Quite recently, I found myself going through a comment section on Facebook regarding a gut related disease. What shocked me was the outrageous uninformed opinions by people who believe leaky gut is a figment of ‘hippies’ imagination.
I felt particularly offended by this because I’ve experienced the detrimental effects of gut permeability in my life and witnessed tremendous improvements in my autoimmune diseases when I transformed my lifestyle.
Most of the transformation that I talk about deals with gut health.
After all, it’s responsible for breaking down and digesting food, a mechanism of the human body that simply cannot be overlooked.
Many doctors are even of the opinion that more than 70% of the immune system is found in the gut. For people to be making haphazard and potentially dangerous remarks on health is something that scares me.
Whether you suffer from Crohn’s disease or gluten sensitivity, you should avoid these horrendous comment sections because believe me when I say that most of what you read are from biased angry people.
Anyway, now that I’ve had the opportunity of getting that rant out of my gut (haha), let’s actually talk about the gut. Why do we need to maintain good gut health?
Well for one, you’ll have terrific digestion and be way less likely to suffer from digestive issues. Secondly, the absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients requires a healthy gut. Thirdly, because a substantial amount of the immune system is located in the gut, maintaining its health inadvertently maintains immune function.
Unfortunately, total prevention of junk food and toxins isn’t sustainable long term.
Trust me, I’ve tried but willpower only lasts for so long before the cravings become too overwhelming. Plus, I’m sure you want to indulge yourself in the occasional cheat meal without fearing for your gut.
So, with all that being said, let’s talk about a list of foods that are not only non-damaging to the gut but actually help to repair and seal it. Sounds unbelievable, right? Guess what, it’s true and these foods can truly aid in living a much healthier life.
1. Bone Broth
Everyone’s talking about bone broth these days and with good reason.
The potency of essential amino acids like L-glutamine found in a properly prepared serving of bone broth does wonders for healing and sealing the gut.
Ideally, you can drink as much bone broth every single day. What I suggest doing is preparing a huge amount in advance and storing it in your refrigerator. Throughout the week, warm it up and enjoy it before every meal.
You’ll begin to feel a difference in no time!
2. Green Leafy Vegetables
Nothing can replace the wholesomeness and essential micronutrients found in fresh (preferably organic) green leafy vegetables.
They’re rich in vitamins and contain many soil based organisms that replenish the gut.
We’ll get into pre and probiotics in the next section but keep in mind that the healthy bacteria in your gut feed off the fiber from green leafy vegetables.
In my opinion, blending and juicing greens is a perfect way of creating a predigested drink that promotes the absorption of all the benefits in green leafy vegetables.
Spinach, Cabbage, Kale, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli (leaves),watercress and so on. These are the green leafy vegetables that should be in your pantry all the time.
3. Pre&Probiotic Drinks
Healthy bacteria is responsible for fighting illnesses, breaking down food and protecting our body from harmful invaders.
A massive problem arises when the number of good bacteria in the gut reduces making us susceptible to many illnesses and inflammatory diseases.
We know that during the digestive phase, not as many nutrients and minerals are absorbed into the body as compared to something that has been predigested like juiced vegetables.
One way of repopulating the bacteria in your gut is by consuming drinks that are rich in pre and probiotics like Kombucha, Beet Kvass, Apple Cider Vinegar, Kefir and Smoothies that are enriched with a probiotic capsule.
You don’t have to consume any of these drinks in super large quantities to benefit from it. Just a serving a day is more than enough to help replenish the gut biome. Furthermore, they taste great when infused with fruits!
4. Fermented Vegetables
While we’re on the topic of good bacteria, another wonderful source of pre-probiotics and amino acids is fermented vegetables.
Back in the day, when most of us weren’t conceived (lol), people used to store vegetables like pickles in jars and store it in the cellar for winter. These stored vegetables would ferment and when consumed, they would aid in repairing the gut and fighting off potential illnesses.
Since then, most of us have resorted to buying canned and processed foods that lack these great fermented qualities and have sacrificed healthy ingredients for preservatives that wreak havoc in the gut.
If you’re on a leaky gut protocol, it is essential for you to be eating fermented vegetables on a daily basis.
Most vegetables like cabbage, carrots, beetroots, cauliflower and a bunch more are perfect for fermentation and taste great with most foods!
All you need is water, a jar, some salt or a starter culture (speeds up the fermentation process and increases the number of bacteria) and veggies. Mix everything together, make sure all your vegetables are submerged, close the container and allow it to ferment in a warm place for about 7 – 10 days.
When done, remove the water and store in your refrigerator for up to 6 months!
5. Turmeric
I know! I know! Turmeric isn’t a food, it’s a spice. But, I’m in love with turmeric for it’s anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties.
You can check out this article I wrote a while ago about the benefits of consuming turmeric on a daily basis.
Just to list a few,
- It’s fantastic for skin health,
- an awesome addition to your treatment plan for autoimmune diseases,
- soothes the gut,
- fights infections and,
- balances your hormones.
It really is amazing.
You can add it to your food, take it in pill form, brew it as a tea or add it to your smoothies. The choice is up to you. But, be sure to include this miraculous herb in your gut healing protocol.
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Original article and pictures take www.servedhealthy.com site
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