Ultimate Guide to Healing Leaky Gut Syndrome
Leaky gut syndrome is far more prevalent than people realize. In this condition, the gut becomes porous and leaks proteins from foods and other bacterial waste into the blood. This initiates an immune response that triggers inflammation in the gut.
Most people with leaky gut don’t realize that the foods they eat contribute to their symptoms. Some of these symptoms can appear as long as two hours after consuming the food. In addition, there are often so many ingredients in these meals that it makes it hard to identify the culprit.
In this article, I will discuss everything you can do to improve the health of your gut lining. This will help you feel better day by day until you eventually beat leaky gut once and for all. Take a look below to get started.
14 Tips for Beating Leaky Gut Syndrome
Try Plant-Based Elimination Diet
The most important thing you can do is identify your food sensitivities through a plant-based elimination diet. This will help you remove the foods containing the proteins your body is struggling to digest. If you do this, then you are much less likely to aggravate the gut lining. Removing these foods for an extended period will allow the bacterial balance to normalize and the gut lining to repair itself. For more information on which foods are safest for leaky gut, read the hypoallergenic food list.
If Supplements aren’t Helping, they’re Hurting
In my experience, less is better when healing a leaky gut. This means fewer ingredients at meals, fewer supplements, etc. You must make sure that every supplement you are taking has a beneficial effect on the gut. It should feed either lactobacillus or bifidobacteria. If there is no scientific evidence that it helps the gut, it is not worth taking. Unfortunately, many people are taking supplements for other symptoms that are actually aggravating their gut. If your focus is healing the gut, then all of your supplements must be friendly to it. If they aren’t, then they need to be removed.
Reduce Intake of Meat/Animal Products
Most people don’t realize that meat requires more digestive effort than any other food. If your gut is compromised, meat is probably one of the worst foods you can consume. Since it is so hard to break down, it often doesn’t fully digest. This causes the meat to rot in your stomach, which leads to the creation of a host of inflammatory chemicals. This spike in inflammation then makes the leaky gut worse.
Commit to Eat More and More Plant Fiber
If you have a leaky gut, you have a bacterial imbalance. To restore normalcy in your gut, you must provide a consistent food source for the good bacteria. The preferred food source for healthy gut bacteria is fiber. Since it is undigested by pathogens, It can selectively increase the growth of beneficial bacteria. This then leads to increased SCFA production, which signals the toll-like receptors to send anti-inflammatory messages throughout the body. In short, fiber is the key to restoring normalcy in your gut and immune system. Be patient and gently increase it. Trust me, your gut will thank you!
Avoid Synthetic Medication and Antibiotics if Possible
Every pharmaceutical affects the gut microbiome. Since it is synthetic, most of these effects are not beneficial. If you are taking pharmaceuticals, you must investigate how they interact with the beneficial gut bacteria in the stomach. If they cause a disruption, they will likely contribute to your leaky gut. In some cases, getting off these medications is necessary for the gut to heal.
Stick to the Proper Portion Sizes
Consuming too much protein, fat, or carbohydrates can cause your leaky gut to worsen. Initially, you want to greatly reduce the amount of protein in your meals. This is because protein is the hardest of all things to digest. After accomplishing this, make sure you aren’t consuming too much fat at any meal. Remember, your body will be able to handle a certain amount of protein and fat. If you push past this amount, you will put stress on your digestive system. Be observant and stick to your intuition regarding your portion sizes.
Find Raw Colostrum in your Area
Raw colostrum contains something called epithelial growth factor. This encourages the gut lining to repair itself. In addition, colostrum contains various prebiotic substances that discourage pathogens and help the good bacteria grow. When nothing else could help me beat my leaky gut, this was a game changer. Words cannot express how big of a difference this made for me. Keep in mind, the colostrum will only be as effective as the rest of your plan. If you are not doing the other things listed, it will be nothing more than a Band-Aid.
Consider Probiotic Supplements
There are only a few probiotics worth trying. In my opinion, bifidobacterium is the most important strain for you to replenish. It competes with pathogens for space on the gut lining. It also helps the immune system remain calm, reducing inflammation. Another beneficial strain would be lactobacillus rhamnosus. This also has immune-modulating benefits, which can help those with leaky gut.
Use Prebiotics to Grow Good Bacteria
In my opinion, prebiotics are MORE important than probiotics. The reason is, they feed a more diverse microbial community. The more diverse your beneficial bacteria, the healthier you are. My favorite probiotics are acacia, inulin, apple pectin, arabinogalactan and bee propolis. By using these products, you can feed various species of bacteria that are important for keeping your gut healthy.
Try Phases of Safe Natural Antimicrobials
In some cases, there will be an infection that is really rooted into the body. Though you can make progress without directly attempting to kill it, it is important not to ignore it. When trying to eliminate a pathogen, you must use supplements with antimicrobial properties AND beneficial effects on the immune system. If you don’t, there will be immune flare-ups. Some natural antimicrobials are bee propolis, berberine, colostrum, mimosa pudica, etc. Keep in mind, though, that this approach has its risks if you step outside of this list. Many natural antimicrobials can negatively affect the gut microbiome and mast cells, making your leaky gut worse.
Use Less Ingredients at Each Meal
Eating too many ingredients at each meal is a common mistake made by those with leaky gut. Ideally, you want to simplify your meals and keep it below five ingredients. An example of a good meal would be something like black beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and a sweet potato. This is much easier on the digestive system since it requires less enzymatic diversity. The end result is food that is more easily broken down, which is better for someone with a leaky gut.
In addition to all this, try to finish your last meal of the day at least 3 hours before bed. This will make sure you don’t have undigested food in the gut overnight, which will prohibit the lining from being repaired.
Rotating your Foods is Key to Success
Most people with leaky gut eat the same foods every single day. Once they pass a certain threshold, they develop a sensitivity that forces them to eliminate the food from their diet. The better way of approaching this is to consume foods in a rotation. The frequency you eat the food will depend upon your recent consumption history and its allergy-producing potential. This is why I like the hypoallergenic diet the most. Review the article link to learn more about which foods should be consumed most often and which should be consumed less frequently.
Rule Out Environmental Irritants like Mold
When someone has a leaky gut, you can’t rule out the environment as a potential cause. If someone is sensitive to mold and lives in an environment where it is present, it can cause significant immune reactions. This can cause them to react strangely to foods, supplements, and other things they encounter. These reactions, which were initiated by the mold exposure, then cause the leaky gut to worsen. You can do a simple indoor mold test with a petri dish for only $10. Take a look at this article for more information – Mold Testing with Petri Dish. Don’t discount the mold concept, I have seen it exacerbate leaky gut plenty of times.
Eliminate Foods that You Crave
I want to let you in on a little secret. If you crave a food, you are likely to have an immune sensitivity to it. The harder it is to remove a certain food from your diet, the stronger the immune sensitivity is. In short, if you start to crave it, either give it a break or remove it until you don’t have the same feelings about it. Trust me on this one, I battled back and forth with myself for over a decade before finally admitting this to myself. Once I did, the progress came quicker than ever.
FAQ- Beating Leaky Gut Syndrome for Good
Is leaky gut always caused by an infection?
When there is leaky gut, there is typically a bacterial imbalance present. The reason that occurs depends on the person. The key point to remember is that you will not get rid of a leaky gut by “killing the infection.” You must modify the environment to beat leaky gut once and for all.
Which diet is best for healing a leaky gut?
You can start with the low histamine diet and gradually reduce your meat intake until you are ready to try plant-based. Once you are ready for it, try the plant-based elimination diet. This will help you identify which plants were best for you so you can create a solid foundation of foods that do not trigger your immune system. Then, you can add foods back in, and if there is an issue with a food, remove it from your diet.
Which supplements are best for leaky gut?
Raw colostrum, bifidobacterium, bee propolis, acacia, inulin, apple pectin, takesumi supreme, glutamine, arabinogalactan, marshmallow root, bacillus subtillis and others can be helpful. Though these can be game changers, you must also remove the foods that are hardest for YOU to break down. If you don’t, you can end up right where you started years later.
Can you beat leaky gut without changing diet?
If you consume large amounts of colostrum, it is possible to heal your leaky gut without extreme dietary changes. Despite this, it is always important to modify your diet to be able to make the most progress. The reality is that most people don’t have access to colostrum, and some people don’t tolerate it. To learn more about the best diet for the gut, read about the hypoallergenic diet. This focuses on consuming foods with protein structures that are the easiest to digest.
Are candida or parasites causing my leaky gut?
It is more likely that a parasite would be causing leaky gut than candida. Either way, you need to identify the foods that make you hypersensitive. By eliminating the food triggers, you can gain control of the environment and heal your leaky gut. If you continue to do things that trigger your immune system, you will not heal your leaky gut.
Will intermittent fasting help with leaky gut?
Yes, it can be especially helpful if combined with the right diet. If you eat foods that don’t trigger you for eight hours of your day, and then give your body 16 hours of digestive rest, this can be a big help to your leaky gut. On the other hand, if you start intermittent fasting but still consume trigger foods, there is really no point in doing it. Please note, if you can’t do 16 hours per day without food, then try liquid smoothies during that time. It will still be a step in the right direction since the food is already pulverized.
Leaky Gut Recovery Requires Multi-Faceted Approach
There is no silver bullet cure for leaky gut. If there were such a thing, it would be the colostrum. Despite how useful that stuff is, you must make other changes to accompany it. By making the changes that are within your control, you can start to modify the environment in your gut. This is the goal when you are recovering from a leaky gut. It is not something that occurs overnight. It takes several months of effort to rebalance things once they are severely disrupted.
These changes may feel like a lot of effort, but they are well worth it. When you experience symptom relief and meet this new version of yourself on the other side, you will realize how important all of your decisions were. If you are struggling with leaky gut, don’t give up. Recovery is possible. Take it from me. I struggled for 10 years and then fully recovered by utilizing the principles mentioned above.
If you need help navigating the healing process, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I’m here to answer your questions.
Happy healing everyone!
Matt Nedin, B.S.
Certified Holistic Nutritionist
EndSickness, Founder
Phone: (734) 846-8619
WhatsApp: +17348468619
Email: endsickness@gmail.com
