Your Digestion and Leaky Gut

Most modern diets are high in processed foods, containing large amounts of sugar, sodium, poor-quality fats, artificial colours and flavours, chemical additives, and preservatives. Over time, these ingredients (and the toxic by-products they create) contribute to the deterioration of the gut lining, resulting in the onset of leaky gut syndrome or increased intestinal permeability.

What is “Leaky Gut”?

Think of your gut as a filter. A healthy gut lining acts as a finely woven filter with small, tight junctions that allow water and nutrients to pass through, while keeping toxic debris and waste inside the intestines. When this filter is damaged, the holes are bigger, allowing larger molecules into the bloodstream, where they don’t belong.

A damaged gut lining compromises your health in several ways. First, the damaged tissue becomes inflamed and unable to function optimally. This means it cannot properly absorb nutrients, which negatively impacts every other system in the body and may contribute to nutritional deficiencies over time. Second, the inflammation causes the intestinal tissue to produce more mucous as a buffer for the irritation, which impairs digestion. As a result, these partially digested food particles ferment in the intestines and become food for pathogenic microorganisms, further damaging the gut and perpetuating the cycle of inflammation. And third, as the damage progresses and intestinal permeability increases, the larger molecules of undigested food, waste material, and debris in the bloodstream can trigger inflammatory immune responses elsewhere in the body.

While the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome can vary depending on a variety of individual factors, common symptoms include:

• Constipation / diarrhea
• Stomach pain / cramping
• Gas/bloating / flatulence
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Eczema / rash / acne / psoriasis
• Food allergies / intolerances
• Anxiety / depression / mood changes
• Thyroid disease
• Hormonal imbalances
• Fatigue / low energy
• Chronic joint pain
• Brain fog

If not addressed with dietary and lifestyle changes, leaky gut can lead to serious health issues like Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, gut dysbiosis, small intestine bacteria overgrowth, autoimmune disorders, and even some cancers.

Build a Strong Microbiome:

Your first line of defence against leaky gut is your microbiome – the community of bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and other single-celled microorganisms that reside in your digestive tract. In a healthy microbiome, the interactions of these “bugs” serve several important purposes for digestive health, including:

• Aiding in the breakdown of foods during digestion
• Supporting nutrient absorption (and manufacturing some vitamins)
• Promoting healthy elimination of toxins
• Reducing inflammation
• Strengthening the integrity of the gut lining

Your microbiome is easily influenced by the foods you eat, as well as your lifestyle habits. Frequently consuming processed junk foods can encourage the growth of potentially harmful microorganisms, which eventually crowd out the beneficial bacteria that are necessary for healthy digestion. However, your nutrition and lifestyle habits are also the key to maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and supporting a strong intestinal lining.

Create a Gut-Healing Diet:

When it comes to supporting good health (digestive or otherwise), it’s important to build your diet around natural, whole foods. The majority of what you eat should come from nature – things like fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat, poultry, eggs, fish, nuts and seeds, healthy fats, and an abundance of herbs and spices are all great options.

Protein, fats, and fiber are essential components of a gut-friendly diet. Be sure to include high-quality sources of protein, as the amino acids in these foods are essential building blocks used by the body to make tissues (including the intestinal lining). Healthy fats are also vitally important to a gut-healing diet because they help to lubricate stool, soften tissues, and support healthy cell membranes. Foods like flax (seeds and oil), chia seeds, fish, eggs, and nuts, are good food sources of omega-3 fats. You can also include a few tablespoons of high-quality oils such as coconut, avocado, olive, or walnut oil (always use cold-pressed, extra-virgin oils for maximum nutritional benefit). And finally, fibrous foods like fruits, vegetables, flaxseeds and/or chia seeds help to keep the bowel functioning optimally and provide fuel for beneficial microorganisms.

While fruits and vegetables of any variety are always healthy choices, eating these foods in their raw state may overburden a weakened digestive system. Cooking these foods can improve digestion and increase the bioavailability of the nutrients. Try baking, sautéing, or lightly steaming your vegetables and fruits to give your gut a break.

There is no such thing as a uniformly perfect diet, but we tend to encourage our clients to observe the guidelines of the Mediterranean diet when designing their meals. As much as possible, try to consume:

• ~15-20% of your daily calories from proteins (meat, fish, poultry, eggs)
• ~50% of your daily calories from carbohydrates (fruit, vegetables, starches)
• ~30-40% of your daily calories from healthy fats (oils, nuts, seeds)

Foods to avoid:

For good gut health, it’s imperative that you remove any irritants from your diet that might prevent recovery or worsen the situation. We’ve already mentioned the dangers of processed foods, which contain harmful or even toxic additives, but there are a few other ingredients to watch out for.

Dairy, gluten, and sugar are all problematic when it comes to gut issues. These foods are not only highly inflammatory, but they can all disrupt the balance of good bacteria in the microbiome and contribute to the development or worsening of leaky gut syndrome. Dairy and gluten are especially problematic as these are both highly allergenic foods and contain proteins that are extremely difficult for the body to digest. For these reasons, we recommend avoiding foods containing these items, wherever possible.

For more information, visit www.practicalwellnessteam.com/blog

A juice cleanse can be an easy way to do something great for your body! Some benefits include: 1) Increased nutrition – cold pressed juice can give you a nutrition boost. 2) Better hydration – from the natural water in fruits and veggies. 3) Boosted energy – from stabilized blood sugar. 4) A digestive break – your system can focus on absorbing nutrients easier. 5) Reduced food cravings – not eating for the sake of eating. 6) Improved sleep and mental clarity – helps to focus and relax your brain. 7) Reduced bloat – by avoiding bloat-inducing foods and additives.

I hope you enjoyed the first monthly edition of the WellnessNews Choices for Healthy Living® here in Moose Jaw! Healthy Living means making positive daily choices and taking personal ownership to enrich our life in areas such as our physical, emotion, social, occupational, financial, and spiritual wellbeing. Moose Jaw has so much to offer, and this monthly resource will help to connect you to so many local supports, deals and offers. Please share with your family & friends, like our FB page, and subscribe to local health tips via email – online at www.skwellnesshub.ca!

Holistic health encompasses physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. It focuses on every aspect of one’s life, including daily habits and routines, stress management, weight loss, mental health, hormones, sleep, and so much more. Whole food nutrition and the effects it has on our bodies, our mindset, our confidence, and our overall health and wellness is also a major focus of holistic health. With the support of one-on-one coaching, you can learn to better understand your overall health and work with a coach to create a completely customized program that keeps you on track and encourages you to stay motivated.

Strong With Nature Yoga is designed to make it easy for people to get movement into their life. Learn how to connect with yourself through mindfulness and support your life with what nature gives you. Strong With Nature Yoga helps you unite your movement practice with the community by taking what you learn on your mat out into your daily life. Workshops and events help people learn more about their own body and how to easily add mobility into their day. Private sessions allow for customized training. Check out the online classes/programs library to take with you on the go!

Green Up! with GRAMS is 100% plant-based, certified organic, natural, and GMO-free. The first and only formulation of its kind, Green Up! with GRAMS combines the raw power of greens, red fruits, and superfoods (like spirulina, chlorella, acai and goji), along with a potent dose of immune-boosting mushrooms and fatigue-fighting adaptogenic herbs. This powerful and nourishing combination offers important antioxidants, and soothing and stress-relieving benefits to help you energize your nutrition and power up your health. Diversify your diet with Green Up! with GRAMS – enjoy it daily in your favourite smoothie, juice, or simply mixed with water.

What change have you been asking for that, if you weren’t going to the definition of it, would alter your life dramatically? If there is an area of your life you have wanted to change, would you consider asking yourself a question? Access Consciousness® was created by Gary Douglas, who received the process of the Bars® and has since propelled a new conversation of consciousness throughout the world. Having your Bars® “run” by a certified Practitioner and Facilitator has been compared to defragging a hard drive on a computer, allowing life to come to you with ease and joy.