here was a time in my life when the multitude of digestive issues I was enduring on a daily basis went completely undiagnosed. Many sleepless nights with severe acid reflux, irritable bowel, and other numerous issues had me suffering every time I would eat anything. I mean anything.
After so many years it wasn’t until I started working for a nutritionist who told me I was suffering from “leaky gut,” a syndrome that affects the digestive system. Say what?
At the time this was a strange term and left me totally perplexed. What she described then is a condition so many people are experiencing but is a diagnosis only the individual can detect and not a medical practitioner.
She performed a few tests, one of which was to check for food intolerances and sensitivities. Basically, my body became to reject many foods I was consuming regularly or ones that my body just couldn’t agree with. An example was but not limited to, gluten, beans, caffeine, tomatoes and many others. Interestingly enough, she said we could cure this.
What is Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut is a condition known as “intestinal permeability” whereby the cell walls or lining of the small intestines become weakened and damaged allowing undigested food particles, toxins, and microbes to pass through into the bloodstream. This, in turn, leads to an autoimmune response in the body, resulting in a cascade of events such as inflammation and a whole host of diseases and ailments.
Many symptoms of leaky gut include bloating, gas, cramps, food allergies, irritable bowel, aches and pains, candida overgrowth, chronic fatigue, constipation and skin issues. People with celiac or chron’s disease are known to experience this.
Signs You May Have Leaky Gut
Aside from just the foods we eat – chronic stress, poor diet, toxic overload, drugs, bacterial imbalance or pathogens, and organ malfunction also contribute to the condition.
If you suspect you could have leaky gut, here are 12 signs to look out for:
1. Allergies
2. Asthma
3. Depression
4. Nutritional deficiencies
5. Poor immune system
6. Headaches, brain fog, memory loss
7. Skin problems such as acne, eczema or rosacea or rashes
8. Excessive sugar or carbs cravings
9. Arthritis or joint pain
10. Depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD
11. Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, celiac
12. Type 1 Diabetes
As the historic medicine man once said…
[bctt tweet=”All disease begins in the gut – Hippocrates” username=””]
If you’ve noticed, the issues are quite common, but should never be so common that it gets overlooked. By making an attempt to solve these underlying problems, could prevent bigger long-term issues from developing.
How to Heal Your Leaky Gut
Most components of food such as proteins found in unsprouted or refined grains, sugars, GMO’s and conventional dairy could be strong factors that contribute to leaky gut.
A tried and true approach would be to see a nutritionist and find out what food sensitivities you might have. They will then direct you to begin eliminating such foods for a good length of time. I did it for a month. Then you reintroduce those foods slowly. During the time of elimination, try these.
7 Healing Foods
1 – Bone broth
2 – Raw cultured dairy – pastured kefir, yogurt, etc
3 – Fermented foods – sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha
4 – Coconut products
5 – Sprouted seeds – chia, flax, hemp
6 – Foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids – Salmon, walnuts, spinach
7 – Apple cider vinegar (raw)
4 Repairing Supplements
1 – Probiotics
2 – Plant-based digestive enzymes
3 – L-glutamine – amino acids
4 – Liquorice root – tea /tincture
Within about 2 months, my leaky gut was healed and a dramatic turnaround in my health had occurred. My symptoms were nominal at best and some disappeared. I never realized how prudent it was to acknowledge your digestive system until I saw a healthcare practitioner.
If you are experiencing any of these conditions and you believe it is due to leaky gut, it’s important to see a healthcare professional that will guide you onto a safe path by designing a treatment plan just for you.
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