A leaky gut doesn’t sound like a condition you’d ever wanted to use in a sentence. It’s spot-on, though. Otherwise known as intestinal permeability, leaky gut syndrome is a condition that occurs when your small intestinal lining is damaged, allowing food particles, toxins, and bacteria to enter your bloodstream.
To make matters worse, besides causing infection, gut permeability also triggers an autoimmune response that leads to chronic inflammation and allergic reactions. And since your digestive system is responsible for nearly 70% of your immune system, keeping a healthy gut is absolutely crucial.
However, to make sure you take proper care of your digestive health, you should only consider natural healing methods. For example, collagen is a supplement that helps with gut restoration. But aside from that, there are many other ways to heal your gut.
We’ll discuss them in the guide below.
Symptoms and Associated Conditions
The worst thing about intestinal permeability is that it hits your whole body and not just your digestive system. What’s more, a leaky gut can be the source of several chronic health problems. In fact, it’s been associated with autoimmune diseases, diabetes, chronic fatigue, and even anxiety and depression.
The list of the most common symptoms of leaky gut consists of:
- Diarrhea
- Bloating and fluid retention
- Abdominal pain
- Joint pain
- Chronic stress
- Anxiety and depression
- Eczema and other skin issues
- Hormonal imbalance
- Arterial inflammation
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Anemia
- Brain fog
But the list of leaky gut symptoms is even longer, and it’s crucial to act immediately as soon as you notice some of them. Leaving your disease untreated will lead to severe health issues.
What Causes Leaky Gut
The first thing you should know about leaky gut is that the experts are still uncertain what causes it. It’s considered to be more of a side effect of other digestive health issues. It means it’s not classified as a specific disease.
Despite that, some factors contribute more to making your gut leaky. The leading causes are medications, foods, and infections. Some people can also have genetic predispositions and are much more sensitive to changes in their digestive tract.
There causes that are more significant for gut health than others, though:
- Processed foods
- Gluten
- Antibiotics
- Stress
- Unhealthy sleeping habits
- Alcohol and other drugs
Identifying what makes your gut leaky is the first step to determining the steps you should take to treat it effectively.
Treating Leaky Gut Naturally
As mentioned before, there are many ways to treat your leaky gut naturally. In fact, everything you do to improve your overall digestive health will have a positive impact on your gut-related problems.
Below you’ll find a more detailed look at strategies to implement during your treatment.
Leaky Gut Diet
When it comes to treating your leaky gut, everything should start from changing your dietary habits. The foods and drinks you consume have the most significant impact on your digestive problems, and therefore throwing some of them out should be your priority.
First of all, consult your doctor and dietician to help you create the right diet. Eliminate foods that might cause an allergic reaction to stop the inflammation. It’s also recommended to avoid gluten, dairy, sugar, processed food, artificial sweeteners, and alcohol.
But eliminating these foods is not enough; you also have to support your diet with the right nutrition. In a nutshell, you have to eat things that allow the beneficial gut bacteria to grow. You can achieve that by adding these foods into your diet:
- Vegetables, like cabbage, spinach, beetroot, carrots, or potatoes
- Fruit, including grapes, bananas, and coconut
- Sprouted seeds of chia, sunflower, or flax
- Healthy fats, for example, coconut oil, avocado, extra virgin olive oil
- Fish
- Cultured dairy products
- All kinds of nuts
All of these foods are beneficial for your gut healing process, and basing your diet on them should help to restore and keep your gut healthy.
Supplements and Nutrition
Changing your diet is a great start, but to make your treatment more effective it is a good idea to consider taking supplements and vitamins. For example, probiotics contain beneficial bacteria that are naturally found in fermented food. Taking them might maximize your efforts, especially if you don’t get enough probiotics through your diet.
Considering supplements and nutrition is a fantastic solution if you’re a picky eater. What’s more, if you consult with your doctor to determine the right dosage, it’s much easier to ensure you don’t take too little or too much.
Natural supplements can significantly help your leaky gut heal faster, making the whole process more effective.
Lifestyle Changes
Aside from dietary amendments, leaky gut treatment may also require implementing specific changes to your lifestyle. Keep in mind that your gut permeability causes problems throughout the body, and there’s a so-called gut-brain connection, meaning mental issues might cause your problems.
With that in mind, you should do whatever you can to reduce the stress and anxiety you feel. It’s not an easy task, especially during the pandemic, but there are many ways to help you achieve that goal. Getting more exercise is a great start. You could also try yoga and meditation. And, of course, seek professional health if needed.
Aside from improving your mental well-being, it’s also crucial to give up drinking and smoking throughout the treatment. If your digestive tract is sensitive, it’s best to throw them out of your life altogether (if you use them, of course).
Key Takeaways
As you can see, leaky gut is a much more complicated matter than many people think. And even though it’s not classified as a disease, this hypothetical syndrome caused by increased intestinal permeability can severely damage your overall health if you don’t treat it adequately.
The best natural strategy that tackles the problem is implementing changes in your dietary habits. Avoid processed and junk food, gluten, dairy, and alcohol to let your gut heal. And to maximize your efforts, consume foods and supplements containing healthy bacteria.
Combining more healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes, like getting more exercise and sleep, should be enough to ensure your gut heals quickly and remains healthy.
