There are many things you can try to help naturally repair a leaky gut. Stop eating certain foods, exercise more and avoid stress. It may sound easier said than done so here are the ten things you can do now to heal your leaky gut
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Repairing a Leaky Gut Naturally
Leaky gut, or leaky gut syndrome as it is sometimes called, is an unpleasant medical condition that can cause significant health problems. It can cause obvious weight issues, skin problems and even depression.
Help is at had though as there are several gut cleansing things you can do that are both simple and effective.
It’s also a very aptly named because it refers to a condition where intestinal permeability increases.
As you may be aware, the nutrients and energy in food pass through the intestinal walls and enter the blood. That’s normal.
When people develop a “leaky gut” the gaps in the intestinal walls become so loose that undesirable substances can pass through and enter the blood.
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Bacteria, toxins, even undigested food particles—you don’t want any of these things in your blood but a leaky gut can put them there.
Research associates leaky gut syndrome with celiac disease, diabetes, and several other chronic and autoimmune diseases.
A leaky gut may also cause migraines, fatigue, brain fog, and many other symptoms that may be wrongly attributed to other factors such as overwork and stress.
Unfortunately, although people present various theories, nobody is sure why leaky gut syndrome occurs. However, research shows using certain medications, including aspirin and ibuprofen, may be one possible cause.
Dysbiosis is another possible cause. This is a gut condition that occurs when levels of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract fall out of balance.
However, this is not an article that aims to shed light on the possible causes of leaky gut. It’s for people seeking ways to naturally repair a leaky gut.
As you continue reading, you will realize most of the steps you can take to heal a leaky gut involve making healthy lifestyle changes.
Apart from helping repair your leaky gut, these lifestyle tweaks also have the potential to improve the quality of your life in many other ways.
The following are some really simple but effective gut cleansing tips.
Do These 10 Things to Naturally Repair Your Leaky Gut
1. Cut Out Toxic Foods
Certain foods can be particularly bad for gut health and can increase intestinal inflammation and damage. The wrong choices also have the potential to cause or worsen dysbiosis. Some drinks can do it too. Especially ones that contain alcohol or high amounts of sugar.
Excessive alcohol consumption can be particularly bad for gut health. Research shows alcoholics have lower levels of bacteria from the phylum Bacteriodetes and butyrate-producing bacteria, which are thought to be anti-inflammatory.
The same research shows alcoholics also have higher levels of bacteria from the phylum Proteobacteria, which is thought to cause inflammation. This is a combination of factors you do not want when you are trying to heal a leaky gut.
Some processed foods also appear to be capable of adding to the intestinal damage. As are the gluten and gliadin, provided by wheat, barley, spelt, and rye. The compounds these cereals provide increase zonulin levels.
Zonulin is a protein that regulates tight junctions. Research suggests excess zonulin may loosen the junctions in the intestinal lining sufficiently to cause leaky gut.
Needless to say, going gluten-free may be another good way to give the intestines an opportunity to heal and naturally repair your leaky gut.
If possible try to eat more foods that are in line with an alkaline diet – certain vegetables and leafy greens are highly recommended. There is also some evidence to suggest that drinking green tea can have a positive effect on the health of your gut.
Other foods to avoid include if you want to repair a leaky gut
- Baked goods
- Junk food
- Snack foods
- Refined oils
- Dairy products
- Artificial sweeteners
- Sauces and salad dressings
2. Avoid Stress
Stress is another factor that can influence leaky gut. Cortisol, epinephrine, and other stress hormones also appear to be capable of breaking down the tight junctions responsible for maintaining the integrity of the intestinal walls.
With this in mind, it makes sense to try and avoid people and situations that make you feel anxious and overwrought. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done.
However, pursuits like meditation, tai chi, and yoga can be very good for calming the world within and, with diligence, may make you less susceptible to stress.
Exercise is beneficial too. It releases feel-good hormones that can place you in a better state of mind. [2]
3. Take Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes are key players in the digestive process. They are responsible for breaking down food into particles that are small enough to pass through the intestinal walls.
Using a supplement that provides additional digestive enzymes helps your body to break down large molecules of protein that may damage the lining of the gut.
Supplements that provide the right combination of digestive enzymes help support healthy digestion and reduce irritation within the gastrointestinal tract.
4. Nurture Your N-Butyrate
N-butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria. It nourishes the cells that line the intestinal walls and helps them to heal. This gives it the ability to naturally heal a leaky gut.
The best way to increase n-butyrate is to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. They provide prebiotic fiber that nourishes the bacteria enabling it to produce more n-butyrate.
5. Increase Your Collagen Consumption
Eating more foods that contain collagen is another good way to naturally heal a leaky gut.
Bone broth and gelatin are good sources of collagen. As are chicken, fish, and shellfish.
Egg whites are good for topping up with collagen too and so are berries and citrus fruits. They don’t provide collagen but they help your body to produce more of its own. [3]
Research shows collagen peptides are good for strengthening the gut barrier.
6. Train Cardio
It doesn’t matter whether you go jogging, go to aerobics sessions, prefer zumba, or go with something else; any type of cardiovascular exercise is good.
Apart from improving your overall level of physical fitness a good cardio session can also improve the health of your gut.
Cardiovascular exercise improves oxygen transportation within the body.
The availability of extra oxygen in the gut helps probiotic bacteria to flourish. Including n-butyrate, which is so beneficial for the lining of the gut.
7. Get Sufficient Sleep
Sleep is important. You need it. If you are regularly depriving your body of sufficient sleep it may be one of the factors contributing you your leaky gut.
When you don’t get enough sleep is can negatively affect your gut microbiome, causing a poor distribution of probiotic bacteria. This may increase intestinal permeability.
Admittedly, some people need more sleep than other people do but, if you are regularly getting less than 6-8 hours of sleep per night you probably aren’t getting enough.
8. Stop Smoking
Smoking does a lot of bad things to the body. If you are a smoker there are plenty of reasons you should stop.
Most stop smoking campaigns focus on the damage smoking does to the lungs and the rest of the cardiovascular system so, the chances are, you may not be aware the habit can also contribute to leaky gut.
When you smoke, it can increase inflammation in the digestive tract, decrease probiotic bacteria levels, and generally throw your gut microbiome out of whack.
If you need support to stop smoking, organizations like the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association provide resources and information that can help.
9. Top-Up Your Probiotic Bacteria Levels
Using a good probiotic supplement every day is another good way to naturally repair a leaky gut.
There are also probiotic foods that can aid the repair process – Sauerkraut is a good example. The lactic acid bacteria that ferments the raw cabbage and gives it such a distinctive taste is probiotic
Probiotic bacteria lives in the gut. It’s on the spot, where the action is and the right bacteria in the right place at the right time can help gently nurse your gut back to optimum health.
Probiotics enhance the function of the gut barrier by supporting the healthy synthesis and assembly of tight junction proteins. Probiotics also prevent the tight junctions from being disrupted by injurious factors.
Probiotic bacteria still further improves gut health by triggering the activation of cell the signalling pathways that help maintain tight junctions and optimum barrier function.
10. Eat More Fiber
Eating plenty of fiber is another good way to improve intestinal health. Like probiotics, fiber helps improve the microbiome.
Foods like onions, leeks, bananas, and oats provide the prebiotic fiber probiotic bacteria eats. However, all fiber is good.
It gives the gut muscles a workout and improves intestinal strength. There’s a lot to be said for following official guidelines and getting the recommended five pieces of fruit and vegetable per day.
How to Naturally Repair a Leaky Gut Summary
There are a variety of different steps you can take to naturally repair a leaky gut and restore it to health. It’s not one of those dreadful conditions you can get where there is no going back.
One of the best things you can do to restore optimal gut health is to adopt healthy lifestyle practices such as stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, getting sufficient sleep and exercise, and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Needless to say, regularly topping up your levels of probiotic bacteria is a good way to speed up your healing and help ensure your leaky gut does not come back.
