Holistic medicine places a great deal of emphasis on the gut—and for good reason.
Science has shown that poor gut health is tied to many metabolic and chronic conditions. Plus, we’ve learned that nearly 80 percent of your immune system lives in the gut, and 90 percent of your serotonin (the neurotransmitter that regulates mood, digestion, and sleep, among other things) is produced there as well.
But today there are a number of insults that attack our guts on a regular basis. Some of them, like our diet, we have control over, but others, like environmental toxins, will find us whether we want them to or not (although there are ways to limit our exposure).
What exactly is “leaky gut”?
The only thing that separates your digestive system from your bloodstream is the lining of your gut and stomach. This lining acts as a barrier to selectively allow certain crucial nutrients to pass into your bloodstream through what are called “tight junctions” but does not allow other things to cross.
When these junctions are damaged, they begin to allow particles through the gut into the bloodstream that isn’t supposed to be there. This condition is known as increased intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut.”
Things like undigested food particles and proteins, harmful bacteria, and viruses can pass through a leaky gut.
While there is no single cause of leaky gut, several things can contribute to it, such as:
poor diet choices
chronic stress
overuse of antibiotics and certain medications
environmental toxins or toxin overload
bacterial imbalances in the gut
So that leaves the question, how do we heal a leaky gut?
I like to call it the weeding, seeding, and feeding program.
Weed out the bad stuff (inflammatory foods, gut-busting drugs, etc.)
Seed with probiotics
Feed the good bugs to heal the gut lining (L-glutamine, bone broth, etc.)
You can promote healthy gut bacteria by working on adding the following foods to your diet:
Fibre. Aim for at least 25 grams of fiber daily from your organic vegetables (not processed grains).
Veggies. Eat veggies daily. Aim to fill your plate three-fourths full with non-starchy veggies for every meal.
Prebiotics. Include plenty of prebiotic foods such as Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, onions, leeks, dandelion greens, jicama, chicory root, and asparagus.
Probiotic foods. Include plenty of probiotic foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, fermented soy, unsweetened yogurt or kefir, miso, and natto.
Bone broth. Include grass-fed bone broth for a gut-healing boost.
Supplements. Consider adding supplements to help with leaky gut like zinc or L-glutamine. These supplements will help support digestion and nutrient absorption and your body’s inflammation responses.
We are therefore all likely affected to some degree by leaky gut, but the good news is we aren’t powerless. We can take action to give our guts the TLC they need to thrive, and in turn, they will return the favor.
Comments