Health Starts in the Gut. What to do about Leaky Gut Syndrome.
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“To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life” – William Londen
The Gut – Your Center for Health and Wellness Starts Here
Our gut is a probably the most overlooked and overworked part of our body with all the responsibilities it has. A living environment of nerve endings, carefully balanced bacteria, and tightly weaved cells that digest food and handle/absorb it’s nutrients. Our gut has many important duties including:
- Breaking down and digesting all your foods and drinks
- Providing the body with nutrients (amino acids, sugars, fats), vitamins and minerals
- Aids in the detoxification process of the body
So what can go wrong? Alot! First our nicely balanced bacteria balance we need can be disrupted. That along with other factors can lead to the gut getting inflamed. Now creating holes in that tightly woven cellular intenstinal lining, creating foreign bodies (undigested proteins and toxins) to now leak into the bloodstream, and finding home in our joints, organs, tissues, and brain. Our body’s always alert defenses (immune system) now see foreign invaders and send out a response to attack, creating an autoimmune condition. Your gut immune system is now compromised and now can not properly handle bacteria infection, growth, straining detoxification, stressing the liver, not absorbing nutrients efficiently and compromising the whole digestive process. That my friends is Leaky Gut…..now doesn’t that sound like something we might want to avoid?
Uh Oh, Something Has Gone Wrong, So How Do You Know?
Unfortunately we do not have alarm lights to go off, so our body gives us “symptoms” to which we are supposed to become aware of something is wrong and then fix the problem. Unfortunately for the most part we just tend to ignore these things and call them just “normal”, or even worse suppress them with medications and ignore them as trouble build up and something worse may be around the corner. Leaky gut symptoms can include:
- Fatigue, Bloating, Headaches, Skin rashes, Muscle Pain/Cramps, Joint pain, Abdominal pain, Heartburn, Mood Swings, Food allergies, Depression, Bloating, Anxiety, Nutrient malnutrition, and more.
So if any of those things sound familiar (and I would be willing to say most of us can say they do), those are your first warnings of something could be wrong, and the first place to always start is with the gut. (total gut health including what we are putting in our gut, aka food and drinks)
It Can’t be All that Bad, Could It?
So how bad could it really be you ask? We all have fatigue and headaches. We all have joint pain. Isn’t that just called getting older? Well I don’t know who came up with that line but I would like to age, but never get older! Remember these could be just little warnings that if not taken care of can lead to bigger issues. Conditions that could be linked with Leaky Gut Syndrome include:
- Colon cancer, Celiac disease, IBS, Food allergies, Acne, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Autism, Liver and Kidney disorders, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Psoriasis and much much more.
What Went Wrong?
Contributors to Leaky Gut Syndrome can include:
- Alcohol, Stress, Perscription Meds/NSAIDS, Antibiotics, Poor Diet (high in sugar), Excess grains (gluten intolerances), Allergens, Parasites, Gut Bacteria Imbalance (growth of bad, killing off of good), Environmental Toxins, Poor Diet (high in sugars and processed foods), and more.
So many factors from so many different sources, what are we to do? Well by taking preventative measures and allowing time for the gut to heal, we can hopefully reverse this condition and calm down any possible symptoms from it.
Ok, So What Can I Do?
How to live for healthy gut:
- Avoid excessive grains – especially those containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, malt, and oats). This could be a post in all itself but essentially the grain is new to the human digestive system on the scale of evolution. Our bodies are still not able to process these grains properly. Just because you are not “allegic” doesn’t meant that you do not have an intolerance causing a host of other problems. When in doubt, do an elimination diet and then reintroduce to see what happens.
- Avoid lectins – these are plant proteins that when let loose in the body (through the leaky gut) will cause the immune system to attack them as they settle into joints, tissues, and other places. Worst offenders are found in grains/wheat, corn, legumes (soy, peanuts, dried beans), nightshades (potato, tomato, eggplant and pepper)
- Avoid gut allergens – The top being gluten/wheat, dairy, corn, soy, and peanuts. Allergens cause gut irritation and inflammation…and that leads to leaking and other issues. This also includes any spreads, oils or sauces made with those items (such as corn or soil oil and peanut butter)
- Avoid fermented/yeast growing foods – Including breads, alcohol, vinegar, cheese, coffee, olives, pickles, soy sauce, and wine
- Avoid all sugars – sugar “feed” the bad bacteria and will help kill off the good bacteria. This means processed foods, white flours, sodas, sauces, and even including fruit until the situation is under control (do what is called an elimination diet, eliminate for 2-3 weeks and then reintroduce back in to see if your symptoms improve and do not reappear)
- Avoid processed foods - I think we all know what these are. Golden rule, if it wasn’t around 1000 years ago or comes in a package and has a label, don’t eat it.
- Eat more vegetables – Fresh vegetables have enzymes and natural fiber (insoluble and soluble) used to feed the healthy bacteria and clean out the waste material. This is not the same as bran fiber (avoid it).
- Get Healthy Fats (esp Omega 3s-Fish Oil) – The gut lining (intestinal wall) likes healthy fats especially those anti-inflammatory Omega 3s from Fish Oil (EPA/DHA). Take 3-5g per day as needed. (like anything, check with your doctor first esp if you are already on any medications as it may have an effect on them)
- Less toxins ingested - Avoid all foods and drinks that contain chemicals, preservatives, hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, flavorings, colorings, and sweeteners. But we can also extend this to your complete environment as to anything that you smell, breathe and put on your skin for absorption.
- Take Probiotics if you have had antibiotics – Antibiotics kill off the bad bacteria….but also the good bacteria. It doesn’t know the difference and takes care of all of it. Now with a bad diet and poor food sources the bad bacteria can repopulate quickly and the good bacteria can be much much less. Taking Probiotics is a way to get the good bacteria back into the system and try to get some sense of the bacteria balance that a healthy gut needs.
- Supplement Digestive Enzymes with food – Depending how stressed our gut is and how old we are, we may need additional digestive enzymes to help improve gut health and digestion of foods. Taking these with meals may ease the stress on the gut and improve overall health.
- Do elimination diets – As noted above you should avoid all the trouble foods esp grains, dairy, and the likes. However some people may not want to get rid of them 100%. What you do need to do is give your system a break from the irritants for a while to calm down potential inflammation. So take grains and diary out of your diet for 3-4 weeks, and then slowly reintroduce them back in. You may see different reactions now with much less tollerance….which is a good thing because your body is working better and giving you a hint not to eat this stuff. When in doubt, take time off suspected trouble foods and then listen to your body when you reintroduce them back in.
- Rotate foods – Allergies and irritation can also come from just having the same food over and over and over again. Best health strategy is to rotate your sources of food daily including different veggies, meats and fats. Not only will this help your gut but also make sure you are getting a wide selection of foods each with different vitamins and minerals. Variety is good for many reasons.
- Stress Reduction – That sickening feeling in your gut when you get stressed out….picture that as the bad bacteria running around and killing off the good bacteria. Stop stressing out over things that don’t matter and take time to do some relaxing such as deep breathing a couple times a day.
- Promote Health and Recovery Lifestyle – Getting plenty of sleep, fasting, exercise, sweat, stress reduction, water, healthy natural foods, fresh air and get out in the sun. Enjoy your time with friends and remember that health is a choice, one made every time you put ANYTHING in your mouth and gut. Take charge of 100% what goes into your body, because if you don’t no one else will.
Your gut health should be a #1 priority because as the saying goes, you are what you eat. Could it really be that simple? Could our health really just be all about what we eat? In some ways….Yes it is simple, but that message has gotten lost somehow. Tell a friend to clean up their gut, who knows…you might just make them healthy in the process.
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33 Reader Comments
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Rotating food is good. That’s why I got myself one of them lazy susans.
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That’s funny! Do they make one that rotates around every 3-4 days?
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Mike,
I really enjoy your blog.
Question on this last post; I thought fermented foods ARE beneficial? Or is my english reading comprehension getting in the way again
Marc
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MOD,
Found this article on stumbleupon.com. IF in mainstream media?
Transcript from All Things Considered, November 21, 2007: Retune the Body with a Partial Fast. Here is part of it:
{Mattson thinks partial fasting has numerous benefits, from improving glucose regulation, which can protect against diabetes, to also lowering blood pressure. Some animal studies have also shown that partial fasting has very beneficial effects on the brain, protecting against Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and stroke.
Partial fasting may even extend lifespan because eating less sends a message to the cells of the body that they should conserve and use energy more efficiently.
“When they’re exposed to a mild stress, [the body's cells] sort of expect that maybe this is going to happen again,” Mattson says. “So maybe next time I may have to go longer without food, so I’d better be able to deal with that when it comes on.”}
Here’s the link:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/demo/?review=1#url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16513299&sc=nl&cc=es-20071223&sc=emaf
Thomas
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Marc – GOOD fermented foods are always welcome…like kefir, yogurt, cabbage, sauerkraut, probiotics, etc…it’s the bad ones that promote bad bacteria and fungus such as yeast, alcohol (and others listed above). Again balance is the key when it comes to the bacteria environment…and most of us are way out of balance. Fungus and Yeast is not ideal in any language.
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Thomas – good article, have seen that before. Yep, fasting has been around for a long long time. Many benefits especially when you examine the “stress-response” factor of fasting….the body adapts and gets stronger. Of course we are talking about “short term” stresses …as anything done too much will not always be better.
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MOD,
Why is vinegar bad but apple cider vinegar good? (We kno w you love your ACV!)
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Allison – Has to do with the whole process in which ACV is made and the bacteria inside. BUT you need the Raw, Unfiltered, with the “Mother” (keeps the bacteria alive)…otherwise the non-cloudy pasteurized ACV sitting right next to the White vinegar is just useless. ACV…best solution for 1001 uses for under $4! Can’t beat it! Heck…just ask this 100 year old guy http://www.telegram.com/article/20080305/NEWS/803050659/1116
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I thought that acidophilus and other probiotics in yogurt need lactose to survive. Can they be sustained by fiber instead of dairy? I quit drinking milk for a couple years and became unable to digest it. I became able to digest it again after taking probiotics.
I got here from the CrossFit board by way of the PerformanceMenu board. I know Coach Rippetoe recommends a gallon of milk per day for weight gain, perhaps because of its high levels of IGF-1. I also know the Weston A. Price Foundation advocates raw milk. Do you have any comments on their positions? Do you recommend abstinence from dairy if there is no noticeable allegic reaction?
I conjecture that milk is responsible for my stature (6′ Chinese), because 1) I drank much more milk than my shorter brother and 2) I seemed to grow 2 more inches in my 20’s after resuming drinking milk again.
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Timothy – “Milk” as it is today isn’t even the same quality of the milk from the days of the milkman delivering bottles to your doorstep and it certainly is not the same as any raw milk products. Pasteurization, while told it is needed to kill off all bad bacteria, is actually what destroys all the good parts to the milk as well. It changes the lactose itself and gets rid of any beneficial properties it will have for good bacteria. That’s why you will find people who are “lactose intolerant” able to drink raw milk just fine, as it’s not the same thing. Here’s a couple good reads on pasteurization and milk. Not too mention milk today is highly inflammatory especially when you talk about asthma (and other breathing related issues) and acne.
As for drinking milk for building muscles (bigger you are the more you can lift), sure it works because of all the slow digesting proteins, insulin releasing effect and increasing total calories throughout the day. As for the hormones of IGF-1 and growth in kids, I am sure it is possible but to what extent it plays a role I can not tell you.
For health reasons I would say to avoid commercial milk and if you wanted to drink some, go for the raw kind as it will have all the same proteins in more stable state (non-heated) on top of a better environment for gut bacteria. You can grow plenty of muscles eating whole foods, but milk is usually an easier and much cheaper way to get in those excess calories for bulking up. I could cycle back on milk only if I wanted to put up with excess mucus production and exercise enduced asthma issues (which I have whenever I have too much dairy, like cheese). Like anything, cycling makes the effects minimal but doesn’t mean that there aren’t other bad things going on inside your gut as well.
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[...] the biggest factor that we can control and is usually all messed up! Re-read the post on gut health again….and again….and [...]
I thought your blog was very interesting and informative minus 1 KEY factor. You stated many things that were bad but you NEVER gave any examples of what a person should take to counter any problem or give advice about how to get and what to eat that me be good. So, great article but you need to give a balanced approach with more examples of what TO eat, case in point:
[Quote] Avoid lectins – these are plant proteins that when let loose in the body (through the leaky gut) will cause the immune system to attack them as they settle into joints, tissues, and other places. Worst offenders are found in grains/wheat, corn, legumes (soy, peanuts, dried beans), nightshades (potato, tomato, eggplant and pepper) [End Quote]
Here and many other areas you never mention what SHOULD be taken. If you mention certain foods are the offenders, then what should be eaten instead while not eating such foods…?
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Raistlen – welcome and thanks for your feedback. I do on many posts go over what I do believe one should eat, but if that got lost somewhere along the line I will gladly sum it up for you. #1 Lean healthy proteins such as steak, chicken, fish, eggs etc. Better the quality of the food (organic, free range, Omega 3 eggs) the better it will be for you (of course I understand that some can cost alot of money, so get high quality when you can afford it). Protein will supply the body with the neccessary amino acids it needs and help keep your muscle growing stronger. #2 eat as many vegetables as you want (I am talking the kinds the non-starchy kind such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, celery, and the list goes on and on. I am not including things that are higher in sugar like carrots, potatoes, corn….those should be in moderation. #3 eat moderate amounts of fruits especially strawberries, melons, blueberries, blackberries, apples, etc (too much fructose is not the goal esp if you want to lose weight). #4 healthy fats in the form of some saturated from meat/eggs/butter/lard/palm oil, coconut oil (MCT), MUFA (monounsaturated fats) like -Virgin Olive Oil, avacados, Omega 3 Fish Oils and some PUFA Omega 3/6s from nuts and seeds (don’t overdo the PUFAs as they are unstable and easily oxidized causing free radicals….so you would need more anti-oxidants, and fruits like berries are a great source). Do that 85%+ of the time and you will see great results in fat loss and health. When we talk about allergens like corn/soy/glutens we try to avoid as much as possible. Doesn’t mean that your body can not handle them in small doses and especially if you are rotating your foods….but everyone’s health is different. So if you do have any health issues it is important to clean up the “gut” as much as possible. You may not eliminate all the allergens but taking them out as much as possible will definitely help you on your way. Also look for hidden sources like cooking oils that use corn or soy…and of course anything that is processed should be avoided as those usually have all the wrong things in them. When in doubt….if it wasn’t around 10,000 years ago, you shouldn’t be eating it.
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i was wondering what good source of probiotics is? also, are there any other websites that have good overall information about them. i have done a little bit of research, but am not able to come up with a whole lot.
your blog has a lot of great information on it, i really have learned quite a bit about nutrition. thanks
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Tater – Here’s a pretty decent page on probiotics and the sources you can find them in naturally. http://www.deliciousorganics.com/controversies/fermentedfoods.htm
I would say try to get them from whole food sources, but if you wanted to add a supplement, this company looks pretty good in the quality of what they sell: http://www.newchapter.com/product_category
Glad you are learning stuff….that’s why the blog is here.
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[...] talked before we know that gut health is our top priority for overall health and wellness (see the Is Your Gut Leaking post for an refresher overview on Gut Health). If we want a window into how the foods we eat are [...]
I love your website. Very cool. My only question is: what if you’re a vegetarian and rely heavily on soy products and other processed foods for protein?
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Artemis – Come over from the dark side!
You can supplement amino acids and other protein based foods but of course I am in favor of meat/fish/eggs/etc….even if just once a day. Find what works for you and try to eliminate as much artificial/processed foods as possible.
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I found your article very interesting. I have a question, what do you think about detox diets, cleansing diets with lemon juice and stuff like that? I am trying to decide whether I should go on one of these, because I feel my colon is somewhat neglected. Thanks for your advice.
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Anna – You can see this post here as I talked about detox diets, but essentially most are not what they seem. You can fast for short periods of time with water and lemon, but you don’t need to go on some long “detox” diet. The body detoxes at one speed, you can’t increase it (but you can slow it down). What you can do is eat healthy so it has less stuff coming in and can do some more cleansing as eating too much will just slow down the detoxification process. IF is about smaller fasts to help cleansing and elimination. Just cut out bad foods for a while and eat plenty of healthy fruits, vegetables, proteins….along with some smaller fasts you can drink lemon water and get a slower cleansing process. Take out all the problem foods listed above for the gut and let it get a chance to rebuild and repair itself. You don’t have to do anything radical or extreme, just help clean up the daily process.
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[...] Read the full article. [...]
So, should beans be eaten in moderation, or are they ok? I thought they were really good for you. dried being better than canned. Thanks
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[...] it is a great cleanser of our guts and is something that can help heal the gut should problems like leaky gut syndrome occur. On top of this Coconut will help your body fight off infection so its a great thing to eat [...]
i have lgs i need help….is there a cure?
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heartangel – If you think you suffer from leaky gut, then follow the recommendations above including removing the biggest gut allergens and adding in healthy gut foods and probiotics. There are no “cures” on here (as legally I can not say there are cures for anything, only pharma drugs can make that “claim” legally), just steps you can take to get control back and improve your own state of health. Take the steps to help reduce your symptoms and improve the ability of your own body to do some repair work, and then you no longer need a “cure”. You have control to take steps now to improve your health, remember that. (as trying to wait for a “cure” is giving up that power to something else).
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Hi Mike
Thanks so much for this extremely helpful blog. I have post strep reactive arthritis (sort of like rheumatic fever) and heart valve problems are in my family history, so to ward of potential reinfection and possible valvular damage, my rheumatologist suggested I go on prophylactic antibiotic therapy for a year. IM injections monthly. I have really minimized dairy intake, only using full fat sparingly when cooking, and a splash in my tea, and I suppose I could cut that out. Will taking 1/2 cup of plain yogurt daily ( for acidophilus) be too much dairy for my gut? SHould i just take acidophilus pills from health food store? I really trust my doctor, my great aunt died on the operating table during open heart surgery for valve repair, and my mom has valve problems too so thats quite a motivator. I also work in cardiac rehab LOL so I work with patients post open heart and I see plenty of patients who had scarlet/ rheumatic fever in their medical histories. In other words, benefits outweigh risks for my long term antibiotic use. Do you have any suggestions as far as supplements in addition to acidophilus? Thank you so much.
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Aileen – I would look into the book “The Body Ecology Diet” as it does go into greater detail about how to make more fermented natural foods. Things like Yogurt have some healthy bacteria, although Kefir is better. Probiotics pills will vary from brand to brand and more often then not, the cheaper it is….the less effective it may end up being (too much dead bacteria). Other than that, you could also look into digestive enzymes if you feel your gut is not working correctly (so you can effectively break down and utilize the foods you eat). Also quality of foods is important in fruits, veg, natural foods, avoiding processed foods and sugars. Omega 3 (fish oil) supplementation may also be of benefit. Like anything….check with your Dr first before taking anything, as I am not one and really don’t know if anything may have an adverse reaction with any treatments you are going through right now. But I do like to think that the body can heal itself if you give it the right tools and healing environment.
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Is Leaky gut liftime condition or it can be cured for good?
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Ilia – Leaky gut is just a dysfunction of the normal operation of the gut. Like anything in the body, if you give it the right healing environment and time it should be able to repair and heal itself up. No guarantees on how long or short it takes, but taking the steps above and just living a lifestyle of prevention can go a long way to improving health.
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What about rice and buckwheat? All the mad’s telling diferent storys about them so – are they good or bad for leaky gut?
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Ilia – things like buckwheat and quinoa are labeled as “gluten free” (gluten being the biggest allergen to some) and rice as well. People with gluten intolerance seem to tolerate these as well. The best approach to any diet is of course variety and rotation, not the same things all the time. So even if you have something once in a while, your gut can recover from it….whereas have it all the time and it gets worse and worse. Enjoy a variety of foods on a rotating basis and you should be ok.
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[...] as a final kicker, Splenda may be bad for your intestinal flora. As Mike pointed out in this article, your gut is the first line of defense in the immune [...]
[...] Is Your Gut Leaking? What to do about it. [...]