3 Steps to Heal a Leaky gut – Remove, Replace & Repair

Good digestion is the foundation of overall health and well-being. Your digestive tract is the main barrier between you and the outside world, so if your gut is healthy, so are we. Actually, it is now said that many chronic symptoms including gas, bloating, allergies, acne, eczema and joint pain are actually signs of impaired gut health. Since it is the job of the gut to keep toxins, antigens, and foreign invaders out, when our gut health is impaired negative symptoms can manifest in the body in many different ways.

The Gut and its Role in Inflammation
When you eat foods that cause inflammation and you are overstressed, get poor sleep, lack exercise and don’t eat enough fibre-rich foods, bad things can occur in the body and especially the gut which in terms begins to develop what is called “leaky gut”. Leaky gut occurs when the food particles actually cause punctures in the tight junctions of our intestinal wall which then allows for these elements to leak into our system. Hence, our body recognizes these as foreign invaders and begins to attack that causes the formation of antibodies which creates an inflammatory cycle.

Now that we are aware about leaky gut, what can you do to fix it? Fortunately, an approach known as the 3R program, which has its roots in functional medicine, can help to address the underlying causes, restore balance in the gut and help to alleviate symptoms.

So, if you are concerned you have a leaky gut, and want to improve it, here is a simple and effective 3-step approach on how to heal a leaky gut naturally.

• Remove: With a leaky gut, the first step is to remove all inflammatory foods. Even though these foods may differ slightly from person to person, it is important to remove all foods that can potentially damage the intestinal lining. The most common inflammatory foods include; gluten, dairy, corn, soy, shellfish, peanuts, and eggs, as well as processed foods, vegetable oils, refined carbohydrates, caffeine, and alcohol, hence, should be removed for a specific time period.
• Replace: The second step is to give the body what it needs to rebuild the gut lining. The diet should focus on whole foods including fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, gluten-free grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils. Also, fermented foods like full-fat coconut milk yogurt and kefir, sauerkraut, and kombucha can also work great to get the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
• Repair: The third and the final step in this process is to repair the lining of your gut. Your diet plays a big role in this step, along with supplementation recommended by the healthcare. Also, reducing stress and supporting digestion, can help heal and repair the gut lining itself.

Over to you:
The best way to protect yourself from leaky gut is to invest more in your overall digestive health, which means following a gut-healthy diet, sticking to a regular exercise program, taking proper sleep and avoiding stress. Your gastrointestinal system is complex, but caring for it doesn’t have to be