Top 5 Ways to Heal Your Leaky Gut

From Grass Fed Girl: This is a guest post from my friend Rachel who I went to nutrition school with. I have been healing my leaky gut for several years after my Hashitmoto’s diagnosis. I have worked with many holistic doctors doing various dietary and supplemental protocols like the ideas listed below. When someone first starts to feel sick it can be that they react to every food they eat and are always running to the bathroom. Most mainstream doctors do not buy into leaky gut syndrome but if you live with autoimmune problems and digestive distress healing a leaky gut can be the first step on the road to feeling better. Eating and anti-inflammatory diet along with specialized supplements has helped me so much with regaining my well being over the past 4 years. Read more about my journey here.

What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Leaky Gut Syndrome….sounds lovely, right? Leaky gut syndrome is more technically known as increased intestinal permeability. This means that, via various irritants (could be inflammatory foods/foods you are sensitive to, a bacterial or parasitic infection, yeast overgrowth, too high or low cortisol levels/adrenal fatigue, unregulated blood sugar), the microscopic villi of the walls of your intestinal lining have been damaged. In this case, their job of allowing the right nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream is compromised, and they are allowing undigested compounds and toxins to enter, sparking an immune attack from the body and giving us symptoms. Needless to say, not a good situation!

Top 5 Ways to Heal Your Leaky Gut

Do you have Leaky Gut Syndrome?

If you suspect you may suffer from leaky gut (and it is more common that you might think), first thing you can do is work with a practitioner to pinpoint any possible causes such as those mentioned above. If there is a yeast overgrowth or infection, unfortunately only changing your diet may not be enough. However, dietary changes are a key step as well as some safe herbs and supplements. Keep in mind that for severe cases of leaky gut, working with a knowledgeable practitioner to develop a personalized, therapeutic protocol for both diet and supplementation may be the best choice.

Top 5 Steps You Can Take To Heal Your Leaky Gut:

1. Undergo an elimination diet, cutting out irritating foods for one month and then slowly reintroducing one at a time to discover food sensitivities. I have a one month elimination diet program I sell and guides you through this process on your own, or you can research how to do it safely and effectively. The most common food allergens you’ll want to eliminate include corn, soy, gluten, dairy, eggs, alcohol, sugar and (in most cases) all grains for a month or 6 weeks.

2. Include healing foods in your diet: First and foremost, fermented foods such as raw sauerkraut or kimchi, kvass, or kefir (best to stick to vegetable sources, however). Eat these every day. Also great for healing the gut and allowing you to absorb nutrients is a homemade bone broth. See a recipe I’ve shared here.

3. Take probiotics: Add these supplements and foods for about a month to reinoculate your gut with good bacteria. Depending on the level of damage this may not be enough, but could very well help with repair and assimilation of nutrients. I like this brand of professional grade probiotics.

4. Check for gut infections/ parasites: Determine if you have a bacterial or parasitic infection or yeast overgrowth. Fortunately, there are some great labs that provide at home testing and working with a professional to create a supplementation protocol to kill these bugs will go a very long way in healing your leaky gut in the long term. Also important to test cortisol levels, as this hormone largely regulates our gut immunity via Secretory IgA. See more info here

5. Take gut healing supplements: Supplementing with L Glutamine which is key to gut health and helps with sugar cravings. Another helpful supplement is DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice), which can help immensely with strengthening the mucosal lining of the stomach and intestines.

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