HEALTHY TIP

Fix the gut and watch the health of your overall body and mind improve! Start with these 4 simple steps to heal leaky gut.

  • REMOVE foods and factors that damage the gut

  • REPLACE with healing foods

  • REPAIR with specific supplements

  • REBALANCE with probiotics

1. Remove certain foods and factors that damage the gut
It’s essential to remove allergens and inflammatory foods such as un-sprouted grains, added sugar, GMOs, refined oils, synthetic food additives and conventional dairy products. The top toxic exposures to eliminate are tap water, pesticides, NSAIDS and antibiotics — but remember to always consult with your physician if he or she has prescribed these for you.

2. Replace gut-damaging foods with gut-healing foods
If you suffer from leaky gut syndrome, you’re overdue to consider adopting a leaky gut diet. Such a diet contains foods support healing because they are easy to digest and can help repair the lining of the intestines.

  • Here is the leaky gut diet food list:
    Bone Broth — bone broth contains collagen and the amino acids proline and glycine that can help heal your damaged cell walls. I’ve had many of my patients do a bone broth fast for three days to help heal leaky gut and autoimmune disease.
  • Raw Cultured Dairy — contains both probiotics and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that can help heal the gut. Pastured kefir, yogurt, amasai, butter and raw cheese are some of the best probiotic foods.
  • Fermented Vegetables — contain organic acids that balance intestinal pH and probiotics to support the gut. Sauerkraut, kimchi and kvass are excellent sources.
  • Coconut Products — all coconut products are especially good for your gut. The medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in coconut are easier to digest than other fats so they work well for leaky gut. Also, coconut kefir contains probiotics that support your digestive system.
  • Sprouted Seeds — chia seeds, flaxseeds and hemp seeds that have been sprouted are great sources of fiber that can help support the growth of beneficial bacteria. But if you have severe leaky gut, you may need to start out getting your fiber from steamed vegetables and fruit.
  • Healthy fats — consuming healthy fats in moderation like egg yolks, avocados, ghee and coconut oil are easy on the gut and promote healing.
  • Omega-3 Fats — anti-inflammatory foods like grass-fed beef, lamb and wild-caught fish like salmon benefit a damaged gut.
  • Fruit – Consuming 1–2 servings of fruit daily is good on a leaky gut diet. You can steam apples and pears to make homemade apple sauce or fruit sauce. Fruit is best consumed in the morning and not later on in the day and keep fruit intake in moderation.

3. Repair your gut with certain supplements
In a leaky gut treatment plan, there are many supplements that support your digestive health as well as protect the gut lining from further damage. I believe the five most beneficial leaky gut supplements are probiotics, digestive enzymes, l-glutamine, licorice root and quercetin.

  • Probiotics (50-100 billion units daily) — the most important supplement to take because it helps replenish good bacteria and crowds out bad bacteria. I recommend getting probiotics in both food and supplement form. I see people all the time only follow part of the protocol in healing their leaky gut syndrome by removing the damaging irritants. But the part they often leave out is re-inoculating their gut with beneficial bacteria that will keep bad bacteria at bay.
  • Digestive enzymes (1–2 capsules at the beginning of each meal) — these ensure that foods are fully digested, decreasing the chance that partially digested foods particles and proteins are damaging your gut wall.
  • L-Glutamine (5 grams twice daily) — critical for any program designed to heal leaky gut. Glutamine powder is an essential amino acid supplement that is anti-inflammatory and necessary for the growth and repair of your intestinal lining. L-glutamine benefits include acting as a protector: coating your cell walls and acting as a repellent to irritants.
  • Licorice Root (DGL, take 500 milligrams three times daily with meals) — an adaptogenic herb that helps balance cortisol levels and improves acid production in the stomach. DGL licorice root supports the body’s natural processes for maintaining the mucosal lining of the stomach and duodenum. This herb is especially beneficial if someone’s leaky gut is being caused by emotional stress.
  • Quercetin (take 500 milligrams three times daily with meals) — it has also been shown to improve gut barrier function by sealing the gut because it supports creation of tight junction proteins. Quercetin also stabilizes mast cells and reduces the release of histamine, which is common in food intolerance.