As we eat, our gut absorbs the nutrients and digests the food. When there is unfavorable symptoms present such as unexplained weight gain, headaches that last for days, skin issues including acne, rosacea, eczema, brain fog, short-term memory loss, excessive fatigue, unexplained joint pain, anxiety, stress, and/or food allergies, that means that something isn’t functioning correctly.
Our intestines are lined with barrier cells that transport nutrients from food into our blood stream. In a healthy cell structure these barrier cells have tight junctions that protect the intestines and allow normal digestive function. Healthy barrier cells are supported by a healthy microbiome, which is the make up of ecology of microbiotia, within our gut.
When we are experiencing unfavorable symptoms like the ones I listed above the cells become withered and weak creating gaps in the cell junctions. Without tight cell junctions, it’s difficult to digest food, and allows waste and toxins to flow into our bloodstream causing inflammatory responses, digestive disorders, and disruption to normal digestive function. The result is the unfavorable symptoms I referred to in the beginning. Weight gain, headaches, acne, joint pain, anxiety, etc.
Stress, poor diet, lack of exercise, antibiotics, and outside auto-immune factors can lead to weak junctions in the barrier wall of our cells in our intestines, referred to as leaky gut syndrome.
A nutrient rich environment helps support a healthy microbiome, which helps support tight cell junctions in the barrier of the intestine. Filling your plate with whole foods, plant-based nutrition, revitalizing foods that reduce inflammation, and foods with rebuilding components such as collagen can help re-build a leaky gut. In some cases food allergy testing is necessary because so much undigested food particles have leaked into the bloodstream. When our bodies are in an inflammatory response we cannot determine what is a threat and what is simply undigested food so our body goes into fight mode and starts attacking and reacting to these foods. In these cases it is normal to have to remove certain foods from the diet for a season, to allow the bodies inflammatory response to settle down and repair the cell junctions.
This is why I am obsessed with gut health. Through my health journey, I’ve overcome these symptoms and have healed my body through gut health and you can heal your body too.
If you experience three or more symptoms it is likely that you have excess inflammation in your body. That is mostly controlled by your gut ecology and you will see improvement in your overall health by focusing on your gut health.
Improving your gut can help with ALL of the following;
-
Avoid hunger pangs
-
Lose weight (and keep it off)
-
Maintain steady levels of energy
-
Boost and keep their immune system strong (critical in this COVID world)
-
Improved mood
-
Banish fatigue
-
Fight and even REVERSE inflammation, chronic diseases, skin conditions and autoimmune diseases
-
Sleep restfully and wake feeling refreshed
-
Enjoy clarity of mind and sharp thinking
One of the best things you can do for your gut is eat a nutrient rich whole food and plant based diet. I also drink bone broth regulary because it has lots of re-building properties to it! The collagen goes to work repairing those withered cells and gives it the building blocks to build a healthier cell wall.
Get my free BONE BROTH recipe here!
If you are still in need of more support, check out my gut health course. Healthy For Life: A guide to Reducing Inflammation in the Body.
Blessings,