Improve Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome with these diet and exercise tips…

Improve Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome with these diet and exercise tips…

Your quality of life depends greatly on your health and the health of your internal organs. There are plenty of people out there that look “healthy” but are anything but on the inside. “Leaky Gut” is a term used to describe intestinal hyperpermeability. It can actually be pretty difficult to diagnose for a number of reasons: It’s associated with a wide array of seemingly unconnected symptoms such as arthritis, psoriasis, and asthma. There are a lot of different causes of increased permeability of the intestines/bowel (intestinal lining has become more porous creating holes that allow larger undigested molecules, yeasts, toxins, bacteria, and wastes direct access to the bloodstream.)

The body’s first response is to fight! First, your liver kicks into action, but doesn’t have the capacity to keep up with the increased demand. Second, your immune system wakes and is not happy. It tries to fight to get these items out of the body but more often than not your tissues have already absorbed this stuff. This causes widespread inflammation. As you may already know, inflammation is also an immune response and causes even more stress on your body. Over time, your body (focused on fighting this great internal war) forgets to focus on important regulatory processes such as digestion, fighting bacteria, etc. You begin to experience issues such as chronic fatigue, IBS, fibromyalgia, and migraines.

Now let’s look at the big picture here: Your body begins making these war soldiers that seek out and destroy the elements that have been floating around your system (Remember these may be perfectly ok elements under normal circumstances such as casein protein from dairy that now appear to be the enemy because they passed into the bloodstream undigested). So now, when you eat things, your body has an instantaneous response such as lactose intolerance, acid intolerance from tomatoes or citrus fruits, or even less noticeable symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, or headache. For example, about a year ago, I began experiencing an instant stuffy nose and headache every single time I drank a beer. I thought, “Holy Cow! I’m becoming allergic to beer!” That sparked me to dig deeper and research the root to my problem. Mine happened to be the gluten from the wheat in the beer. Did you know 1 in every 133 people is affected or sensitive to gluten? That’s an outstanding amount of people when you truly realize how many foods contain gluten. It’s in almost everything you eat!

Unfortunately, there is no specific test to diagnose leaky gut, however you can read through the symptoms and note if you are experiencing them. Here’s the upside: Eating for Leaky Gut is extremely beneficial and healthy so whether you have hyperpermeability or not, making a few dietary changes will still help you! This article is meant to give you direction on your diet and exercise if you are experiencing the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome.

A Few Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome:

Bloating, gas, cramps up to IBS, Celiac, or Crohn’s Disease

Food sensitivities, allergies, or intolerances

Joint aches and pains, arthritis, joint swelling

Seasonal allergies or asthma

Hormonal imbalances

Chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia

Depression, anxiety, ADD or ADHD

Skin issues, acne, rosacea, or eczema

Candida overgrowth

Dietary recommendations for Leaky Gut Syndrome include:

Eat foods that have natural antimicrobial properties such as onions, leeks, radishes, fenugreek, gingerroot, hot chili, lemon juice, turmeric, mustard, and rosemary.Eat cruciferous vegetables that have detoxifying properties such as cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccoli.Add raw, crushed garlic to your recipes. The act of crushing garlic releases allicin, an enzyme that has antimicrobial/antifungal properties.Eat plain (no sugar, no artificial sweeteners) organic unpasteurized yogurt containing live, active cultures (probiotics) like L. Acidophilus. (Only if you are not allergic to dairy products.)Eat foods high in omega-3 essential fatty acids such as ground flax seed, wild-caught salmon, minimal-mercury tuna, avacodos, fish oil, and sprouted walnuts.Eat complex carbohydrates that are digested slowly and gradually increase blood sugar levels, such as pumpkin, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and raw apples.Add saturated fats to your diet that have antimicrobial/antifungal properties such as virgin coconut oil.Add nutrient-dense and unprocessed foods such as sprouted nuts and seeds to your diet.Drink purified water throughout the day. Aim for half your body weight in ounces

Foods to AVOID include:

Pickled foods such as pickled cucumbers (pickles), vegetables, mushrooms, relishes, and sauerkrautFungi such as mushroomsFermented cheeses and wineSimple or refined carbohydrates that spike blood sugar levels rapidly such as sugar, white bread, white-flour pasta, cookies, cakes, crackers, processed snacks like potato chips, sugary soft drinks, and juices, all of which can aggravate Candida overgrowth – Read more about good carbs and bad carbs.All foods containing refined sugar or artificial non-nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame, Splenda®, etc. Choose a natural sweetener like Xylosweet instead.Alcoholic beverages in excess since they hinder the functioning of the immune and digestive systems and retard the healing processExcessive caffeine intake – While moderate amounts of caffeine may be beneficial, excessive consumption can disrupt the body’s systems, causing insomnia and digestive irregularity (constipation or diarrhea).Bottom crawlers such as oysters, clams, and lobster that may contain toxic levels of mercuryDeep-sea fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish that may contain toxic levels of mercury. Choose minimal-mercury albacore tuna instead.Farm-raised fish that contain high levels of PCBs, mercury and little omega-3 (since farm-raised fish are typically fed land-based foods). Choose wild-caught salmon instead.Sodium nitrite found in processed foods such as hot dogs, lunch meats, and baconMonosodium glutamate (MSG) found in many foods as a flavor enhancerHydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) found in many processed foods, deep-fried foods, fast food, and junk food – Read more about good fats and bad fats.Foods that contain preservatives and artificial flavors and colorsProducts (such as soy milk and ice cream) that contain carrageenan, a seaweed extract that’s added to foods to retain their creamy texture. For some people, carrageenan irritates the stomach.Allergenic foods (for some people) such as casein in dairy products, gluten in wheat breads, soy products, and peanuts (a legume that is often contaminated with aflatoxin, a natural toxin and carcinogen produced by certain strains of the mold Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus that grow on peanuts stored in warm, humid silos.)

Other tips to help heal your gut:

Juice your fruits and vegetables for easier digestion.Drink plenty of purified water in between meals.Eat frequent small meals, rather than three large ones.Chew food slowly and thoroughly for proper digestion.Heavy metal toxicity can produce vague symptoms that sometimes are mistaken for other chronic conditions. Discuss heavy metal toxicity with your healthcare professional before receiving any diagnosis or treatment for a serious chronic condition. Read more about heavy metal toxicity. Exercise 3 days per week at moderate intensity for 30 mins or more Moderate exercise that really makes you sweat helps your body release many toxins, something which relieves the stress placed on your gut as it tries to get rid of toxins. In addition, exercise encourages regular, healthy bowel movements. A brisk walk each day in sunlight can help the digestive system function more efficiently. Stay tuned as we will dive deeper on the effects of exercise as it aids in repairing the gut in our next article

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