Over 23 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is when the body mistakes parts of itself for a foreign invader.
Diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and Hashimoto’s are two examples. One of the suspected causes of autoimmune disease is leaky gut syndrome.
Scientists now recognize the importance of the bacteria living in our gut as it relates to our whole-body health. But there are answers to the question of how to heal leaky gut syndrome.
Do you suspect you have a leaky gut? Do you have brain fog, fatigue, and constant diarrhoea? What about acne and trouble with allergies? It’s possible you’ve got the leaky gut syndrome.
Read on for natural solutions to a leaky gut.
Table of Contents
What Is a Leaky Gut?
In short, a leaky gut is a disruption of the intestinal barrier. This barrier is semi-permeable. It keeps toxins and other pathogens out of the gut while letting beneficial nutrients in.
Disruption of the intestinal barrier leaves the body open to these disease-causing pathogens. The modern American diet is high in processed foods and sugar wreaking havoc on the delicate bacterial balance in our guts.
Gluten and certain bacteria also play a role in causing leaky gut. Chronic stress is another factor in leaky gut syndrome.
If you think you have a leaky gut, try healing yourself through a natural diet. As Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”
Does your gut need healing? Symptoms of leaky gut include constant diarrhoea, brain fog and fatigue.
You can read more about leaky gut here: https://microbeformulas.com/blogs/microbe-formulas/what-s-leaky-gut-and-how-do-you-fix-it
Try these 10 steps and get your gut back on track.
1.Remove Common Irritants
Identify sugar, dairy, gluten, and soy in your diet and remove them. Also, cut out processed foods. Most foods that come in a box are processed.
After this step, you should feel at least some relief of symptoms within a week. But don’t stop there.
2.Whole Foods
You’ve removed the bad stuff, so what do you eat? Don’t worry, there are lots of great-tasting foods that don’t include dairy, sugar, and processed foods.
For now, stick with fruits, vegetables, and some protein. Limit red meat and try small amounts of fish and chicken.
During an elimination diet, some folks choose to go off all food for a couple of weeks and only drink organic bone broth. Bone broth is full of healthy nutrients and helps reset the intestinal barrier. Don’t panic! You don’t have to avoid food altogether if that’s too difficult.
3.Healthy Fats
The low-fat craze demonized all fat in the diet. But fat isn’t all bad. Your body needs healthy fats for the absorption of vitamins.
What fats are healthy?
- Fatty fish (salmon is a good example)
- Avocados
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chia seeds
- Nuts
- Dark chocolate
You can also throw some flaxseeds or psyllium seeds into a berry smoothie for added fibre.
4.Additional Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids like those found in salmon are anti-inflammatory. They calm your system and help tighten the areas between cells in the lining of the gut. This reduces the leaky gut.
Try a fish-oil supplement daily. Make sure the supplement has 3,000 mg of DHA and EPA.
5. Eat More Fiber
The body needs about 30 grams of fibre per day. Fibre helps your body eliminate toxins through the large intestine in the form of bowel movements.
Most Americans don’t eat enough fibre and constipation is a result. Eat lots of colourful veggies, nuts, seeds, and berries. Make sure you get enough whole-kernel grains like flaxseeds or oat bran.
6.Digestive Enzymes
The body breaks food down into carbs, fats, and proteins. Digestive enzymes aid this process. Take 1-2 digestive enzymes before meals for about a month.
This heals the villi and microvilli that break down the food in your system.
7.Probiotics
Probiotics are especially important if you’ve been on antibiotics. They replenish the damaged gut microbiome.
Look for a probiotic that has 50 billion active cultures or more. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha also help.
8.Limit Alcohol and Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs)
Alcohol is tough on your gut and liver. Alcohol also leaches precious nutrients from the gut.
Common NSAIDs are aspirin and ibuprofen. These drugs are great for pain relief but hard on your stomach. In extreme cases, NSAIDs cause liver failure.
The body produces prostaglandins for a healthy intestinal lining. But NSAIDs inhibit prostaglandin production.
Do you use a lot of alcohol or NSAIDs? You’ll feel a lot better when you eliminate these from your diet.
9.Stress Control
Modern life is stressful! But there are ways of dealing with stress that ratchet down the production of stress hormones. Chronic high levels of stress hormones break down your body.
Meditation, prayer, and yoga are three known stress reducers. Learn how to set boundaries with your coworkers, friends, spouse, and children. Take time for self-care.
Swap negative thinking and self-talk for positive affirmations. Focus on your progress instead of the things you haven’t accomplished.
10. Start a Food Journal
Keep a journal of the foods you’re eating and note how you’re feeling. As your body adjusts and you feel better, you can add in a cheat food now and then. But when you feel great, you’ll be less inclined to eat bad foods.
A detailed journal also helps identify stressors that cause gut upheaval. Once you’re feeling better, use your journal to help make lasting lifestyle changes.
Now You Know How to Heal Leaky Gut. Now you know how to heal leaky gut! It does take patience and persistence but it’s well worth it. Start by eliminating sugar, dairy, soy, and processed foods. Get plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Cut or reduce alcohol and NSAIDs. Get plenty of fibre, healthy fats, and omega-3s. Don’t forget the digestive enzymes and probiotics. Stress plays a big part in leaky gut syndrome so learn stress-reduction techniques. Yoga and meditation are great for this.
Keep track of everything with a food journal. It’ll help you identify your problem foods and stressors. Rebuilding your gut helps rebuild your life! Looking for more words of advice for transforming your life? Find more articles right here on our blog!
