I am sure by now you have heard of the term ‘Leaky Gut’.
What is it I hear you ask?
Well leaky gut is really a nickname for the more medical term of Intestinal Permeability. It is not really a disease but it does produces signs and symptoms within your body and can lead to more serious illnesses.
Leaky gut has been associated with a lot of different medical problems; Crohn’s disease, food intolerances and allergies, Coeliac disease, sore joints, skin problems, depression and it is also linked to auto immune conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, ‘Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves disease, asthma and many others.
What causes Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut has multiple causes but the most common ones are;
- antibiotic use
- chronic stress as it changes the body’s ability to heal itself
- dysbiosis
- alcohol
- overuse of medications
- eating foods that you have a sensitivity to over and over
- exposure to many harsh chemicals putting stress on our immune system
- refined foods as they can irritate the gut lining
- lectins which are found in legumes
- infections like Candida, Helicobactor pylori, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.
The gut linings job is to be the barrier preventing foreign substances from coming into the body. When it becomes ‘leaky’ it lets large protein molecules escape into the bloodstream. This is where the trouble starts. Proteins are meant to be broken down to microscopic pieces and then absorbed by the Small intestines. Once they hit the bloodstream the immune system goes into overdrive to kill the proteins that are invading the body producing an immune response.
How Do You Fix Leaky Gut?
You need to Identify any food intolerances and remove them from your diet to reduce inflammation.
Treat any infections with antimicrobial herbs or supplements.
Manage your stress levels.
Include a high dose multi-species probiotics or include fermented foods like kefir, kim chi, sauerkraut into your diet.
Add glutamine rich foods to your diet- rich sources from fish and meat, cottage cheese, yoghurt, milk, raw spinach, cabbage and parsley to heal the gut lining.
If you would like more information or you would like some extra help putting this into action. Call me for a complimentary 15 minute GUT HEALTH ASSESSMENT on 0412 724 707.