Do You Need A Diet For Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut syndrome is a situation in which your intestinal lining sustains damage that allows fungi, bacteria, and particles of food directly into your bloodstream. Your body responds by building antibodies against these toxic invaders, which induces food sensitivities or allergies that cause your body to react as though these foods were a danger. So what constitutes the best diet for leaky gut?
Typically, this diet consists of recommendations for which foods to eat and which to avoid. The basic idea is that you should avoid certain foods for 30 days to give your body a chance to heal from the effects of foods that have become harmful to you.
To begin the healing process, establish an eating pattern that does not include particular fruits and vegetables, especially citrus, kiwis, papayas, bananas, corn, and strawberries. In addition, you should avoid nightshade fruits and vegetables like potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. It is also recommended that you do not eat eggs, dairy, or soy products, as well as foods that contain yeast. Finally, avoid legumes, stimulants like caffeine and chocolate, peanuts (which are often allergens), simple sugars such as honey, mushrooms, and vinegar.
But have heart! There are many tasty foods that you can and should eat, as well. The question is, which ones? During the first thirty days of your elimination diet, you can enjoy pumpkin seeds, wild rice, brown rice, alfafa sprouts, bokchoy, sunflower seeds, cilantro, pine nuts, and parsnip. You can also eat lettuce, peaches, onions, beets, apricots, avocados, Brussels Sprouts, pears, figs, apricots, plums, carrots, and berries other than strawberries. You can see that there’s plenty of flavor to be enjoyed.
Then, following the first 30 days, you can include poultry and fish among the things you eat, added in one at a time to see how your body reacts. Observe a three-day waiting period between introducing each new food item, and stop eating anything that causes your body to react negatively.
The next step is to use this same process of carefully introducing foods you previously eliminated, one at a time, to test your reaction to each. Take note of how your body responds and simply do not eat ones that induce a negative reaction. It’s best to follow the same order that you eliminated foods in when you are reintroducing them.
By observing a diet for leaky gut syndrome specifically, you will enable your body to heal itself from the damage that foods which induce a reaction have caused. You can finally free yourself from the uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms that accompany this under-diagnosed condition, such as cramps and bloating. In addition, the process of slowly reintroducing foods, one at a time, will enable you to identify which ones are problematic for you, which are not, and will allow your body to adjust to those that might otherwise cause you problems. Since it can be difficult to know which foods aggravate your condition and which do not, following this process will allow you to begin to recover at last.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Leaky gut syndrome can be a challenge for professional health care providers to identify because there are many ways it can affect those who suffer from it, and these can seem unrelated. Often practitioners treat the individual symptoms without recognizing that they result from the same root cause. This may provide temporary relief from the symptoms of leaky gut, but you must treat the root cause if you want permanent relief.
Another name for what causes the symptoms of leaky gut is “increased intestinal permeability”, which is more commonly called leaky gut syndrome. This condition results from damage to the lining of the intestine caused by irritation and inflammation that leads to increased permeability of this lining (it becomes “leaky”).
Why is this a problem?
Increased intestinal permeability allows substances from the intestine to make their way into the bloodstream, including microbes, toxins, and tiny pieces of undigested food. As these substances do not typically enter the bloodstream, the body mounts an immune response to fight off what it deems are invaders. Numerous issues with your digestive system, like cramps, gas, and bloating can occur as a result of this immune response. You may also experience heartburn, bowel irregularity, and difficulty with digestion.
Being present in the bloodstream enables these toxic substances to access virtually any tissue or organ in your body. This in turn causes the organ or tissue to inflame and can also cause it to begin degenerating. A broad spectrum of symptoms of leaky gut can arise from this problem, including acne, infection with Candida, food sensitivities or allergies, MS, and more.
Moreover, whenever toxins are at play, the liver is at risk. The liver’s primary function is to detoxify toxic substances, so leaky gut syndrome can hit your liver hard. Just as overtaxing the liver by excessive alcohol consumption can lead to cirrhosis, foreign material in your blood stream as the result of leaky gut syndrome can overwork your liver and cause damage. This allows toxins to remain in your blood supply, do further damage to your body, and overwork your immune system. An exhausted, overworked immune system leaves you vulnerable to what are called opportunistic infections.
Other important structures that can be damaged as one of the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome are your adrenal glands. These glands are in close proximity to your kidneys and play a crucial role in fighting off infections. When leaky gut syndrome goes untreated for an extended period of time, adrenal fatigue can result from damage to the adrenal glands. This is why the symptoms of leaky gut can include feeling exhausted, being unable to get proper, rejuvenating sleep, finding yourself unable to deal with stress, trouble with concentration, and indigestion.
Whether or not you suffer from the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome, it will benefit you to be aware of what your body may be trying to tell you. If you do suffer from leaky gut syndrome, “listening to your body” will give you the opportunity to understand this, and more importantly to address the underlying cause of what ails you rather than merely treating symptoms, or worse yet simply living with them. With perseverance and knowledge you can take the necessary steps to rid yourself once and for all of the symptoms of leaky gut.
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Symptoms Leaky Gut Syndrome Can Have: Candida
There are many symptoms leaky gut syndrome can have, and often a Candida infection is one of them. In leaky gut syndrome irritation and inflammation cause the lining of the intestine to become more permeable (leaky), which enables toxins, undigested food particles, and bacteria into the blood stream. These substances do not belong in your blood stream and therefore cause your immune system to become overactive in its efforts to fight their effects. This over-activity taxes your immune system and makes you more susceptible to infections with organisms like Candida.
Unfortunately, doctors do not learn about leaky gut syndrome in medical school and sometimes do not recognize or even admit that it is a legitimate medical condition. The good news is that many health workers are aware of and understand leaky gut syndrome and that it is responsible for an array of symptoms. As mentioned, Candida infection can be one of these symptoms, along with sensitivities and allergies to certain foods, acne, muscular cramps, and gluten intolerance, not to mention that it can contribute to fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and even cancer.
Nearly all of us have a little of the fungus Candida residing in our bodies, but these small amounts rarely cause infection. However, a healthy colon requires a stable balance of harmful and beneficial microbes, and this balance can be disrupted by leaky gut syndrome. Once this disruption occurs, Candida has the opportunity to undergo excessive growth and effectively overrun particular regions of your intestines.
Antibiotics are useful for killing infections of harmful bacteria, but they can also kill beneficial bacteria and cause a disruption of the balance of harmful and beneficial microbes in your colon. This enables microbes such as Candida, antibiotic resistant bacteria, viruses, and parasites to grow to larger numbers than they should, a process that is normally prevented by the natural balance mentioned above. The overgrowth of these harmful microbes can result in the lining of your intestines becoming more inflamed and permit the onset of disease.
Root-like parts of the Candida fungus known as rhizoids sink into the lining of the intestinal tract and cause damage to tiny, finger-like projections called villi. Because of this damage substances such as bacteria and small bits of undigested food can reach your blood stream, which compromises your immune system, throws your hormone balance out of whack, and can inhibit brain function.
There is a variety of symptoms that can help you determine if you have an infection of Candida. To begin with, you may be experiencing issues with your digestive system that include feeling bloated, having excess gas, being constipated, or even having diarrhea. In addition you may suffer from mood swings, a feeling of mental fogginess, an inability to get proper sleep, feeling depressed, or anxiety. You may also experience hypoglycemia, PMS, ringing in the ears, repeated bladder infections, or recurrent vaginal infections.
Sadly, a Candida infection is hard to diagnose since all of these symptoms can arise from a number of other causes as well. As a result, this infection may go unidentified for quite some time. Since leaky gut syndrome and Candida infection frequently occur together, and both are difficult to diagnose, you may not get the treatment you need. This can lead to larger problems, such as chronic disease. The good news is that now you are armed with knowledge and can begin to determine if you suffer from leaky gut syndrome and Candida infection, and more importantly, take steps to help your body heal.
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Natural Treatments For Leaky Gut Syndrome
Many people are not aware that natural treatments for leaky gut syndrome are available, treatments that do not rely on synthetic prescription medications. However, the use of natural herbs to treat a variety of ailments has been around for many centuries, and progressively more of us in the modern era have also become aware of the value of these natural remedies. Leaky gut syndrome is one malady that certain herbs can beneficially treat.
Which herbs are we talking about?
To start with, there’s slippery elm. Traditionally, herbalists use slippery elm topically to treat wounds, dermatitis, boils, inflammation, and burns – but it can also be used internally. How does it work? Slippery elm contains a substance called mucilage. When combined with water, mucilage forms a gel that can coat and soothe the sensitive linings of the digestive tract, such as the lining in the intestines. Since inflammation is at the root of leaky gut syndrome, the mucilage in slippery elm gives this inflammation a chance to subside and the damaged colon to heal. As an added benefit, slippery elm is rich in antioxidants, which serve to scarf up harmful free radicals.
Peppermint tea can also be valuable in the treatment of several ailments of the digestive tract, including leaky gut syndrome. Peppermint tea promotes bile flow, which is crucial to the digestive process. It also calms the stomach and acts as a mild, natural antibiotic. This antibiotic action helps to counteract the effect of bacteria that have entered the blood stream from the intestine due to leaky gut syndrome, and thereby reduces the chances of an infection occurring.
Chamomile tea does an excellent job as a treatment for stomach problems. It also relieves the cramps, excess gas, and bloating caused by leaky gut syndrome. In addition, chamomile tea is a natural relaxant, helping to reduce the stress and anxiety that aggravate the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome. Stress and anxiety cause or worsen any number of physical ailments, so the naturally relaxing effect of chamomile is a welcome relief.
You may never have heard of marshmallow root, but this natural herbal treatment does well at soothing the inflamed linings of your digestive tract. People have used marshmallow root for many hundreds of years to treat inflammatory problems in the digestive system, and you can easily find it online or wherever health foods and supplements are sold.
One popular herb is Echinacea, which has been used to treat a variety of ailments, such as the common cold, septicemia (blood poisoning), diphtheria, malaria, and scarlet fever. Echinacea is an immune system booster, has antibiotic qualities, and is an anti-inflammatory agent. Its anti-inflammatory activity is particularly beneficial in the treatment of leaky gut syndrome.
Goldenseal is a popular as a potent treatment for a variety of maladies, and it provides rapid relief when used to treat problems with the digestive system. Taken orally, it can alleviate fevers and colds, as well as stimulate activity by the immune system. Goldenseal’s ability to fight parasites and microbes enables it to counter the effects of bacteria that have leaked from the gut into the blood stream.
It is clear that natural treatments for leaky gut syndrome are a viable alternative to chemical treatments, such as antibiotics. Antibiotics have a number of side effects that can exacerbate the symptoms of a leaky gut, particularly their tendency to throw off the natural balance of bacteria in the digestive tract. By disrupting this balance antibiotics reduce your body’s ability to cope with toxins, which creates a vicious cycle for those who suffer from leaky gut syndrome. Natural treatments, on the other hand, boost your body’s ability to heal itself.
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Leaky Gut Syndrome: How Do Leaky Bowels Differ From Healthy Ones?
In The United States, the diet of heavily processed, unhealthy food that most of us eat can lead to bowel problems. Certain bacteria that reside in our digestive tract are beneficial and and assist in the proper digestion of food, but the typical American diet can weaken or eradicate these populations of beneficial bacteria. This results from the way that food is now processed, which among other things can cause leaky bowels.
How does this happen?
Let’s look at how the digestive process works. Our bodies begin digesting the food that we consume when it is chewed it up (mastication) and by the action of a digestive enzyme called salivary amylase that is in our saliva. In the stomach, other enzymes and HCl break the food down a bit further. From there it moves into the small intestine for another stage of digestion, and this is where the nutrients we need are absorbed. The next stage of the digestive process takes place in the large intestine (also called the colon or bowels), which reabsorbs excess water.
Normally, a mix of beneficial and harmful bacteria reside in the large intestine, and to remain healthy, your body must maintain the proper balance between these populations. The beneficial bacteria provide us with certain nutrients, help to keep the harmful bacteria in check, and assist in the digestion process. When this balance is upset by the presence of an excessive number of harmful bacteria, various health problems can result.
Unfortunately, the proper balance between harmful and beneficial bacteria can be thrown out of whack fairly easily. Stress, alcohol, processed sugar, conventionally processed foods, and drugs can all kill or inhibit the growth of beneficial bacteria. Moreover, substances that are added to modern food as preservatives or coloring can interfere with the growth of beneficial bacteria and upset the natural balance in your colon.
You can probably guess that since we take antibiotics to treat or prevent bacterial infections, they can also disturb the balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria in the colon. Antibiotics can kill both the harmful and beneficial bacteria, which sometimes leads to an imbalance of the two that favors the harmful ones. This can lead to inflammation or irritation that in turn can cause or aggravate leaky gut syndrome.
This inflammation of the intestinal lining can interfere with the colon’s ability to perform its function properly, allowing the lining to ‘leak’ undigested food residue, toxins, and other substances into the blood stream. The body responds to these leaked substances as invaders, and the bacteria now in the blood can reach any organ in the body. Many uncomfortable symptoms can result from leaky bowels, including cramps, gas, constipation, indigestion, heartburn, and pain.
The good news is that the natural balance of harmful and beneficial bacteria can be restored. You’ve probably heard of probiotics supplements, and these are nothing more than healthy bacteria that your body needs. Taking probiotics can therefore bolster the population of beneficial bacteria and crowd out the excess harmful bacteria, restoring the proper equilibrium between the two. Since a healthy colon depends upon the proper balance of bacteria in your digestive tract, restoring this balance can arrest the damage and give your body a chance to heal itself.
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Information About Leaky Gut Syndrome
It is surprising to discover that very few doctors are aware of leaky gut syndrome. Even the ones who have heard of it did not learn about it in medical school, so they are sometimes unwilling to acknowledge that leaky gut syndrome is a genuine health issue. Fortunately, leaky gut syndrome is recognized by many health care professionals who understand that many otherwise puzzling symptoms result from it.
Increased intestinal permeability is the official term for leaky gut syndrome. This condition results from inflammation and irritation of the intestinal lining, which damages the intestinal walls and makes them more porous. The colon normally serves as a barrier, but when it is damaged like this, it allows undigested food particles, bacteria, toxins, and waste into the blood stream. This in turn causes an immune response in your body, making you more sensitive or even allergic to certain foods.
The immune system has a “memory”, which means that your body stores information about previous invaders it has fought off (this is why vaccines work). Because leaky gut syndrome permits substances that shouldn’t be there into your blood stream, your body comes to “view” certain foods as invaders and to respond accordingly the next time you eat them. This is how food sensitivities and allergies can arise.
It is worth noting that 70% of the immune system is situated near and in the digestive system. These “gut-associated lymphatic tissues” (GALT) are in intestinal mucous and the digestive tract’s lining, which shows how important a healthy digestive system is. Unfortunately, when you suffer from food sensitivities or allergies, your immune system ends up being overactive and can end up exhausting itself.
Some of the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome can result from this overactivity and exhaustion of your immune system. These symptoms include feeling bloated, having excessive gas, and cramping. The exhaustion of your immune system leads to other problems as well, such as not feeling refreshed from sleep, poor ability to handle stress, trouble with concentration, and inadequate digestion.
Trouble with your digestive system is not the only effect of leaky gut syndrome. Chronic bladder infections, a weakened immune response, vaginal infections, recurrent muscle and joint pain, and rashes can all afflict someone suffering from leaky gut syndrome. It can even lead to other ailments, including acne, pancreatitis, blood poisoning, skin inflammation, gluten intolerance, cancer, and multiple sclerosis.
But there is hope.
Armed with the knowledge that you are afflicted by leaky gut syndrome, you can overcome it by taking certain steps. One of the simplest things you can do is to be more selective about what you eat. You can identify which foods your body reacts badly to through an elimination diet, in which you eliminate foods that are commonly responsible for stomach issues from your diet, then reintroduce them one by one to see how your body reacts. An elimination diet will enable your body’s immune system to “relax” and give your colon a chance to heal, as well as enable you to learn which foods you can safely eat. In many cases, foods that initially give you trouble can be reintroduced over time, and meanwhile you’ve used a simple, natural method to treat your leaky gut syndrome.
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