09 Aug When healthy foods are unhealthy 

Once a doctor told me not to eat watermelon. And black pepper. As well as a list of about 25 other foods that normally are perfectly healthy, acceptable foods.

What’s going on with that?

The problem was leaky gut. A lab test gave me a list of foods to avoid. These healthy foods were not healthy for me. The tiny food particles were leaking through the digestive tract before they were properly digested. This causes problems. And one of the most notable problems is stubborn weight. This can be the secret reason that you can’t lose the weight you want to lose, no matter how much you diet or count calories.

Leaky gut is pretty common. I certainly am not the only one had this problem. And I have to say I think my gut is doing much better. So let’s look at how someone gets a leaky gut.

The lining of the gut is only a few cells deep. Pollution, pesticides, chemicals, additives in our foods, and some medicines can irritate that thin lining. Not only that, but wheat, and some other foods, are particularly difficult foods to digest and tend to irritate the gut lining. So then the gut becomes “leaky”, or more permeable, and foods leak through before they are fully digested. Your immune system doesn’t recognize these partially digested foods and reacts to them. Your body is fighting off “invaders”, which is really just food that leaked out the gut too soon.

So now you have a ramped-up immune system. That comes with a cost. You start having symptoms. And it’s a really long and varied list, which makes it hard to figure out what’s causing those symptoms. The other problem is that reactions are delayed by a day or two or even more. So here’s the list of symptoms and you can have a few or a lot of them: weight gain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, reflux, gas, dark circles or bags under the eyes, water retention, nasal congestion, rashes, itchiness, muscle aches, joint pain, eczema and psoriasis, migraines, memory problems, chronic fatigue, mood swings, ADHD, neuropathy, insomnia, depression, and cravings. Whew! No wonder Hippocrates said all disease begins in the gut.

Curing leaky gut

The first thing to do is remove the offending foods that your body is reacting to. But you have to find out what foods they are first. You can have a lab test like I did, or you can do some snooping on your own. You can do an elimination diet, which means you remove the most common irritating foods and then gradually re-introduce them, noting symptoms. Keeping a food journal is particularly helpful. Here are the foods to eliminate: wheat, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant), citrus, yeast, gluten-free grains, legumes, and vegetable oils.

Before you freak out at such a long list, remember this is temporary. You remove them for two weeks, or ideally a month, And then you reintroduce one food a day, or every other day, and keep track of any symptoms. You should notice the symptoms because your body tends to overreact to a re-introduction of an offending food. Just be sure to eat a full serving of the food.

Now you know what foods are safe for you to eat. And now your gut will start to heal. And you’ll have way fewer symptoms. But there are more ways to support your gut and take back your health.

Probiotics. Take a probiotic supplement or eat fermented food. I make my own because the ones in the stores either have too much sugar, or too few probiotics. Here’s my sour cream recipe. I also make sauerkraut which is pretty easy too. You can look for kombucha, kimchee, or kefir.

Broth. This is why I love soups. I make my own broths all the time, and then I make them into soups. You can drink the broth in a mug too. Broths are high in collagen, which is excellent for the gut lining.

Avoid alcohol. If you don’t want to give it up entirely, drink a tall glass of water before drinking. Or have your drink with a meal, not on an empty stomach.

Avoid NSAIDs. These pain relievers are notoriously hard on the stomach.

Intermittent fasting. Give your digestive tract a rest. Give it time to heal. Even just lengthening your time between dinner and breakfast the next day can be helpful.

Relax. Especially while eating. Don’t eat on the run or while having an argument. You need to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to be able to digest your food and to heal. Get a good night’s sleep too.

Savor your food. This means take a minute to smell your meal, and enjoy the presentation. This starts the digestive juices flowing and readies your digestive system. And chew well too.

Cooked food. Cooking sort of “pre-digests” food for you. This makes it easier on the gut. Juicing is a similar concept–you discard the difficult to digest fiber and just drink the nourishing juice. Raw foods can be more difficult to digest, though they are generally very beneficial.

Ginger tea or peppermint. Make a tea out of shaved ginger. It’s very soothing. Peppermint essential oil is helpful too. Notice how restaurants give out candy mints–the mint actually helps the food go down.

Call me. I can help you support your gut. I have lots of tricks and tips to help you find what works for you. I’m a board certified health coach who’s trained in functional medicine. I know how to tap into your own inner resources to get you where you want to go. Let’s see if we can work together. The intro call is free.

Comments: Do you suspect food sensitivities?

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