How To Help Repair Leaky Gut With Healthy Habits

Eating a Standard American Diet can lead to a condition known as leaky gut, where the junctions of the intestines develop areas of permeability. Symptoms of a leaky gut can commonly include food sensitivities, cramping, bloating, gas, as well as other gastrointestinal issues. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to help improve leaky gut symptoms. Whether you’re ready for a complete lifestyle overhaul or want to take baby steps, any progress is a move in the right direction. 

Improve Your Daily Diet

Changing your diet can dramatically help repair leaky gut. Eliminating certain food groups like gluten, dairy, and other inflammatory foods help to quell gut inflammation and tighten up leaky junctions. There are specific gut-healing diets like the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet that starts by eliminating many foods, and then adding back certain foods in various stages. Some people find that following a diet like the Paleolithic diet where you eat a variety of meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, can be life changing as well. When you start to remove inflammation from your body, you may start to feel a reduction in not only gut related symptoms but also with other symptoms as well. 

To help improve leaky gut, you may want to eliminate foods such as:

• Sugar
• Processed foods
• Gluten 
• Dairy
• Industrial seed oils like corn, canola, and soy

To help heal a leaky gut, you want to eat a lot of foods from these categories:

• Grass fed or wild caught proteins like salmon, beef, chicken, fish and eggs
• A wide variety of fruits and vegetables
• Organic seeds and nuts
• Bone broth
• Healthy oils and fats like coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil

 

Supplement With Targeted Nutrients

Naturally supporting the body with specific supplements can be very helpful in giving the body what it needs to repair itself. Leaky gut can not only affect the gastrointestinal tract, but it can also cause health problems like brain fog, headaches, chronic fatigue, arthritis, joint pain, and even asthma. Supporting the intestines and microbiome can be helpful in tightening the junctions from the inside out. What are some supplements that are good to help repair leaky gut?

 

1. Gelatin. Gelatin is found in the connective tissues of animals and is abundant in bone broth. It’s also available in supplement form, and many people consume gelatin in hot beverages as it’s flavorless and tasteless. Collagen has greatly increased in popularity in the last few years, and it’s very similar to gelatin except it can be put into cold beverages. When gelatin is added to cold things, it turns into a gel.
2. Prebiotics and probiotics. Your microbiome is made up of many different bacteria, and when that balance is disrupted,  it can lead to many different issues. Prebiotics are basically food for probiotics, the good bacteria. When you add good bacteria into your gut, it can help heal it. 
3. Digestive enzymes. Since most people with leaky gut have a difficult time digesting food, a good digestive enzyme can be helpful in breaking down foods for proper nutrient absorption. Not only will it help break down the food for the body to absorb better, but it can also help if there is a nutrient deficiency, as the body is able to assimilate nutrients better.

 

Work With a Knowledgeable Practitioner

Working with someone that is knowledgeable about leaky gut is very important, as they can help guide you through the healing journey. Dr. Mashner has worked with many patients over the years, and would love to help you as well. He enjoys serving his clients in the Pensacola, Florida/Pascagoula, Mississippi,  and Mobile/Gulf Shores, Alabama areas. Give our office a call to schedule your first appointment and let us help you with your leaky gut symptoms!