[g_podcast id="8771045"]
Leaky gut syndrome or permeable gut means that food particles or toxins can get into your body that don't really belong there.
Chronic conditions such as autoimmune diseases, food intolerances, allergies, skin problems, low moods and much more can be symptoms of a leaky gut.
In this podcast episode I talk about
You may have heard of it - it's a bit 'fashionable' to talk about leaky gut at the moment and interestingly, it's not a new phenomenon, but was first mentioned in the literature back in 1982.
Now you may be wondering what is leaky gut, or permeable bowel? Does my gut have holes?
Yes, it does in that sense. If the intestinal wall is not properly sealed, food components or toxins can enter the bloodstream that normally don't get in because the intestine is sealed. If it is no longer tight, then we speak of a leaky gut. In this episode, I want to talk about how you might be able to tell if you have this, what options there are for finding out, and of course what you can do if you do have a leaky gut.
But before I get to the topic of 'How do I recognize this?', I wanted to clarify a few things that are often simply misunderstood or wrongly assumed when it comes to nutrition.
And when we talk about the gut, I always talk about nutrition too, because for me they go hand in hand. Food ends up in the gut and so if there is a gut problem, we also have to take nutrition into account.
Many people think that you only need to change your diet if you want to lose weight - so if I'm slim, I don't have a nutrition problem and therefore it doesn't matter what I eat. Of course that's not true!
Because food is information, food is a way of getting nutrients into the body. And even someone who is slim needs good nutrients to strengthen their immune system, or to have energy, or to be able to fight inflammation.
So it's really important - we're not just talking about weight loss or anything like that, but nutrition is the basis and is always part of it if there is a problem somewhere in the gut.
You've probably also heard me say that if you have an illness, a chronic health problem, then you always have to think about the gut and, from there, always about nutrition.
That's my view of things and has actually proven itself in practice.
Many people say that illness has nothing to do with nutrition in that sense. If I'm really seriously ill, then I need medication, therapies and nutrition alone is not powerful enough.
People often come to us and say 'I've tried everything. I've tried all the therapies I've done everything, nothing helps with my complaints!'
And then it's often the case that when I ask 'What do you mean, everything?', they've done 3-4 things, but they've always avoided the diet.
On the one hand, this is understandable, because many people simply think that changing their diet is incredibly difficult, which isn't actually true - or 'I have to do without too much', or 'I don't have time for it'.
These are all excuses!
What is really important is that if you have an illness, especially a chronic one, you should always think about your diet and your gut.
Another assumption that many people make is that diet can fix everything. The other extreme, so to speak, is that people say 'I don't need any therapies and, above all, I don't need any supplements or similar products that I take, but I want to do everything through nutrition and nutrition alone will help me.'
And I have to say that if someone actually already has a problem and, for example, a permeable bowel, which we will talk about in a moment - i.e. if the intestinal mucosa is inflamed, has holes etc. - I would of course recommend a diet. I would of course recommend a change in diet, but then I would also advise you to look at supplements such as probiotics, prebiotics, restoratives - things like that.
Because it simply works much better if you approach it from several angles and there's nothing wrong with taking a probiotic for your gut if it's a good product. We personally work with the products from Arktis BioPharma, which we represent in Switzerland.
This helps you and should also help you to get better as quickly as possible, which is why I personally have nothing against the targeted use of good products.
These were a few 'assumptions' that many people simply have. What you could perhaps mention is that many people think 'nutrition will fix it'. I said that earlier about the products. But it also applies to other areas of life. Nutrition alone is very powerful and it's a good entry point. I always say it's a good gateway, which does a lot, but then you can move on and tackle other things. Things such as stress reduction, satisfaction in life in general, having good relationships, having fulfilling work.
Things like that are ultimately also part of it if you want to get your gut tight again in the case of leaky gut, or if you want to feel good in general.
Because stress definitely makes us ill and dissatisfaction is also stress. Even if it's boring - there are also many people who have a job that isn't necessarily super stressful, but simply boring and that is ultimately stress again and therefore: yes, nutrition is important, but nutrition alone won't fix it in the end.
One last point before we get into the topic of leaky gut: many people think that when they feel better, they can immediately fall back into old eating patterns.
Many people really do that. This is something that needs to be prevented.
Firstly, it takes time to stabilize.
Secondly, if a certain diet has made you ill before, it will make you ill afterwards.
Nutrition is actually a powerful tool and if I eat the wrong food, I can also promote inflammation in my body or produce a permeable intestinal mucosa. Let's now turn to the topic of permeable intestines speak.
I assume that if you're listening to this podcast, you know a lot about the gut - I've already talked a lot about it in previous episodes, but maybe just a quick recap: Why is the gut so important?
The gut is important because it's the first port of call, so to speak. Food first enters the intestine through the stomach and is then broken down and the nutrients are distributed.
It is the place where everything is absorbed and the fluid balance is regulated. 80% of the immune system is in the gut.
There are actually people who say: 'Death is in the gut' or Rosina Sonnenschmidt once said: 'Diseases start in the mouth. When eating, digesting and letting go of impressions'.
And this shows how the psyche also plays a role. We also have to digest experiences in that sense.
The interesting thing is that intestinal bacteria have genes and these microorganisms have many more genes than we have human genes. We only have 0.5% human genes in us and the rest are quasi microorganism genes. This shows that, genetically speaking, we are incredibly strongly influenced by our gut and that is why this topic is simply central to our health.
How can it happen that the gut becomes leaky or permeable? On the one hand, it is lifestyle-related, so stress or medication can trigger this, for example, but it can also be caused by inflammation.
When the intestinal mucosa is inflamed, it is no longer properly sealed. If it is no longer properly sealed and has small holes in it, then food particles, other particles, toxins etc. can pass through this intestinal wall, which normally does not allow these things to pass through and then enter the bloodstream and are distributed in the blood throughout the body. It can happen that the immune system has a counter-reaction, produces inflammation and so these inflammations are constantly triggered and this leads to all the diseases that have an inflammatory origin.
On the one hand, there are tests. There is a microbiome test that you can do. You can then find out if something is wrong with your intestinal flora. One value you can look out for is called zolonin. This is the tax collector on the intestinal mucosa and if this zolonin is elevated, more particles are allowed through than is actually good and this indicates a permeable intestine, or leaky gut. The value called alpha one antitrypsin might be interesting to determine and secretory immunoglobulin A would be values that could be determined.
There are other tests that can be interesting, especially when it comes to leaky gut, such as organic acid tests.
In principle, it always makes sense to test whether you have inflammation in your body. Inflammation should be below 0.5. There is a value called CRP (C-reactive protein) and you should have the highly sensitive variant determined in your blood if you want to know what it looks like in terms of inflammation. Sometimes you get a value of 1 or 2 - that's still absolutely okay in terms of conventional medicine, but it indicates that there is a slight inflammation.
If you don't want to do an analysis, but just want to ask yourself 'Are there any signs that I might have leaky gut?', I'll now list a few symptoms that could indicate this, or that are typical symptoms.
One symptom is definitely when you have low energy levels, are chronically tired, exhausted, wake up tired in the morning, maybe fall asleep on the sofa before bedtime, you just can't get going and drag yourself through the day. Main problems, rashes, acne, inflammatory skin conditions, even psoriasis or neurodermatitis.
Intolerances, e.g. food intolerances, are usually caused by having a leaky gut. Hay fever and all kinds of allergies can be a sign of a leaky gut.
Inflammatory bowel disease, of course! Anything that has to do with the gut or digestion, such as diarrhea, flatulence, etc. can indicate this.
Also mental illnesses (depression, dementia, ADHD, etc.).
Other signs are autoimmune diseases. Today it is almost assumed that there is also a permeable intestine. Autoimmune diseases are, for example, multiple sclerosis, or Hashimoto's, psoriasis lupus, which are all signs that could indicate this.
Then persistent obesity - in other words, if you are overweight even though you eat well. Or persistent underweight - if you simply can't gain weight, it's often because the intestines can't absorb the nutrients at all.
The last symptoms that could be mentioned are joint complaints, joint pain or muscle complaints. In any case, this can also indicate a permeable intestine!
As I said, these are signs. Of course, you have to look further afterwards to see if this is really the case.
I already hinted at a few things - on the one hand, it can actually start at birth, that your mother had an imbalance in her gut and that you then got a taste of your mother's microbiome through the birth process and your microbiome has built up on the basis of your mother's and if the start has gone wrong, then of course this can have consequences for you.
In caesarean section babies, this first 'imprint' from the mother is missing, so to speak. This may well have led to incorrect colonization. If you have taken antibiotics, or even had several courses of antibiotics, then it can definitely lead to the intestines becoming permeable because the good bacteria have been killed off by these antibiotics. All the anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, ibuprofen etc.) also have a negative influence. These things also have an influence on your intestinal flora and consequently also on the possible permeable intestine.
It may be that you have too few probiotics in your diet. Probiotics are good bacteria and if you naturally have a lack of probiotics over a long period of time, it can also lead to dysbiosis in the gut and this can also lead to a leaky gut.
We need bacteria that come from the soil. If you have a garden, dig around in the soil a bit.
Things like this definitely help to build up your good bacteria in everyday life.
An unfavorable diet definitely leads to a permeable gut (too much sugar, wheat, dairy products). All the toxins (including pesticides) that we consume - on the one hand via vegetables, on the other hand perhaps also via clothing e.g. clothes very often contain toxins. In carpets, in textiles, in cars, etc.
These are all things that can also contribute. I said at the beginning that the psyche also plays a role. Stress, worries and grief can certainly help or even trigger the intestines to become permeable.
Now the question is, of course, what you can do if you already have a permeable gut or want to prevent it from getting that far.
It definitely helps to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. You can take prebiotics and/or probiotics to support the intestinal flora. And in any case, it also helps to adapt your lifestyle. (Stress reduction, fulfilling job, etc.)
Next, it is important to take responsibility for your life and look at 'Where are things that are not going well and how can I change them?
What else you can do is to keep at it. In fact, make sure that you don't just do it for two weeks, but also change your lifestyle in the long term and set a reminder.
The three most important things are that you cut out grains completely, that you cut out cow's milk products and that you cut out sugar. Perhaps this will make you aware of what triggers these things.
If you already have a permeable gut, there is no way around simply leaving these things out
However, there are still plenty of things you can eat (vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, eggs and much more). You can eat well without having to resort to cereals, dairy products or sugar.
You'll see - once you get into it, you'll also notice that the desire for these products decreases very quickly, the cravings disappear quickly and you feel more balanced and relaxed.
With cow's milk, it's not the lactose itself that causes the problems, but the protein content of the milk.
We live very well without dairy products, we don't necessarily need them. One argument that comes up again and again: what about calcium?
You can get calcium from green leafy vegetables, from sesame seeds - there are plenty of sources of calcium.
Four weeks is a good time to try out everything, where you simply leave it all out.
The important thing then is - we can't always just leave it out, we also have to add to it of course - and something you can really eat in good quantities is vegetables. Our gut also needs fiber, it needs nutrients and for the bacteria to multiply well, it needs this fiber.
That's why it's very important that you eat lots of vegetables.
I would also recommend (if you have intestinal problems) that you eat cooked vegetables rather than so much raw food, because raw food is very difficult to digest.
Conversely, of course, this also means that you have to cook more. If you are convinced that you want to do something good for your body and are motivated to get your permeable gut back in order, then cooking is simply part of it.
Cooking is a process that takes a little time, but you can make a good dish in 20 minutes if you cook for yourself.
It's important that you don't wolf down your food, but eat slowly and chew well, that you make an effort not to eat the same thing every time
And it's important during the time when you want to cleanse your gut that you use fresh food that you've prepared yourself rather than ready-made products. Good fats are important to keep you full and you should also prepare your food so that it tastes good.
Use spices, herbs and good salt so that your food tastes good.
Herbs and spices have an effect and can help you to get your gut under control again. As promised, I'll tell you how to get good probiotics.
There are products that are fermented, such as sauerkraut, carrots, and so on. And they contain these good lactic acid bacteria. That would be a There is also a way to get good gut bacteria through your diet. There are also recipes on how to make it yourself (for example our kimchi recipe) and there are also ways to buy such products, either in organic stores or you can order them online.
And it's just important that you make sure that the products have not been heated. If you want to feed your gut with good bacteria, you actually need to eat raw fermented food.
Another food that has a very healing effect on the intestinal mucosa is bone broth. Here you can find a recipe for homemade chicken broth.
These bones contain high-quality components such as L-glutamine. L-glutamine helps to reduce inflammation of the intestinal mucosa and also helps to rebuild this intestinal mucosa.
You can now also buy good quality bone broth (and I don't mean bouillon in the form of powder!)
Another thing you can do to feed your bacteria through food is to eat good starch in the form of carrots, chicory, onions, garlic - vegetables in general are important anyway.
for all the fiber and the fiber feeds the good bacteria, so to speak. Another thing you can eat to reduce inflammation of the intestinal mucosa is high-quality omega 3 fatty acids.
You can find these in oily sea fish, for example. Of course, there are also supplements that you can take - depending on what is easier for you.
These are a few really specific tips on how to get your gut back into shape.
I said that lifestyle is an important factor that you can take into account. Anything that helps to reduce stress!
I always say that when I talk about stress, I like to compare it to a wooden barrel that fills up more and more. It's often not one source of stress that triggers the problem, but we have several more in today's life.
Whether it's noise, toxins, a stressful job, small children, and so on. You can usually manage one of these stress factors quite well, maybe two and maybe three, but at some point the barrel just fills up more and more and you can't see from the outside how full it is.
That's why people often say: 'Yes, I have a bit of stress, but I can manage it all well' and at some point it feels like there comes a point from one moment to the next where it suddenly doesn't work anymore.
And it's not from one moment to the next, it's just that this barrel has filled up more and more.
That's why there's not one thing you have to do to reduce stress, but it's best to do several things to simply keep emptying this barrel a little.
It's an illusion that we don't have any stress and that a little stress isn't harmful at all. It's more about this chronic, constant stress and the many sources of stress that we have in our lives, where it would be nice if you could perhaps reduce this or become aware of your sources of stress and things you can do to empty this barrel a little, such as the anti-inflammatory diet that I mentioned earlier. Things like meditation, or singing, or getting out in nature - all of those things.
Using natural products, on the one hand for cleansing in the House, but also for cosmetics or shower gels etc. Organic products, including organic food - also pay attention to clothes and textiles and, very importantly, get a rhythm back into your life.
Maybe plan more, take breaks and these are all things you can do to empty this barrel again and prevent the whole thing from overflowing. I hope there are a few tips for you that you can try out!
And if you would like to find out more about our products, we have put together a Leaky Gut Bundle that we recommend: The Leaky Gut 6 Month Cure
Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because these reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
Leaky gut syndrome or permeable gut means that food particles or toxins can get into your body that don't really belong there.
Chronic conditions such as autoimmune diseases, food intolerances, allergies, skin problems, low moods and much more can be symptoms of a leaky gut.
In this podcast episode I talk about
- Which widespread assumptions about nutrition are incorrect
- Why we are only 0.5 percent human
- What a leaky gut or permeable gut is
- What signs you can recognize that you have a leaky gut
- How a leaky gut can develop
- And: what you can do to get your gut leaky again
If you have leaky gut, you are no longer leaky
You may have heard of it - it's a bit 'fashionable' to talk about leaky gut at the moment and interestingly, it's not a new phenomenon, but was first mentioned in the literature back in 1982.
Now you may be wondering what is leaky gut, or permeable bowel? Does my gut have holes?
Yes, it does in that sense. If the intestinal wall is not properly sealed, food components or toxins can enter the bloodstream that normally don't get in because the intestine is sealed. If it is no longer tight, then we speak of a leaky gut. In this episode, I want to talk about how you might be able to tell if you have this, what options there are for finding out, and of course what you can do if you do have a leaky gut.
But before I get to the topic of 'How do I recognize this?', I wanted to clarify a few things that are often simply misunderstood or wrongly assumed when it comes to nutrition.
You only have to worry about nutrition if you want to lose weight
And when we talk about the gut, I always talk about nutrition too, because for me they go hand in hand. Food ends up in the gut and so if there is a gut problem, we also have to take nutrition into account.
Many people think that you only need to change your diet if you want to lose weight - so if I'm slim, I don't have a nutrition problem and therefore it doesn't matter what I eat. Of course that's not true!
Because food is information, food is a way of getting nutrients into the body. And even someone who is slim needs good nutrients to strengthen their immune system, or to have energy, or to be able to fight inflammation.
So it's really important - we're not just talking about weight loss or anything like that, but nutrition is the basis and is always part of it if there is a problem somewhere in the gut.
You've probably also heard me say that if you have an illness, a chronic health problem, then you always have to think about the gut and, from there, always about nutrition.
That's my view of things and has actually proven itself in practice.
You can't achieve anything with nutrition in the case of a chronic illness
Many people say that illness has nothing to do with nutrition in that sense. If I'm really seriously ill, then I need medication, therapies and nutrition alone is not powerful enough.
People often come to us and say 'I've tried everything. I've tried all the therapies I've done everything, nothing helps with my complaints!'
And then it's often the case that when I ask 'What do you mean, everything?', they've done 3-4 things, but they've always avoided the diet.
On the one hand, this is understandable, because many people simply think that changing their diet is incredibly difficult, which isn't actually true - or 'I have to do without too much', or 'I don't have time for it'.
These are all excuses!
What is really important is that if you have an illness, especially a chronic one, you should always think about your diet and your gut.
You can get everything under control with diet
Another assumption that many people make is that diet can fix everything. The other extreme, so to speak, is that people say 'I don't need any therapies and, above all, I don't need any supplements or similar products that I take, but I want to do everything through nutrition and nutrition alone will help me.'
And I have to say that if someone actually already has a problem and, for example, a permeable bowel, which we will talk about in a moment - i.e. if the intestinal mucosa is inflamed, has holes etc. - I would of course recommend a diet. I would of course recommend a change in diet, but then I would also advise you to look at supplements such as probiotics, prebiotics, restoratives - things like that.
Because it simply works much better if you approach it from several angles and there's nothing wrong with taking a probiotic for your gut if it's a good product. We personally work with the products from Arktis BioPharma, which we represent in Switzerland.
This helps you and should also help you to get better as quickly as possible, which is why I personally have nothing against the targeted use of good products.
These were a few 'assumptions' that many people simply have. What you could perhaps mention is that many people think 'nutrition will fix it'. I said that earlier about the products. But it also applies to other areas of life. Nutrition alone is very powerful and it's a good entry point. I always say it's a good gateway, which does a lot, but then you can move on and tackle other things. Things such as stress reduction, satisfaction in life in general, having good relationships, having fulfilling work.
Things like that are ultimately also part of it if you want to get your gut tight again in the case of leaky gut, or if you want to feel good in general.
Because stress definitely makes us ill and dissatisfaction is also stress. Even if it's boring - there are also many people who have a job that isn't necessarily super stressful, but simply boring and that is ultimately stress again and therefore: yes, nutrition is important, but nutrition alone won't fix it in the end.
One last point before we get into the topic of leaky gut: many people think that when they feel better, they can immediately fall back into old eating patterns.
Many people really do that. This is something that needs to be prevented.
Firstly, it takes time to stabilize.
Secondly, if a certain diet has made you ill before, it will make you ill afterwards.
Nutrition is actually a powerful tool and if I eat the wrong food, I can also promote inflammation in my body or produce a permeable intestinal mucosa. Let's now turn to the topic of permeable intestines speak.
Why is the gut so important?
I assume that if you're listening to this podcast, you know a lot about the gut - I've already talked a lot about it in previous episodes, but maybe just a quick recap: Why is the gut so important?
The gut is important because it's the first port of call, so to speak. Food first enters the intestine through the stomach and is then broken down and the nutrients are distributed.
It is the place where everything is absorbed and the fluid balance is regulated. 80% of the immune system is in the gut.
There are actually people who say: 'Death is in the gut' or Rosina Sonnenschmidt once said: 'Diseases start in the mouth. When eating, digesting and letting go of impressions'.
And this shows how the psyche also plays a role. We also have to digest experiences in that sense.
The interesting thing is that intestinal bacteria have genes and these microorganisms have many more genes than we have human genes. We only have 0.5% human genes in us and the rest are quasi microorganism genes. This shows that, genetically speaking, we are incredibly strongly influenced by our gut and that is why this topic is simply central to our health.
Causes of a leaky gut
How can it happen that the gut becomes leaky or permeable? On the one hand, it is lifestyle-related, so stress or medication can trigger this, for example, but it can also be caused by inflammation.
When the intestinal mucosa is inflamed, it is no longer properly sealed. If it is no longer properly sealed and has small holes in it, then food particles, other particles, toxins etc. can pass through this intestinal wall, which normally does not allow these things to pass through and then enter the bloodstream and are distributed in the blood throughout the body. It can happen that the immune system has a counter-reaction, produces inflammation and so these inflammations are constantly triggered and this leads to all the diseases that have an inflammatory origin.
How can you find out if you have a permeable gut?
On the one hand, there are tests. There is a microbiome test that you can do. You can then find out if something is wrong with your intestinal flora. One value you can look out for is called zolonin. This is the tax collector on the intestinal mucosa and if this zolonin is elevated, more particles are allowed through than is actually good and this indicates a permeable intestine, or leaky gut. The value called alpha one antitrypsin might be interesting to determine and secretory immunoglobulin A would be values that could be determined.
There are other tests that can be interesting, especially when it comes to leaky gut, such as organic acid tests.
In principle, it always makes sense to test whether you have inflammation in your body. Inflammation should be below 0.5. There is a value called CRP (C-reactive protein) and you should have the highly sensitive variant determined in your blood if you want to know what it looks like in terms of inflammation. Sometimes you get a value of 1 or 2 - that's still absolutely okay in terms of conventional medicine, but it indicates that there is a slight inflammation.
Typical symptoms of leaky gut
If you don't want to do an analysis, but just want to ask yourself 'Are there any signs that I might have leaky gut?', I'll now list a few symptoms that could indicate this, or that are typical symptoms.
One symptom is definitely when you have low energy levels, are chronically tired, exhausted, wake up tired in the morning, maybe fall asleep on the sofa before bedtime, you just can't get going and drag yourself through the day. Main problems, rashes, acne, inflammatory skin conditions, even psoriasis or neurodermatitis.
Intolerances, e.g. food intolerances, are usually caused by having a leaky gut. Hay fever and all kinds of allergies can be a sign of a leaky gut.
Inflammatory bowel disease, of course! Anything that has to do with the gut or digestion, such as diarrhea, flatulence, etc. can indicate this.
Also mental illnesses (depression, dementia, ADHD, etc.).
Other signs are autoimmune diseases. Today it is almost assumed that there is also a permeable intestine. Autoimmune diseases are, for example, multiple sclerosis, or Hashimoto's, psoriasis lupus, which are all signs that could indicate this.
Then persistent obesity - in other words, if you are overweight even though you eat well. Or persistent underweight - if you simply can't gain weight, it's often because the intestines can't absorb the nutrients at all.
The last symptoms that could be mentioned are joint complaints, joint pain or muscle complaints. In any case, this can also indicate a permeable intestine!
As I said, these are signs. Of course, you have to look further afterwards to see if this is really the case.
How can the intestines become permeable in the first place?
I already hinted at a few things - on the one hand, it can actually start at birth, that your mother had an imbalance in her gut and that you then got a taste of your mother's microbiome through the birth process and your microbiome has built up on the basis of your mother's and if the start has gone wrong, then of course this can have consequences for you.
In caesarean section babies, this first 'imprint' from the mother is missing, so to speak. This may well have led to incorrect colonization. If you have taken antibiotics, or even had several courses of antibiotics, then it can definitely lead to the intestines becoming permeable because the good bacteria have been killed off by these antibiotics. All the anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, ibuprofen etc.) also have a negative influence. These things also have an influence on your intestinal flora and consequently also on the possible permeable intestine.
It may be that you have too few probiotics in your diet. Probiotics are good bacteria and if you naturally have a lack of probiotics over a long period of time, it can also lead to dysbiosis in the gut and this can also lead to a leaky gut.
We need bacteria that come from the soil. If you have a garden, dig around in the soil a bit.
Things like this definitely help to build up your good bacteria in everyday life.
An unfavorable diet definitely leads to a permeable gut (too much sugar, wheat, dairy products). All the toxins (including pesticides) that we consume - on the one hand via vegetables, on the other hand perhaps also via clothing e.g. clothes very often contain toxins. In carpets, in textiles, in cars, etc.
These are all things that can also contribute. I said at the beginning that the psyche also plays a role. Stress, worries and grief can certainly help or even trigger the intestines to become permeable.
What can you do? do
Now the question is, of course, what you can do if you already have a permeable gut or want to prevent it from getting that far.
It definitely helps to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. You can take prebiotics and/or probiotics to support the intestinal flora. And in any case, it also helps to adapt your lifestyle. (Stress reduction, fulfilling job, etc.)
Next, it is important to take responsibility for your life and look at 'Where are things that are not going well and how can I change them?
What else you can do is to keep at it. In fact, make sure that you don't just do it for two weeks, but also change your lifestyle in the long term and set a reminder.
The three most important things are that you cut out grains completely, that you cut out cow's milk products and that you cut out sugar. Perhaps this will make you aware of what triggers these things.
If you already have a permeable gut, there is no way around simply leaving these things out
However, there are still plenty of things you can eat (vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, eggs and much more). You can eat well without having to resort to cereals, dairy products or sugar.
You'll see - once you get into it, you'll also notice that the desire for these products decreases very quickly, the cravings disappear quickly and you feel more balanced and relaxed.
With cow's milk, it's not the lactose itself that causes the problems, but the protein content of the milk.
We live very well without dairy products, we don't necessarily need them. One argument that comes up again and again: what about calcium?
You can get calcium from green leafy vegetables, from sesame seeds - there are plenty of sources of calcium.
Four weeks is a good time to try out everything, where you simply leave it all out.
The important thing then is - we can't always just leave it out, we also have to add to it of course - and something you can really eat in good quantities is vegetables. Our gut also needs fiber, it needs nutrients and for the bacteria to multiply well, it needs this fiber.
That's why it's very important that you eat lots of vegetables.
I would also recommend (if you have intestinal problems) that you eat cooked vegetables rather than so much raw food, because raw food is very difficult to digest.
Conversely, of course, this also means that you have to cook more. If you are convinced that you want to do something good for your body and are motivated to get your permeable gut back in order, then cooking is simply part of it.
Cooking is a process that takes a little time, but you can make a good dish in 20 minutes if you cook for yourself.
It's important that you don't wolf down your food, but eat slowly and chew well, that you make an effort not to eat the same thing every time
And it's important during the time when you want to cleanse your gut that you use fresh food that you've prepared yourself rather than ready-made products. Good fats are important to keep you full and you should also prepare your food so that it tastes good.
Use spices, herbs and good salt so that your food tastes good.
Herbs and spices have an effect and can help you to get your gut under control again. As promised, I'll tell you how to get good probiotics.
There are products that are fermented, such as sauerkraut, carrots, and so on. And they contain these good lactic acid bacteria. That would be a There is also a way to get good gut bacteria through your diet. There are also recipes on how to make it yourself (for example our kimchi recipe) and there are also ways to buy such products, either in organic stores or you can order them online.
And it's just important that you make sure that the products have not been heated. If you want to feed your gut with good bacteria, you actually need to eat raw fermented food.
Another food that has a very healing effect on the intestinal mucosa is bone broth. Here you can find a recipe for homemade chicken broth.
These bones contain high-quality components such as L-glutamine. L-glutamine helps to reduce inflammation of the intestinal mucosa and also helps to rebuild this intestinal mucosa.
You can now also buy good quality bone broth (and I don't mean bouillon in the form of powder!)
Another thing you can do to feed your bacteria through food is to eat good starch in the form of carrots, chicory, onions, garlic - vegetables in general are important anyway.
for all the fiber and the fiber feeds the good bacteria, so to speak. Another thing you can eat to reduce inflammation of the intestinal mucosa is high-quality omega 3 fatty acids.
You can find these in oily sea fish, for example. Of course, there are also supplements that you can take - depending on what is easier for you.
These are a few really specific tips on how to get your gut back into shape.
The importance of reducing stress
I said that lifestyle is an important factor that you can take into account. Anything that helps to reduce stress!
I always say that when I talk about stress, I like to compare it to a wooden barrel that fills up more and more. It's often not one source of stress that triggers the problem, but we have several more in today's life.
Whether it's noise, toxins, a stressful job, small children, and so on. You can usually manage one of these stress factors quite well, maybe two and maybe three, but at some point the barrel just fills up more and more and you can't see from the outside how full it is.
That's why people often say: 'Yes, I have a bit of stress, but I can manage it all well' and at some point it feels like there comes a point from one moment to the next where it suddenly doesn't work anymore.
And it's not from one moment to the next, it's just that this barrel has filled up more and more.
That's why there's not one thing you have to do to reduce stress, but it's best to do several things to simply keep emptying this barrel a little.
It's an illusion that we don't have any stress and that a little stress isn't harmful at all. It's more about this chronic, constant stress and the many sources of stress that we have in our lives, where it would be nice if you could perhaps reduce this or become aware of your sources of stress and things you can do to empty this barrel a little, such as the anti-inflammatory diet that I mentioned earlier. Things like meditation, or singing, or getting out in nature - all of those things.
Using natural products, on the one hand for cleansing in the House, but also for cosmetics or shower gels etc. Organic products, including organic food - also pay attention to clothes and textiles and, very importantly, get a rhythm back into your life.
Maybe plan more, take breaks and these are all things you can do to empty this barrel again and prevent the whole thing from overflowing. I hope there are a few tips for you that you can try out!
And if you would like to find out more about our products, we have put together a Leaky Gut Bundle that we recommend: The Leaky Gut 6 Month Cure
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