Your Gut is What?????

In my last post, I talked about my diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut.  Apparently, and unknown to me prior to last year, alot of people have some form of leaky gut and don't know about it until they start to have symptoms, which include bloating, gas, constipation, diarrehea and even food intolerances. 

But what is Leaky Gut?

The simpliest way that I can explain it is that your lining of your digestive tract is kind of like - well, remember as a kid playing Red Rover and you would lock hands with the persons beside you while the other side would send someone running over to try to break through your line.  Well, imagine the lining of your digestive track is the line of kids holding hands real tight.  The kid being sent over to try to break that line could be nutrients or bacteria.  If you gut is in good condition, and that kid represents good stuff (vitamins/minerals) then no problem - the line will allow that kid to go through, while if the kids representats bad stuff (bacteria, toxins, even food you have an intolerance/allergy to), that kid isn't going to be able to break through. 



When you gut is "leaky" that line of kids holding hands is very week and will allow anything and everything to pass through - no matter if it is good (vitamins/minerals) or bad (bacteria/toxins). 

So now, not only is the good stuff going through your digestive lining and into the bloodstream, but also the bad stuff is too - which is not good at all.   Over time, your digestive lining can become inflammed and not able to heal itself thereby causing you to show symptoms that can range from gas, food intolerances, headaches, and even can hinder your immune system.

How do you heal a Leaky Gut?

After doing alot (and I mean alot) of my own research, delving into so many different nutrition books and health books, and seeing countless doctors (not to mention spending alot of money) I finally found a nurse practitioner who practices fundamental medicine to help me.  I began to look more at my past eating habits, my past health issues (I took alot of antibiotics for strep throat as a kid) and even stress level.  I found others who were going through the same thing as me and who had alot of success by doing the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (info on this here and here), the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) Diet not to mention a few (well, not really a few but less than 10) supplements that here suggested both in the research and by my doctor. 

But these "diets" had one thing in common - cutting out gluten, dairy, corn, legumes, certain carb rich foods and more importantly processed foods and replacing those foods with health foods, such as bone broth, grass fed meats, pasture raised chicken and eggs, organic veggies and low glycemic index fruits.  The downside to some is that yes, you will have to be required to cook your food and not get it through a drive through. 

I am starting my elimination phase today, which is to last at least 3-4 weeks and over the next few weeks, I will be writing about my ups and downs (because I'm sure there will be many) of eating foods that heal and going through the detox and withdrawals of not so good for you foods (especially chocolate - it isn't allowed in the initial phase).  And yet while I anticipate that this next month will no doubt be hard, I know that if eating a certain way, not only for the next 30 days, but for the rest of my life, will heal my leaky gut and IBS and help my autoimmune disease, and thereby be symptom free, then I'm game.

Until next time......