olive oils should be included in your diet, most especially when assisting your gut health.

Bone Broth

Broth contains collagen and the amino acids proline and glycine that can help heal your damaged cell walls. Stock made from beef, chicken or from other meat bones, or homemade broth, is an excellent healing food since it’s full of comforting gelatin, which is easy to digest, full of minerals, this is traditional food cooking and is a gut healing staple.

“Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.”

Naturally Cultured or Fermented Foods

Cultured or fermented foods are necessary for gut health and they are not only beneficial because of their probiotic contents, but also due to the macro and micro nutrients they contain.  Macro and micro nutrients are enhanced nutrients as they can be easily absorbed by the body. Oftentimes, many think of cultured dairy with yogurt as the only choice, but there are actually other food choices. Vegetables, lots and lots of vegetables, fruits, beverages (beet kvass, water kefir, kombucha,) and condiments (fish sauce, homemade ketchup, fermented salsa, soy sauce), and grains like sourdough bread are good samples of foods that can be naturally cultured or fermented.

Remember, the top foods to remove that cause leaky gut are sugar, grains, conventional meat, conventional dairy and GMO foods.