Leaky gut is a condition where the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged or overly permeable. When this happens, toxins, microbes, or undigested food particles can slip through into the bloodstream triggering inflammation and immune responses.
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We've been hearing the term leaky gut since the late '90s but back then there was little research or understanding about it. We've come a long ways since then. We're now clear that there are tight junctions between the cells that line our intestines. When the cells are healthy, these tight junctions act like gatekeepers that hold the cells together, but still allow certain nutrients to pass through.
Tight junctions are kind of like an intelligent mesh screen or filter that lets in the good stuff (like nutrients) but keeps out the bad stuff (like toxins, pathogens, and undigested food particles).
Certain diet and lifestyle choices can affect these tight junctions in a way that they become too loose. When that happens, the "mesh" gets holes in it, and substances that normally wouldn’t be allowed through — like bacteria, toxins, or undigested proteins — can slip into the bloodstream.
The most common cause for leaky gut is probably poor diet, a diet high in processed foods, fat, sugar and alcohol. Basically the Standard American Diet (SAD). And this type of diet also causes an imbalance in our microbiome that contributes to the leaky gut.
But we were surprised to learn recently from a video by Dr. Michael Greger that things as seemingly benign as aspirin or ibuprofen can contribute to leaky gut along with chronic stress and alcohol. You can watch his video here.
The most common conditions associated with leaky gut are allergies and food sensitivities. This make sense when we understand that with leaky gut things that don't belong in our bloodstream suddenly show up there so our immune system attacks them as invaders. And that is what results in the allergic reaction or sensitivity to a food.
But there are a number of other conditions common with leaky gut like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Celiac disease and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The good news is that as we learn more about this condition, we're learning more about how to heal it. We've found great results for our clients with a shift to a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet, but there's even a protocol now referred to as the 5Rs.
This stands for Remove meaning the things that aggravate it: poor diet, irritants like gluten and dairy, aspirin and ibuprofen, environmental toxins like pesticides-particularly exposure to glyphosate (roundup), additives and preservatives and chronic stress.
Then Replace those with foods that support the microbiome and heal the lining, particularly bitter foods (arugula, mustard greens, dandelion greens and ginger), onions and high fibre whole foods.
The third is Reinoculate. This is to restore a healthy gut flora by eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and tempeh.
Fourth: Repair by eating foods that nourish and rebuild the gut lining. These are antioxidant-rich foods like berries, leafy greens, turmeric and legumes.
And lastly, Rebalance to sustain your gut health through lifestyle choices. Things as simple as eating slowly, chewing well and avoiding stress while eating. Going for daily walks, yoga or light exercise and getting 7-9 hours of good quality sleep each night are also beneficial.
This probably won't surprise you, but if you look at what the 5Rs point to, you basically get the mantra we've been using for decades: eat a wide variety of organic, high nutrient-dense whole plant foods. This is why our clients have had good results in healing leaky gut.
The wide variety ensures we get the nutrients that are so healing to our gut lining.
Organic eliminates exposure to herbicides and pesticides as well as providing a higher nutrient content per pound of food.
High nutrient-dense means everything we eat nourishes us and contributes to our health and well-being with no empty calories that are found in so much of the processed foods today.
And whole plant foods means there's plenty of fiber to nourish our gut and maintain balanced blood sugar levels.
We find this mantra easier to remember than trying to think through the 5Rs, but they both land us at the same diet and lifestyle. For a copy of our High Nutrient-Dense food list, you can click here.
If you're experiencing any of the symptoms or conditions mentioned, feel free to leave us a note in the comments section and we'll book a free consultation for you. It's so wonderful to discover that we can overcome leaky gut and find renewed energy and vitality with some simple diet and lifestyle choices that support our bodies to thrive.
The recipe this week is a delicious Millet & Black Bean Salad. Colorful, flavorful and nutritious, it can be served warm for cool days, at room temperature for moderate days and cold on warm summer days.
To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Millet and Black Bean Salad (Serves 2 as Main Course) adapted from Emma Roche
- 1 cup dry millet cooked with 3 cups filtered water
- 15-ounce black beans, drained
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 colored pepper, diced
- 1 medium carrot, cut in small pieces or grated
- 1 tablespoon date paste
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley
- 2 jalapenos, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne or hot pepper flakes
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Serve or refrigerate and enjoy later in the day.
This makes a nice salad warmed as well, for a cool winter’s day. Simply heat the amount you want to serve on the stove in a skillet and enjoy.