Many people are unaware of leaky gut syndrome, even in medical community. This is the main cause that is leading us to poor health.
Our intestine is far better than our digestive track. The bacteria that live in are a heart for our immune system. The gut bacteria not only help to digestive food, but it maintains the gut wall and fight against numerous infections.A large part of healing leaky gut involves a better understanding as to what it is and how it affects your body?.
This article will help you to know the required information about leaky gut and how to heal leaky gut syndrome naturally without any side effects.
What Is Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut is also known as intestinal hyperpermiability, is a result of damage of intestinal walls. The lining of your gut is normally permeable; this is the reason why your food nutrients pass through your blood stream.
If the intestine walls are damaged then, it becomes porous and allows undigested food particles and waste products to leak into your blood stream, it results in triggering various immune responses in our body.
This is considered as most challenging problem for those people with gluten sensitivity. With leaky gut, damaged cells in your intestine don’t produce the enzymes that are needed for proper digestion. Finally as a result your body cannot absorb essential nutrients, which can lead to hormonal imbalance and weak immune system.
Causes Of Leaky Gut
- The major cause for leaky gut is your regular diet. Food products like soy, dairy products cannot produce required antibodies for proper functioning of immune system which may result in diarrhea, headache, fatigue and joint pains.
- Leaky gut is also caused by medications which causes irritation of intestinal lining and damage of protective mucus layers. This irritation causes repetition of inflammation cycle that leads to intestinal permeability.
- Chronic stress always results in suppression of immune system. A weakened immune system cannot handle all normal functions of the body and gets overrun with pathogens.This leads to increase of inflammation which also increases permeability of intestinal lining.
- Zinc plays a major role in maintaining healthy immune system and a strong intestinal lining. The deficiency of this vitamin may lead to mucosal lining losing its strength and becomes more permeable. Minimum amount of zinc should be included in your diet to maintain healthy immune system.
Signs of Leaky Gut
The following are the common signs of leaky gut.
- Depression and anxiety
- Chronic diarrhea, constipation and gas or bloating.
- Weak immune system
- Headaches, brain fog and less memory
- Excessive fatigue
- Craving for sugars and carbs
- Skin rashes and problems such as acne, eczema
- Arthritis or joint pains.
How to Heal Leaky Gut Naturally?
The key of healing gut syndrome is changing your diet and eliminating the foods that your body treats as toxic.As we know our diet plays a major role in the formation of leaky gut syndrome a strict diet many help in healing this problem.
Do eliminate sugars, starches, grains and other irritating food. This elimination reduces the inflammation and slowly intestinal track return to its normal permeability, stops the flow of bacteria or waste products which enters into the blood stream and some food intolerance symptoms.
Diet is considered as a foundation of healing leaky gut, apart from diet following are some things you need to undergo to heal leaky gut syndrome.
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Hydration
One of the easiest things to do in healing leaky gut is drinking more and more water to remove toxins from your intestine. Limited amount of water in our body keeps us hydrated every time.Chronic dehydration will allow to inflame the bacteria in intestinal and becomes cause for leaky gut.Consuming more amount of liquid will keep you hydrated and even healthy.
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Go Gluten Free
Cutting gluten from your diet is one of the best things to heal leaky gut. Gluten is hard to digest and it opens the holes in gut lining and raise hormone levels called zonulin which is responsible for increasing of tight junctions in your body.Consuming gluten will allow more toxins to pass through the gut lining and results in inflammation and a raised immune system.Try to avoid or eliminate foods consisting of wheat, barley, grains, and rice from your diet slowly to heal leaky gut.
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Consume More Organic Meats
Even if you have leaky gut, you don’t need to cut meat in your regular diet. Because, meat and fish are loaded with omega 3 fatty acids which helps to reduce inflammation caused by certain foods, microbes and toxins.
The other advantage of organic meat is, it doesn’t contain omega imbalance which is very common in commercial meats. Well omega imbalance is nothing but dangerous overload of omega 6 present in commercial meats.
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Have Enough Sleep
Lack of sleep is one of the causes for chronic stress. It is also linked with imbalance of gut bacteria which is often a root cause of leaky gut syndrome.
If you over work and get very little sleep then you are allowing your body to prevent natural healing mechanisms.Sleep deprivation also leads to slower digestion and low energy levels.
Try to sleep for at least 6 hours, if it is not possible to maintain and balance of 8 hours. Try to go to sleep at the same hour every night so that your circadian rhythm is not disturbed.This is the best remedy to avoid leaky gut syndrome effects.
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Avoid Sugars
Fructose is the sugar found in most of sugary products. These sugars are normally digested by enzymes of the cells in intestine walls.
If intestine walls are damaged, then these sugars may not be absorbed through the intestinal lining and results in bloating, bowel movements, headaches and fatigue.Consuming sugary products will worsen the situation; do avoid sugars in your regular diet.
Do’s
- Try to take probiotic supplements
- Eat foods that are easily digestible
- Have more liquids in your diet
- Consult your doctor to have a test of leaky gut as well as for possible autoimmune disease.
Don’ts
- Avoid alcohol
- Avoid excessive consumption of sugar.