It’s hard to believe, but a few years ago, very few people were familiar with the term “leaky gut”.
Now, everyone’s talking about it, and I even wrote a whole book on the subject. One of the main reasons that people are talking about it so much is that leaky gut has affected (or will affect) the vast majority of the population – thanks to many modern conveniences that we enjoy daily.
We oversanitize. We use antibacterial cleaners to wash away harmful bacteria that could make us sick, but they also wipe away beneficial bacteria that could boost our immune systems.
We rely on pre-packaged, highly processed foods, which are full of genetically modified foods, chemicals, and other toxins. They feed bad bacteria and kill off the good bacteria, which naturally occurs in our guts.
We pump our bodies full of antibiotics and other drugs at the first sign of a stuffy nose. Meanwhile, our go-go-go society has us checking email 24/7, bouncing from one meeting to the next, and feeling more stressed than ever. And all of these factors contribute to the development of leaky gut.
While the root causes of leaky gut are basically the same in everyone, the results can vary considerably, including psoriasis and irritable bowel syndrome. The good news is that you can start healing your gut, no matter what your symptoms are. In addition to a clean, healing diet, supplements are a great place to start.
Probiotics are absolutely essential when it comes to healing leaky gut. They can help restore the balance of bacteria in the gut by replenishing the good guys and crowding out the bad ones.
(Experts estimate that a healthy ratio is 85% good/neutral bacteria to 15% bad bacteria.) But not all probiotics are created equal.
Our ancestors didn’t have to take probiotic supplements because they spent the majority of their lives outdoors, and they planted and harvested their own foods.
So they regularly came in contact with all the beneficial bacteria that occurs naturally in the soil. You don’t have to eat dirt to fix your leaky gut. Try a soil-based probiotic pill!
Today, we have soil-based probiotics (SBOs) that are designed to mimic these bacteria. Because SBOs are formulated to mimic bacteria that thrive in harsh, natural, outdoor environments, they can also withstand the harsh conditions of the human digestive tract.
In other words, they’ll actually arrive at their intended destination – where they can start taking root and flourishing. That can’t be said about many commercial probiotics, which are actually destroyed in the body before they ever reach the gut.
Digestive Enzymes
Food is the very thing that’s supposed to give you energy and strength, but when you suffer from leaky gut, food can become your worst enemy. In many cases, the digestive system has been compromised, so most foods are not properly broken down.
The increased permeability of the gut then allows these undigested food particles to leak through the gut and into the bloodstream – where they wreak all kinds of havoc and cause allergies, skin rashes, and other issues.
One way to combat leaky gut is through the use of digestive enzymes. There are many full-spectrum enzymes on the market, which work to break down proteins, starches, fats, and dairy. They ensure that there will be fewer food toxins passing through the gut and causing further damage.
L-Glutamine
L-glutamine is an amino acid supplement that is critical for healing leaky gut. By definition, a leaky gut is damaged. It has increased permeability (i.e., tiny holes) that allow toxins, undigested food proteins, and others foreign particles to pass into the bloodstream.
L-glutamine coats the intestinal lining and starts repairing that damage. It also helps thicken cell walls and prevents future infections.
DGL Licorice Root
Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) is an adaptogenic herb that’s one of my favorite supplements for correcting leaky gut. It helps maintain the mucosal lining of the stomach, while also improving acid function (a key way to properly break down food).
Licorice is also beneficial in the treatment of adrenal fatigue, which can be a side effect of stress-related leaky gut. In addition to taxing the adrenal glands, cortisol (the hormone that’s elevated when we feel stressed out) inhibits the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, while also allowing the bad bugs to proliferate.
Licorice can help keep cortisol levels under control, which will put a stop to the domino effects that trigger leaky gut. Licorice can heal your gut while also fixing adrenal fatigue.
There are multiple formulations of licorice root on the market, but generally speaking, the removal of glycyrrhizin makes it safer for a large portion of the population.
When taken in excess, glycyrrhizin can cause certain side effects, including increased blood pressure, reduced potassium levels, and edemas.
This overdose can be particularly problematic for pregnant women, as well as those with blood pressure and liver and kidney issues.
Collagen
Bone broth has been the health food du jour of late, and for good reason. Among other health benefits, it contains the amino acids proline and glycine, which are instrumental in repairing a damaged intestinal lining.
Bone broth can also help boost gastric juices (and again, restoring healthy digestion is key) – as well as a healthy mucosal lining.
But for those short on time, you don’t have to constantly simmer gallons of bone broth to get those benefits. The key component of bone broth that is behind those miraculous benefits is actually the collagen, which is readily available in powder form.
Dr. Josh Axe, DNM, DC, CNS, is a doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist and author with a passion to help people get well using food as medicine. He recently authored Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and Five Surprising Steps to Cure It, and he operates one of the world’s largest natural health websites at www.DrAxe.com.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.
You might be eating this gut-disrupting additive every day. Here’s how to identify carrageenan, and why you want to avoid it.
You can find carrageenan in everything from heavily processed boxed pizza to dairy-free kefir – and even coconut water.
The truth is, carrageenan might be disrupting your gut health. Here’s what the research says about this food additive, what happens when you consume it, and how you can avoid it.
What is Carrageenan?
Carrageenan is an additive derived from red seaweed. It’s found in all sorts of packaged foods, including organic nut milks, yogurts, and other “creamy” foods, where it’s used as a thickener, binder, and emulsifier. It contains no calories nor any beneficial nutrients like you may find in pure seaweed.
While many people assume this additive can’t be that harmful because it’s derived from seaweed, studies surrounding its safety are shaky at best.
There are two types of carrageenan: degraded (or poligeenan), and undegraded. The main difference between the two is that poligeenan is not approved as a food additive. Instead, it’s used as a dye for x-rays.
How Carrageenan Changes After You Eat It
Certain acids process poligeenan to create a slightly different compound. However, your stomach also uses potent acid to break down much of your food. This leads researchers to speculate whether your stomach acid could turn regular carrageenan into poligeenan in your stomach.
This could be dangerous, since animal studies show that poligeenan can cause inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases like colitis, as well as tumors.
However, other studies conflict with this claim, stating that carrageenan does not degrade in the digestive tract. Since these studies were only on animals, it’s hard to know the true effect in humans.
Let’s delve into some more modern studies to see why the food-grade might affect your gut health.
Why Should You Avoid It?
Studies conflict on the safety of carrageenan. Certain animal studies show that it can cause ulcers and other gut issues in rodents. However, these are older studies from the 1970s, which raises the question of if they’re even relevant using today’s study methods.
Studies on rats also reveal that food-grade carrageenan could promote tumor growth in liver cells, although scientists aren’t exactly sure how this happens.
In fact, many individuals suffering from irritable bowel syndrome and other inflammatory bowel diseases claim completely removing carrageenan from their diet significantly improved their symptoms. However, these are simply consumer reports.
Other animal studies have suggested carrageenan may increase intestinal permeability, which could lead to leaky gut. This is a condition where food and other particles are able to pass through a damaged gut lining and cause an immune reaction and inflammation.
However, some other animal studies on different species show no reaction to carrageenan, which shows its effects may be species-dependent. In other words, it could negatively affect humans, or it might not. It’s hard to tell because research is so limited.
How to Avoid Carrageenan
Many natural food products contain carrageenan. Here is a list of the most common items:
Non-dairy ice creams, yogurts, and cheeses
Nut and rice milks, including almond milk
Coconut milk (both canned and boxed)
Deli meats
Kefir
Coconut water
Packaged foods like dips, snacks, and pizzas
Vegan and vegetarian products often contain it as a way to replace gelatin. Be sure to look under “other ingredients” on the label of all packaged foods, where you’ll see it listed.
Also, know that in 2016, the National Organic Standards Board voted to remove carrageenan from the list of substances approved for use in food items labeled “USDA Organic”, so you can enjoy organically-labeled foods without worry.
Another (and probably one of the best) ways to avoid this harmful additive is to consider making many of these products yourself. Check out these DIY recipes to see how:
You can also check out this shopping guide that tells you which brands use carrageenan, and in which products. Keep in mind, however, that some companies may use it as a processing aid in the products, so it’s not present in the final ingredient list.
Written by Megan Patiry
Author Bio:
Megan is an inquisitive nutrition and wellness writer harboring an editorial love affair with the decadent and the nutritious. She is a dedicated researcher in all areas of ancestral health, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition, personal trainer, and professional almond milk latte addict.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.
Berberine, The Missing Ingredient to Your Gut Health
If someone told you there was a safe, natural weight loss supplement that could also support healthy blood sugar and gut health, would you try it?
Berberine is so well-studied that it’s considered as effective as pharmaceutical drugs for certain conditions. It’s been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat various ailments.
So why haven’t more people heard of it? Berberine is widely viewed as an over-the-counter drug, but on its own, it gets overshadowed by trendier supplements that promise faster results (although less proven). Here’s the scoop on this little-known, yet powerful supplement.
What Is Berberine?
Berberine is a component (known as an alkaloid) extracted from the roots, rhizomes, stems, and bark of certain plants like Oregon grape, barberry, goldenseal, and tree turmeric. It was used in ancient China both medicinally and as a fabric dye, due to its bright yellow coloring.
Modern science proves that berberine is an effective health supplement.
How it works: berberine is absorbed in the digestive system and sent to the bloodstream, where it is taken into the cells. From here, it interacts with specific metabolic and molecular processes and can literally change components of cell function.
This is especially beneficial for people with chronic conditions. It can even change the way certain genes express themselves, and is influential on the energy levels of cells.
7 Proven Health Benefits of Berberine
Here are seven of the most effective ways to use berberine to boost your health. As always, speak with your doctor before adding a supplement to your health routine.
1. Fights Bad Gut Bacteria
Berberine is antimicrobial, making it great for the digestive system and microbiome. In particular, berberine can help to destroy the ulcer-forming bacteria H. pylori when taken twice daily for six weeks. It can also be used to fight other types of bacteria and fungi, such as staph and candida.
Supplementing with berberine can also modulate “bad” gut bacteria, which can have destructive effects on the body like insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity. It is also helpful in cases of SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and can work as an antibiotic treatment without the gut-disrupting side effects.
2. Balances Blood Sugar
Berberine can lower blood sugar levels, making it a great alternative to pharmaceutical medication when treating type 2 diabetes. It not only treats diabetes itself, but the serious complications of this disease as well, like nerve problems, slow wound healing, and even stroke.
Specifically, berberine helps diabetes by increasing the ability of cells to take in glucose, lowering the amount of circulating glucose, dropping blood sugar levels, and improving insulin sensitivity. The positive effects of berberine for type 2 diabetes can be seen after two to three months when taken twice daily.
While berberine is far from a “miracle” weight loss drug, research shows that it can help lead to weight reduction in those with obesity.
Berberine helps improve insulin sensitivity and normalizes blood sugar levels, while also helping to regulate the hormones that control appetite and satiety. It also works to speed up metabolism as it revs the engines inside each individual cell.
This helps decrease body fat percentage, along with actual weight. In one study berberine helped people drop from obese to overweight in just three months by reducing belly fat and improving overall health markers. This study relied on 300 milligrams of berberine, three times daily, for three months.
While cholesterol in and of itself isn’t a bad thing – it is used to transport nutrients in the body – when LDL cholesterol becomes oxidized, it is associated with plaque build-up in the arteries and heart disease.
6. Improves Mood
If you’ve been feeling down lately, berberine may be able to help. It functions as an antidepressant in the brain by increasing the neurotransmitters that produce a stable, regulated mood: serotonin and dopamine.
While berberine alone won’t replace your prescribed antidepressants (in fact, you shouldn’t take them with this kind of medication at all), it might be a great supplement for those with mild, unmedicated depression.
Berberine has also been used successfully during fertility treatment to improve the pregnancy outcomes of women who have PCOS. It works as effectively as metformin, the pharmaceutical treatment for PCOS, without all of the unpleasant side effects that include gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, and stomach cramping.
Is Berberine Safe?
Berberine is not known to have serious side effects, but like all supplements, it can interact with other supplements and medications. You should always talk to your doctor before talking any new supplement.
When taken as recommended, berberine produces little or no side effects, but when taken in higher doses, it can cause nausea and constipation.
The average recommended dose of berberine is 500 milligrams two or three times daily, but practitioners may recommend different doses for different conditions. If you’re just starting berberine, start at a low dose and work your way up to taking it three times daily at the full dose.
Berberine isn’t safe for long-term, endless use. It’s also not safe for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children, or for people who are taking blood thinners, antidepressants, or any medication aimed at lowering glucose or insulin levels.
Always take berberine with a meal to avoid an upset stomach and to improve its effectiveness.
How to Take Berberine?
Berberine can be found in a few different forms, but the highest quality is known as “berberine HCL”. It can be found in health food stores or online retailers that sell supplements.
To be effective, berberine needs to be taken two or three times daily, spread out, because it has a short half-life and will not remain in the bloodstream if you only take it once a day.
The Bottom Line
Berberine is a well-studied supplement with a host of beneficial possibilities. In the age of focusing on gut health, it’s another way to naturally support the microbiome while also boosting other aspects of health.
Aimee McNew is a Certified Nutritionist who specializes in women’s health, thyroid problems, infertility, and digestive wellness. She ate her way back to health using a Paleo diet, lost 80 pounds, and had a healthy baby after numerous miscarriages. She focuses on simple nutrition practices that promote long-lasting results.
A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.
Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.
Scientists even made an index called the glycemic index to rank foods you should eat and avoid.
But a new study in the journal Clinical Nutrition now challenges this view. In fact, it found that one of the highest glycemic index foods actually lowered blood sugar if the blood sugar was tested properly.
The research team, led by scientists from the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, noticed three things about the glycemic index that made them suspicious and caused them to question its use as a guide to food consumption for diabetics.
1. Most previous studies that place food on the glycemic index were performed in the morning, when blood glucose tends to be at its lowest after a night without food.
2. Most such studies had tested foods consumed in isolation from other foods, but that’s not the way people typically eat. We eat mixed meals composed of various foods.
3. Most studies had used nonclinical cohorts, meaning that nothing was known about the subjects’ typical blood glucose responses and medical histories. Many subjects were tested on only one food type, leaving nothing or no one to compare them with.
To remedy these three flaws, the scientists recruited 25 subjects with an average age of 58.3 years. They had all been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, and they had an average body mass index of 31.7 kg/m2. All of the subjects had their diabetes under control.
The researchers divided the participants into four groups that were all given the same breakfast and lunch (25 and 35% of daily energy intake, respectively). The participants then received a supper with 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 20% proteins.
But the suppers differed in one respect. It included either one boiled potato, one roasted potato, one boiled potato cooled for 24 hours, or basmati rice. All of the potatoes were skinless.
If you know your glycemic index, you know that rice is low on the index, while potatoes are high.
The scientists collected their subjects’ blood before the meal, immediately after the meal, and four more times every 30 minutes.
They also asked them to wear a continuous glucose monitor to check their glucose throughout the night.
They reached two interesting conclusions:
1. The subjects’ blood glucose did not differ just after the meal, regardless of whether they had the low-GI basmati rice or the high-GI potatoes.
2. The blood glucose of the subjects who ate the potatoes as part of their evening meal was lower during the night than the glucose of those who ate the basmati rice.
If this finding can be confirmed by future research, it is incredibly important, because it shows that a high-GI food is perfectly safe for type-2 diabetics if it is consumed as part of a healthy meal.
It would mean that the glycemic index is not the right tool to advise diabetics or others on what to eat as components of mixed-food meals. It is only appropriate to tell them what to eat or avoid in isolation.
What’s even more important is to avoid food that causes inflammation. Choosing carefully what you put in your mouth may be enough to cure many diseases without spending a fortune on specific foods and supplements. Top five Foods to Avoid:
1) Refined Sugars and High Fructose Corn Syrup
When we consume sugars (in any form), our blood sugar level shoots up, our minerals get depleted (dealing with the sugars) and enzyme and hormone function changes. All these factors trigger inflammation.
High fructose corn syrup is even worse. Not just because of its chemical structure but also because it’s so cheap that it’s snuck into almost everything. If you look at a graph for increase in high fructose corn syrup consumption and new type 2 diabetes cases since 1980, you’ll see two almost parallel lines.
However, just because HFCS is getting really bad press, don’t forget that sugar is sugar; and sugar is one of the main causes of inflammation no matter what form it’s in (white, brown, raw, organic, fruit sugars etc.).
If you want something sweet, go for whole fruits. Even dry fruits that are high in calories are much better for you because of the amount of fiber that slows down digestion. Organic honey in moderation is also very healthy.
2) Dairy Products
Contrary to what we’ve been told since toddlerhood, milk is NOT healthy for most people. Studies have shown that up to 60% of people cannot digest cow’s milk properly. A milk allergy is one of the most common, but least recognized allergies. Eating food that you can’t digest triggers inflammation.
Many studies, including one from China by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, have revealed dairy as one of the biggest contributors to almost all modern health issues, including cancer. They’ve also shown there are no calcium benefits to drinking milk. To the contrary; milk can rob your bones of calcium. Many of these studies have, however, been buried using billions of dollars from the dairy industry.
Due to increased awareness of milk allergies and popularity of vegan diets, there are now several great alternatives to milk available in supermarkets. These include organic soy milk, almond milk, rice milk and more. Different people like different things, so try them all out and see what you like.
3) Common Cooking Oils
One of the biggest triggers of inflammation is imbalance between Omega 3 and Omega 6 fat in your diet. Consuming fish, flax seed and other oil high in Omega 3 is not only recommended because Omega 3 is healthier than Omega 6; it’s more because Omega 6 is more available and we tend to consume more Omega 6.
So you can either eat a whole lot of Omega 3 fats or try to avoid some of the Omega 6. And one of the biggest sources of Omega 6 fats comes from common cooking oils such as grape seed, cottonseed, safflower, corn, and sunflower oils.
These oils are used in high amounts in almost all take out and prepared foods. If it’s oily (and even if it’s not) assume it was cooked in oil that is high in Omega 6, low Omega 3 fatty acids.
To balance our Omega 6/Omega 3 consumption, we want to avoid most cheap vegetable oils mentioned before and use instead macadamia oil, extra virgin olive oil, or other oils with more favorable Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids ratio.
You should also be aware of both Saturated and Trans-fats in high doses. Here again, the name of the fat is not as important as where it comes from.
Organic grass-fed beef can be high in both trans- and saturated fat. However, I’ve not seen a single study indicating that fat from this source is in any way bad for you. Consume, however, fats with the same name from fast food sources and processed, prepared food… and be ready to call the ambulance.
4) Refined Grains
Highly refined grains such as white flour and white rice are little better than refined sugars. They spike your blood sugar levels and play with your hormones and enzymes. Because of how quickly these refined grains are metabolized into the body, they’re also a highway to obesity.
Your body transfers refined grains into blood sugar 15 times faster than whole grain. That means that a 300 calorie bowl of white pasta will be in your blood stream in 10 minutes spiking your blood sugar level, transferring into fat and causing inflammation all over the body. The same calorie bowl of whole grain pasta takes more than two hours to settle into our blood stream, gently energizing every cell in your body.
So instead of white flour and rice I suggest you try various, delicious types of whole grains and whole rice. Not only are they healthier, they also taste much better. Be wary when you buy bread, cereal and other premade food. The package and ads may say “whole grain bread” or “made with whole grain,” but when you read the label, often the first ingredient is white flour or sugar.
5) Flavorings and Other Chemicals
I hesitated on whether or not I should actually include this last section. After all, we’re not really talking about foods. However, all kinds of chemicals are so widely used as ingredients and food processing that I couldn’t leave it out.
Your immune system is skeptical of anything it doesn’t recognize or can’t digest. Most flavorings, preservatives and other chemicals used in food can’t be digested. Therefore, when those chemicals reach the bloodstream, they trigger inflammation responses in the immune system. This inflammation response transfers all over the body, causing chronic inflammation.
The best line of defense is to avoid processed foods as much as you can. Almost any type of food that has five or more ingredients includes some kind of chemicals. Don’t be fooled by products including “natural flavorings,” as these can be just as bad as artificial flavors.
Unfortunately, many whole foods today are treated in one way or another with chemicals. Almost all apples and many other fruits sold in supermarkets are, for example, treated with chemicals that inhibit the natural hormone that ripens the fruits. Animals are loaded with drugs and chemicals before slaughtering.
The only way you can (almost) know for sure you’re getting a chemical-free product is if it’s 100% organic.
Since the five types of food I discussed in this article are so common, it’s almost impossible to avoid them all completely. Being aware and doing your best to reduce the use of those inflammation-triggering foods will go a long way in healing diseases like arthritis and type 2 diabetes.
If you want to take it a step further, you may want to check out simple steps that reverse the inflammatory response and completely heal you. Many of the health guides on the right this side take on inflammation head-on. The two that are most focused on this issue are:
Researchers from the University of Bristol and University College London published an article in a recent edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal that proved completely different cause.
One that we actually can manage but also need to be managed by society as whole.
And it’s no small cause, it increases your risk of Type 2 Diabetes whooping 12%.
Researchers analyzed data from 19 studies previously conducted on 140,825 subjects across the United States, Europe, and Australia. None of them had diabetes when their respective studies began.
At the beginning they were asked whether they were concerned about the possibility of losing their jobs, or whether they were feeling job secure. They were then followed for an average of 9.4 years so the researchers could compare the health consequences for those who felt job insecure with those who did not.
19 percent more of those with poor job security developed diabetes in subsequent years than their job secure peers did.
When the scientists excluded the studies that did not properly eliminate socioeconomic status, age, sex, weight, physical activity levels, alcohol use, and smoking as possible contributing factors, they still found that those who worried about losing their jobs were 12 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who had no such concerns.
This post is from the 3 Steps Diabetes Strategy Program. It was created by Jodi Knapp from Blue Heron health news that has been recognized as one of the top-quality national health information websites.
In this program, Jodi Knapp shares practical tips and advice on how you can prevent and cure diabetes naturally. She also dispels myths commonly associated with diabetes, like for example, diabetes being a lifelong condition. There are also lots of information going around that is simply not true and she’s here to correct it.
Diabetes is a disease, and it can be cured. This is just one of the important tips Jodi reveals in her program. Also, she included several ways in preventing the onset of disease, choosing the right food to eat, recommended vitamin supplements, the right time of the day to take the blood sugar and many more.
But the most amazing thing would have to be her program which only takes 3 simple steps to help you to control & treat type 2 diabetes. What it does is cure diabetes without having to rely on expensive drugs, diets that make sufferers crave for even more food they are not supposed to eat, and exercise programs that make people feel tired and depressed.
