Leaky Gut: Do You Have an Action Plan for a Healthy Small Intestine?
What is Leaky Gut?
Leaky Gut is a condition in which wear and tear in the lining of the small intestine causes the lining to be overly permeable. Partially or incompletely digested foods can then penetrate the gut wall. Normally, these foods do not produce a problem in our guts, but a leaky gut lining allows food to pass into the blood stream, triggering an allergic reaction. Toxins that normally stay in the small intestine leak into the blood stream and lymphatic system, causing inflammation and exhaustion.
What Causes Leaky Gut?
The most common causes of Leaky Gut are from Candida (a common yeast), parasites, antibiotic overuse, gluten intolerance and the overgrowth of certain bad bacteria, to name a few. Consequently, a combination of “Bad Bacteria,” low stomach acid, and Leaky Gut my be behind the many symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Eight Ways to Help Your Gut
Remove gluten from your diet for a week. Keep a food diary of what you eat to check if your symptoms improve. It may take more than a week fr your small intestine to heal, but you should begin to notice some improvement in your symptoms. The two proteins that cause the problem are gluten and gliadin. These proteins are difficult to digest and can allow undigested or partially digested foods and toxins to pass through the intestinal wall. This causes the inflammation and a raised immune response.
There are many probiotics over the counter (OTC) that you can choice from. Most of them are essentially worthless. Check the packaging to make sure you’re getting the right strains for your specific problem. You want your probiotic to have a count of 50 billion or more in each serving size or more, survive a trip down your digestive track (acid in the stomach) and have as many different strains of bacteria as possible. I have problems with probiotics that are refrigerated, since travel from the manufacturing facility to the store may have uncontrolled temperatures which can affect the survival of the bacteria. It may say 50 billion bacteria, but how many are still alive?
Vitamins A & D are known to protect the mucus membranes of your gut. A good source of both vitamins A & D is from liver. You can also supplement with a good vitamin supplement if you don’t/can’t eat liver.
Prebiotics are the food for your probiotics. Keep your bacteria fed daily with foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, chicory root (my favorite), garlic, onions, leeks, apples, etc.
Water is an excellent lubricant. Drinking plenty of water helps lubricate your gut. It also keeps your gut smooth.
The usual serving size is 1,200 mg daily. Both help heal the dose. Consult a nutritionist to make sure whichever supplements you take are tailored to you.
Eating garlic, honey and sauerkraut has been shown to prevent the growth of Candida, fungus and yeast infections. This can improve the health of your gut. The active ingredient in garlic is Allicin. It is a powerful antibacterial and works effectively in controlling the growth of Candida.
Honey contains live enzymes that release a compound called Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2). H2O2 kills germs and viruses.