What Is a Leaky Gut and How Do I Handle It?

What a weird term, right?! When people hear the term “leaky gut”, many might imagine internal bleeding or incontinence. Although those are different problems, leaky gut similarly poses chronic health implications. The expression actually describes the state of an individual’s intestinal permeability not being strong enough to prevent foreign substances, toxins, and bacteria from leaking past the intestinal barrier into the body where major damage can occur. Basically, it means that things that shouldn’t be getting past your intestine walls are, and your body is constantly working on overdrive to keep you alive and safe…which can cause some bigtime inflammation and a slew of health problems.

If your digestive tract is in poor condition, chances are you’ll experience some uncomfortable, small or large, side-effects to your digestive and immune systems, and your overall health. Before we can talk about how to fix a leaky gut, we need to talk about what it is and how to identify the symptoms.

What Is a Leaky Gut?

We have a vast network of intestinal track within our abdomens that includes a lining that determines what gets absorbed into our bloodstream. When we have an unhealthy gut, as most of us adults do to some extent, our intestinal lining may thin or develop holes that allow toxins and dangerous bacteria to leak through to the tissues and blood outside our intestines. This can cause a chain of reactions in the body, resulting in uncomfortable health symptoms, including:

• Inflammation

• Bloating or Indigestion

• Mood swings or depression

• Chronic immune diseases

• Skin problems

• Weight gain

• Auto-immune disease

Typically your damaged cells will also fail to make the necessary enzymes for proper digestion and absorption of critical nutrients we need, starting a chain of problems. As a result, this can severely compromise your digestive processes and create an imbalanced and weakened immune system.

What Causes a Leaky Gut?

If you suspect you have some degree of a leaky gut, don’t despair. Many of us suffer from it, and our intestinal lining can’t prevent everything from getting through. You might have a genetic predisposition for this condition or have more sensitivity to changes in your gut’s bacteria than other individuals.

One of the most common causes of a leaky gut is the overuse of antibiotics, but a close second is our lifestyle. It’s all too common for diets to be high in sugars, toxic ingredients, and saturated fats, all major causes of gut inflammation and discomfort. Trust me, I understand how hard it is to give up your favorite desserts and foods like cheeseburgers (my personal favorite), but know that there is a healthier way to enjoy almost every one of your favorite foods.

Additional causes of a leaky gut include:

• Poor diet

• Toxin exposure

• Bacterial imbalance

• Chronic stress

• Antibiotics in food

• Inherent weak digestion (children)

• Stress

• Too much of refined sugars

• Inadequate dietary fiber

• Excessive alcohol intake

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

• Food sensitivities or allergies

• Radiation and cytotoxic drugs

• Parasitic infections

• Chronic infections

• Prescription Antibiotics and other pharmaceutical drugs

Most people can identify with many things on this list, at any age! New studies also indicate that this condition can pass on to our children. Babies born to mothers who already have gastrointestinal issues have an increased risk of developing similarly poor gut health. This can affect a child’s overall well-being and can lead to early childhood diseases like diabetes, depression, and obesity. To prevent this from happening, it’s time to get your leaky gut under control, and I’m here to show you that it’s much easier than you might think.

How to Heal a Leaky Gut

You may be surprised that your family doctor may not diagnose, or have a solution that works for your leaky gut. Intestinal permeability is not a common medical term heard in family doctor offices nowadays, but holistic medical practitioners have studied how the gut affects overall health for decades. With years of schooling and research focused on a holistic approach to medicine, I am grateful to have the knowledge and experience to help us increase our gut health. I focus on removing things that cause gut inflammation, first. This is done through a specific diet and exercise plan to help alleviate the problems that likely led to your leaky gut.

In my opinion, the best first step to take towards improving your gut health is to remove foods from your diet that cause digestive sensitivities and allergies. Eating a healthier diet by eliminating these culprits from your meal plan often produces significant improvement early on in the process.

Typical foods that one should discontinue consuming, include:

• Alcohol

• Self-prescribed medications

• Gluten

• Sugar

• Corn products

• Unsprouted Grains

• GMOs

• Antibiotic-filled meat & Dairy

• Any known individual food allergies or sensitivities

Ultimately, getting rid of foods and substances that harm your GI tract is the fastest way to reduce the inflammation and allow your body to start the healing process. I always recommend eating foods that require minimal processing for the best results. This helps your digestive tract to calm down so it can begin rebuilding the lining while balancing your gut flora to its normal state. Although this is just the first step, it is the most important step, and this alone can help some people immensely.

Take Charge of Your Gut Health Today

If you or a loved one is experiencing any of the health challenges above, feel sick or sad a lot, or suffer from chronic digestive issues, you may have LG. While diet change and exercise can go a long way in reversing the damage done to your GI tract, it is important to understand how to do it effectively.

The Gut Healing: 30 Day Repair class is an online course led by Alli Barnes, a holistic health coach, nutritionist, and exercise physiologist. She will take you on an inclusive 4-week journey to help repair your leaky gut and improve your digestive and overall health. Her course teaches everything you need to know about your gut’s microbiome and the importance of keeping it healthy. You will learn how to fight cravings, digest properly, and gain lifelong knowledge to reclaim your well-being for a lifetime.

Click Here to Join the online Gut Healing: 30 Day Repair today, and read testimonials! Sign up online or call us at 857-267-2107 if you have any questions about enrollment or course information.

Incorporate Thorne Supplements Into Your Diet For The Best Results

Our bodies rarely acquire all the vitamins and minerals that we need to stay healthy and strong due to diet and lifestyle. This, unfortunately, can cause sickness or dysfunction over time. Thankfully reputable supplements are a good option to make sure you’re getting all the right amounts of nutrients that you need. Because you should only put third-party tested, clean ingredients in your body, I am picky about my vitamin sources, but Thorne is one of my trusted sources. They offer natural, clean, safe, and high-quality supplements to give you confidence that you’re taking the best care of your body. I use many of their products and love them so much! I want to make sure you have access to making good/clean supplement choices too! I’ve been able to negotiate savings for you to help you on your health journey. My readers can use this link for 15% off every purchase so you can feel better about purchasing directly from the manufacturer, ensuring quality, and get started living a healthier life today! Comment below with any questions, I’m always happy to help!