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Winter Wellness Reboot (Week 2) STEP 2: Healing the Gut
STEP 2: Healing the Gut…
Healing the gut is probably one of the most important things we can do to improve our health. None of the other steps will matter if we don’t put healing the gut as a priority.
The majority of our immune system is in our gut, so its confusing to me why it is SO overlooked as an essential part of recovery. Research has revealed that a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods will encourage the growth of good bacteria in the gut, helping to establish a strong immune system that works FOR you, and not against you.
So this week we’ll be going into why its important, how to go about healing it, the microbiome, probiotics and prebiotics, and some recipes to help you get started.
Heal the gut and you’ll be able to add more variety of foods, feel better, have more energy, more tolerance to allergens, faster recovery times, reduced inflammation, better focus and memory, reduced anxiety, sleep better, and basically reduce overall immune response symptoms.
Along with many more benefits….
Health issues that can result from leaky gut... Crohn’s disease Multiple sclerosis Eczema Arthritis Migraine headaches Psoriasis Depression Food Allergies Chemical Sensitivites
Health damaging foods and lifestyle choices can all lead to a damaged gut and the American and European diet/lifestyle is rich in gut damaging ingredients. If you’re suffering from a chronic illness and have seen many doctors that can’t seem to figure out whats wrong; chances are you have a leaky gut. Leaky gut is suspected to be behind many chronic health issues, however we’re severly lacking in research and treatment.
So lets start with “What is Leaky Gut…”
Leaky gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability, is a digestive condition in which bacteria and toxins are able to "leak" through the intestinal wall.
Many of you may have noticed by now, that if the gut isn’t happy – NOTHING IS HAPPY. Kind of like “happy wife, happy life?” Well in this case: Happy Gut, Happy Body.
In fact, your gut and your immune system are very closely linked, and 70 to 80 percent of your immune tissue is situated in your digestive tract. Because our intestines are inside our bodies, most people don't realize that it forms a protective barrier between our bloodstream and the external world.
The small intestine is where the gastrointestinal associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) lives. The gut lining is a key barrier, much like the skin, that protects our blood stream from the external environment. The responsibility of the GALT is to target and kill off unwanted opportunistic organisms that make their way into the small intestine.
When the GALT gets overwhelmed, it results in high levels of inflammation in the gut that damage the intestinal lining. When the gut barrier opens and undigested food particles and microbes are able to get into the pristinely clean blood stream, the body launches a full scale attack on the foreign invaders causing an autoimmune response and increases the inflammatory response to protect against a systemic infection. This increased level of inflammation impacts other major organs and bodily regions.
So if you completed step one for some time, and are still having a hard time with gas, bloating, cramping, food coma, experience ‘food baby’, brain fog, continued sensitivities, more fatigued upon waking than when you went to bed; -- then chances are you have a leaky gut!!
Many foods are damaging to the gut, gluten being the worst offender and most damaging. Other plant foods also contain proteins like casein, lectins (like gluten)- can cause more damage to the gut.
Other gut destroying factors are: - chronic stress - lack of sleep; can cause poor distribution of healthy gut bacteria - hormone imbalance - infections, certain gut issues like SIBO, candida, celiac disease, Crohns - vitamin D deficiency - alcohol - strenuous exercise - medications: antibiotics, antacid, NSAIDS - virus - toxins - smoking; smoking is a risk factor for several bowel conditions and may increase inflammation in the digestive track. Quitting smoking can help raise healthy bacteria in the gut and reduce harmful gut bacteria. - Excessive sugar inbalance (Dysbiosis) - Caffiene - Processed foods with artificial preservatives/food additives. - Food Allergies by continuing to eat foods you react too - Chronic acid/ Heart burn - Chronic Inflammation - Certain medical conditions (however its not understood if the leaky gut caused the condition or the condition caused leaky gut. There is an ongoing battle in that department)
The best methods to try and heal leaky gut:
(**If you can't do any of these steps or take supplements, don't worry, I'll go over it with organic foods that help heal the gut too. However, the object is to try and work in a couple of the methods that's convenient or best for you.**)
The nice thing about this is that its versatile, so if one method doesn’t work for you, you can choose another.
There are quite a few methods to healing the gut, however if you suffer from a mast cell issue, or histamine intolerance you will have to take it slower and ONLY one step at a time. Taking on too much at one time can cause your system to “freak out” and create more symptoms versus healing them. So I tried to put together a method that is slow and methodical.
Take a probiotic supplement : Probiotics contain beneficial bacteria that are naturally present in fermented foods. This alone can make a big difference in gut health.
However, if combating mast cell/histamine issues you’ll want to stick to a histamine reducing probiotic with DAO or take DAO separately. I recommend Seeking Health ProBiota Bifido, ProBiota HistaminX, and for DAO Ancestral Supplements Grass Fed Kidney (or a suitable option).
-Eat your Vegetables: Prebiotic foods are just as important as probiotic foods. Seeing most mast cell patients can not tolerate aged or fermented foods that contain necessary probiotic nutrients for repairing gut health - we will have to stick with Histamine Reducing Probiotic until we can tolerate probiotic foods.
However, we can still eat a lot of pre-biotic foods (which we'll be discussing later in the week - and please ignore WHEAT!)
Diet: Changing your diet is single handedly the biggest step, and that’s why STEP ONE is so important. Without necessary dietary changes, healing this will be extremely difficult. Here are some simple steps to add to your diet. Adding recipes from a GAPS diet, Wahls Diet, or Dr Fuhrman recipes (Eat to Live) etc. is relatively easy. There are many recipes that you can adapt to get the most out of your healing.
-Incorporate grass fed Ghee: It is loaded with powerful gut supportive nutrients including fat soluable vitamins A, D, E, and K2. They also have omega 3 fatty acids and a small chain fatty acid called butyric acid that helps feed intestinal cells and reduces gut and whole body inflammation. Ghee is clarified butter in which all the lactose, casein, and whey are removed and it is just the fat solids that remain. Many individuals with leaky gut have sensitivities to lactose, casein and whey and so I only recommend ghee for these individuals and it is usually tolerated very well. You can also get coconut oil ghee.
- Beef Gelatin and/or Collagen Peptides: Gelatin and collagen are the main nutrients in bone broth and so they are rich in the key amino acids that help make up our joints, gut lining and skin. Using these products adds additional healthy protein to the diet and provides the key building blocks for these supportive structures in the body. These are also considered beauty foods because they help to strengthen the skin tissue, reducing skin damage and wrinkle formation. In this way, they help to improve complexion and reduce the effects of aging on the skin. By strengthening the gut lining, they reduce whole body inflammatory levels and improve digestive function, neurological health and thyroid function among other things. Always look for a grass-fed source of gelatin or collagen peptides. Collagen peptides can be used in a similar manner as any other protein powder in smoothies and shakes. I recommend Great Lake Collagen Hydrosolate ( Green Can) and use it in soups, smoothies, and drinks. It dissolves nicely in any liquid – hot or cold. Goal: 2-4 scoops daily in smoothies, soups and stews.
-Bone Broth Protein: like Ancient Nutrition bone broth protein; which is full of collagen protein from chicken bones that are rich in type II collagen, which is what makes up the intestinal lining. Grass-fed beef collagen is richer in type I and III collagen, which is the best for the joints of the body. You can get bone broth protein in pure, vanilla, and chocolate.
-Bone Broth Fasting: For some this may be the quickest way to jump start your healing path, by going on a bone broth fasting spell. Some recommend 48-72 hour fasting period to get a break from the damaging toxic foods to your gut, and feed it with healthy nutrients to rev up healing. This step is where you only consume bone broth, however this can be difficult for some, so an easier method would be to try to incorporate it into one to two meals per day.
(**please note: if you can’t tolerate the other bone broth/collagen methods this step will be the best method. However if you can tolerate the other methods you can incorporate as many as you wish. Also if having issues with bone broth, you can use vegetable broth and add the collagen hydrosolate if you bone broth may be too much at first. I'll talk about that later this week.)
Bone broth has a variety of nutrients that act to soothe an overactive immune system while providing the body with raw materials to rebuild stronger and healthier cells. This is why it is an incredibly healing food to have when the body is encountering stress from bacterial or viral infections as well as digestive disorders and leaky gut syndrome. Bone broth can be made from any animal with bones and the most popular soup bones include those of fish, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb and venison. The bones house a variety of powerful nutrients that become released when they are slowly simmered in water for a few hours. (or in our case= FLASH BOILED) These nutrients include bone marrow which helps provide the raw materials for healthy blood cells and immune development.
Goal: Drink 8oz – 2x daily of either homemade (the best) or an organic store bought variety.
- Marshmallow Root: believe it or not, marshmallow root can be very helpful. If you suffer from a lot of chronic acid reflux, heartburn, GERD etc that acid is damaging to you the lining of your organs. We’ve all heard of taking a medication that you drink to coat your insides to protect it from further damage and offer relief, however there is a natural solution as well. This item is Marshmallow Root. You can get it in a powder or tea.
Marshmallow root and deglycyrrhizinated licorice are two adaptogenic herbs that help the gut in several ways: • Stimulate the production of protective mucus • Decrease inflammation of the stomach lining • Help the gastrointestinal lining • Reduce digestive discomfort such as constipation and diarrhea • Improve acid function
This potent combination of herbs will help support your stomach while it heals. This may not be as potent as the pharmaceutical drugs used to help control this, however it does work, and helps you to heal without causing additional side effects.
L- Glutamine: Many natureopaths may recommend a digestive aid. However its important to start slow and with ONE at a time. It’ll help you recognize any reactions to any of the ingredients and prevent body from going into a sort of “shock” from trying to add on too much to quickly. If tolerated, one important one is L-Glutamine.
L-Glutamine might be the most effective gut healer of all, as it plays a vital role in rebuilding, healing and maintaining the structural lining of your digestive tract. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, protects your cell walls and promotes good digestion and nutrient absorption while reducing inflammation. (Its also found in bone broth)
Glutamine are peptides are often derived form wheat. So be sure to opt for L-Glutamine instead.
Stress depletes your body of this gut-healing amino acid, so it’s especially important to restore your body’s supply by supplementing during times of chronic stress.
Slippery Elm: Was a regular in the medieval medicine cabinet – this ancient herb has been used for centuries to treat a multitude of digestive issues, including gut inflammation, stomach ulcers, diverticulitis, colitis, and an overabundance of stomach acid. Slippery elm comes by its name naturally: it encourages your gut to create “slippery” compounds that coat the lining of your digestive tract and create a soothing barrier that can promote healing. It’s antioxidant effects can also be very effective for treating irritable bowel disease.
Reduce Stress: Chronic stress has been shown to harm beneficial gut bacteria. Activities like Yoga or meditation can help.
Avoid Smoking: Cigarette smoke is a risk factor for several bowel conditions and may increase inflammation in the digestive tract. Quitting smoking can raise healthy bacteria numbers and reduce harmful gut bacteria.
Sleep More: Lack of sleep can cause poor distribution of healthy gut bacteria and possibly increase intestinal permeability.
Limit Alcohol Intake: Research has shown that excessive alcohol intake increases intestinal permeability by interacting with certain proteins.
So, we discussed how our gut can be damaged, and some simple steps to try and start healing it. We'll be further discussing probiotics/prebiotics; what they're for and how to heal naturally. As well as foods that are natural probiotics and prebiotics, and the microbiome and why its so important to our health.
Until then...
Love and Light, Happy Healing