Ep 38: Understanding Leaky Gut: Key Nutrition Strategies

In this informational video, we will be diving into the topic of leaky gut and discussing key nutrition strategies to help manage and support your gut health. Leaky gut, also known as intestinal permeability, occurs when the lining of the intestine becomes damaged, allowing undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria to leak into the bloodstream. This can lead to inflammation, digestive issues, and a weakened immune system. 

By implementing specific nutrition strategies, such as incorporating gut-healing foods like bone broth, fermented vegetables, and prebiotic-rich foods, you can help repair the gut lining and support a healthy digestive system. We will also explore the importance of avoiding inflammatory foods, such as processed sugars, gluten, and dairy, which can exacerbate leaky gut symptoms.

Join us as we discuss the importance of a balanced and nutrient-dense diet for optimal gut health and overall well-being. Empower yourself with the knowledge and tools needed to support your gut health and enhance your quality of life.

Stay tuned for practical tips and expert advice on nutrition strategies for leaky gut!

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Transcript

Leaky gut. You have it, you think you have it. Someone's told you you have it, or you know someone who has that condition. Well, if you click this link, I think you've come to the right place because here we're going to talk about what leaky gut is, how it can affect your health and some of the actions that you can take today to help improve your health that may be affected by leaky gut. My name is David Maloof.
 
 I am the host of Adventures in Good Health podcast. I am not a doctor, nor have I ever played one on television. But what I am is a person with an engineering background and also a background in problem solving. I am a big believer on one hand on science and research, and on the other, I am a big believer in natural approaches to good health. The two concepts are not
 
 mutually exclusive. So, if you are of the same belief, I think you've clicked the right video. Okay, so today we're going to discuss leaky gut, what it is, how it affects your body, and some of the actions that you can take today to help improve your health. All right, so let's start with leaky gut. What is it? Well, at a very high level in your digestive system, you know, you eat food,
 
 and your food travels down the esophagus into your stomach. And that's where the digestive process is taking place. And then your food is turned into more of a liquid form, and it passes into your intestines, specifically your small intestine and then your large intestine. When we talk about a gut, we're typically talking about, in this context, we're talking about your digestive tract, your intestinal system.
 
 So, the food passes through your intestines and there you have the linings of your intestines. They literally grab the nutrients at the microscopic level. They grab those nutrients, and they pass them into your bloodstream where those nutrients are distributed throughout your body, which is necessary for life. Sometimes the lining of the intestines becomes damaged.
 
 And when that happens, more than just nutrients get passed into your bloodstream. The damaged lining will allow toxins and undigested food particles and bacteria to pass into your bloodstream where those bad things are distributed throughout your body. Or sometimes those bad things will get into the underlying tissues inside the intestines or around the intestines.
 
 and that will result in inflammation. If you've listened to any of our podcasts, particularly the podcast involving, I had an expert on this show, Dr. Steven Tate, he emphasizes the importance of inflammation and keeping inflammation under control because so many chronic health diseases are tied to inflammation. With that understood, that is a very, very high level.
 
 explanation of how your digestive tract works and some of the problems that could be associated with a leaky gut. So your gut is literally allowing the bad stuff to get into your body, hence the leaky portion. So, I don't think I'm going to win a Nobel Prize for medicine on that rather rudimentary explanation of how our digestive tract works. If you would like to know more in terms of at a
 
 At an anatomy level, there are certainly videos on YouTube that are produced by doctors that can get into the absolute detail of how our digestive system works. Okay, so if someone has leaky gut, how does that affect your health? Well, there are two basic categories of chronic illnesses that can be affected by leaky gut. First is this first group right here. So, these are known
 
 symptoms of gastrointestinal conditions. So, we're talking about celiac disease, Crohn's disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. There is a direct connection between leaky gut and these particular conditions. But there are additional conditions that there appears to be some scientific evidence to be a connection between
 
 these health conditions and leaky gut. And I'm not going to go through this full list. We're talking lupus, type one diabetes, multiple sclerosis. You can see the list right there. There is some evidence that leaky gut could be tied to some of these conditions. It certainly is intuitive that if your intestines are allowing the bad stuff to get into your bloodstream,
 
 where it's distributed through your body, it is intuitive that that is gonna cause problems and will manifest itself in a lot of different ways in your body. So, that's leaky gut and that explains at a very high level some of the problems associated with leaky gut. Now what can we do about it? Alright, so we're gonna take a couple of different approaches when we're talking about improving your health with the leaky gut. Number one, we need to address the inflammation.
 
 And number two, we need to address the good bacteria that's in your body. Now, why are we taking that approach? So first, inflammation has a, it's going to cause a lot of different problems throughout your body. But one thing it will definitely do is it makes your intestines a bad place for your good bacteria. And that good bacterium plays a critical role in your digestive.
 
 process. If your good bacteria are not thriving, it throws your entire digestive process completely out of balance. Your body is not absorbing the nutrients that it needs and it's just causing an awful lot of problems. So now with a very high-level understanding of how your digestive tract works and what leaky gut is and how it can affect your body,
 
 All right let's talk about what are we gonna do. And one of the first things that we can do is looking at what we eat. There are foods that are anti -inflammatory, inflammatory, and just kind of neutral. Okay, here are the foods that cause inflammation that we need to avoid. All right, first up, red meat, such as steaks and hamburgers.
 
 Processed meat, such as bologna, bacon, sausage, and lunch meat. Commercial baked goods, such as snack cakes, pies, cookies, and brownies.
 
 Bread and pasta made with white flour. Deep fried items such as French fries, fried chicken, and donuts. I live in Atlanta. We love our fried chicken.
 
 
 Foods high in sugar, such as candy, jelly, and syrup. Sugar sweetened beverages, such as soda, bottled or canned tea drinks, and sport drinks. You know, over 50 years ago, my aunt warned me about drinking soda. She told me it wasn't good for me. Of course I didn't listen. But even back then, they knew. And finally,
 
 trans fats found in margarine, microwave popcorn, refrigerated biscuits and dough, and non -dairy coffee creamers. Let me ask you something. Is there anything on this list that is really surprising? So let's just pretend we're not talking about inflammation. Let's just say we're talking about foods that are generally considered to be fairly unhealthy to begin with.
 
 It's like this is like the dirty dozen, the list of the dirty dozen types of foods that we really want to refrain from having in our diet as much as possible. And lo and behold, they also cause inflammation. So you want to reduce the amount of food, of this type of food, that you are taking or you're consuming into your system. So these are the foods that we really want to refrain from. And I'm not going to say, oh, you absolutely
 
 You know, we do not absolutely want to eat any type of food that's on this list. It's usually about a question of balance. The only thing I would say is that personally, if I was suffering from a chronic disease and I had a strong suspicion that that disease may be tied to some of the food that I'm taking, I absolutely would, I personally would stop eating that food. That really wouldn't be a question. All right.
 
 So now we are talking about foods that are inflammatory. Now what are some of the foods that are anti -inflammatory? So let's go ahead and let's take a look at that list right here. Okay, let's start with fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines. Olive oil. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collards.
 
 nuts such as almonds and walnuts.
 
 fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges, and tomatoes.
 
 Now look at this list right here. We have tomatoes are considered anti -inflammatory. Now that's very interesting because tomatoes are part of the nightshade family and nightshades have kind of a bad reputation for a lot of people. So in researching for this video, I was looking for problems that are associated with nightshades and there's not a lot of scientific backing.
 
 or research that says that nightshades are just by themselves a bad food. So then why do they have a bad reputation? Well, there is anecdotal evidence that some people are negatively affected by nightshades. When I'm talking about nightshades, it's tomatoes, white potatoes, you can see the list, some of the spices that are on this list. So here's my advice. If you eat foods, certain types of foods, and you do not notice a problem,
 
 with your digestive tract, then they should be fine to eat. But if you eat a food and it causes problems, avoid that food. I mean, it really just comes down to avoiding the foods that you feel are definitely causing you some problems. So we've talked a little bit about inflammatory foods and we've talked a little bit about anti -inflammatory foods. Now there is another approach, or I should say an additional approach.
 
 and for the anti-inflammatory. And now we're gonna talk a little bit about some of the herbal supplements that you can take to help improve the inflammation in your body. So I'm gonna categorize these herbal supplements into two areas. First, you're gonna have the medicinal herbs, and then you have the kitchen herbs. All right, so what are the medicinal herbs? Well, these are your most
 
 powerful anti -inflammatory herbs currently known and here are two of them We're talking Gentian root and burdock root now if you've listened to any of our podcasts when I have One of my common guests on this show is dr. Steven Tate's he is a master herbalist and a natural path he calls these two herbs the king and queen of
 
 of herbs. Now these are bitter herbs. In other words, they come not from the leaf or not from the flower of the plant, but they come from the stem, the bark, or the root. So they're going to be a little more bitter. These are also not the type of herbs that you would just sprinkle on a salad. Normally they're concerned, they are consumed either as a concentrate, a type of pill, or in a tonic. Now one of the major
 
 sponsors on this show is Dr. Tates herbal tinctures and Tonics. There is one of their products is called the Dr. Tate's Herbal Blood Tonic. I personally have been taking this blood tonic since 2014. That is long before this show ever started. Long before they ever became a Dr. Tates ever became a sponsor of this show. I've been taking it for over 10 years, practically every day. I feel it helps.
 
 and it is loaded with herbs, specifically anti -inflammatory herbs, and the top two that are in that tonic just happens to be gentian and burdock root. So, if you're interested in the tonics, you can see this code that's coming in down below. If you put in that code and click the link in the description and you will receive 10 % off
 
 your entire order with Dr. Tate's herbal tinctures and tonics. And not just one order, but you can use that code all year long and save 10 % on all your orders. So that is one option if you would like to take your medicinal herbs in a tonic form. But however you take it, these herbs are highly beneficial. Now, there is another approach or another type of herb and those are what we call the kitchen herbs.
 
 They're called that because these are typically culinary herbs that you just happen to have in your kitchen. So, let's go ahead and let's pull up this particular list. Okay. I'm not going to read off the entire list, but black pepper, turmeric, a couple of very common, there's a decent chance that you have these herbs in your kitchen right now. So, I was doing a podcast a few weeks ago and my guest was talking about.
 
 kitchen herbs. And I just asked a question, which was, so, so do you take like a spoonful of turmeric? Is that the intent? And he was like, no, no, no, no. These are culinary herbs and spices that are anti -inflammatory. Uh, the intent is you sprinkle them on your food as you normally would. So, if you have a, a green salad full of nice leafy greens that are anti -inflammatory,
 
 and you sprinkle a little black pepper, you just made that particular meal even more anti -inflammatory. So the intent is not to consume these culinary herbs really any differently than you ever would. Just sprinkle them on your food, but just be aware that these particular herbs or spices are anti -inflammatory. All right, so that's inflammation. Now let's talk about biotics. These are...
 
 the germs or microbes or bacteria, however you want, whatever term you want to use that live in your gut. So let's take that approach. You have probably heard the term probiotics. So probiotics are foods that contain the live microbes already in the food. And so when you eat the food, the microbes are not destroyed by your digestive tract.
  

They actually pass through your stomach. They enter your digestive tract, your intestines, and there they're like, Ooh, I like this place. And they grow and they thrive, and they do their thing to help our digestive tract. To help those microbes is that you would then take prebiotics. So, the idea is that the prebiotics help feed the microbes. All right. So that's.
 
 very high level what the strategy is, what, what type of foods are we talking about? All right, here we go. These are the probiotic foods, yogurt, pickles, kombucha, which is a type of fermented tea, miso, kimchi, tempeh, sauerkraut, and kefir. Now of these foods,
 
 based on the research I've done, kefir seems to have the highest concentration of probiotics, but you really cannot go wrong with any of these foods. When you're looking for probiotics, check for live cultures or active cultures on the food labels. All right, so now you've got your food that's introducing the good bacteria into your gut. Now, how do you make that bacterium happy? All right, here we go. Here's a list of
 
 prebiotics, fermented vegetables, legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils, dandelion greens, burdock. Now remember we talked about burdock a few minutes ago. There's a reason Dr. Tate's calls burdock the king of herbs. It is a powerful prebiotic.
 
 garlic, leeks and onions, honey, oats and seaweed. Now a couple of months ago we did an entire episode on Irish moss, which is just seaweed. And I do recall Dr. Tate's making a big deal about the prebiotics. So that's a very powerful prebiotic food. Now this list is not exhaustive. It's just eight of my favorite prebiotics.
 
 but there certainly are plenty more. This food is good for you. Now, one piece of advice that is based on research and scientific evidence is that people do not need to eat huge quantities of either probiotics or prebiotics. It's not like you just have to eat just tons and tons of yogurt and just tons and tons of fermented vegetables. Actually, a little bit.
 
 for most people, a little bit goes a long way. Now you could take the advice of a guy that you're watching on YouTube, or you could take this a little bit different approach. So, let's talk about the strategy going forward. My recommendation is there are a list of people that you can talk to that could give you very specific advice and could help you develop a very specific plan. So here we go.
 
 You can talk to your medical doctor. That's right. Your doctor probably has a pretty good idea of your particular health conditions and may have some good recommendations regarding the type of foods that you should eat or potentially refrain from. You can also talk to your local nutritionist, natural path or master herbal expert. These are people who are in your community.
 
 who you can reach out to, who can help you develop a food strategy. If you don't know of a natural path or a master herbalist in your area, you can reach our sponsor, who is Dr. Steven Tates. He does do consultations. The best way to reach Dr. Tates is calling this phone number right here. It's coming up on the screen.
 
 It is 404 -459 -8696. It really doesn't matter where you live in the US or North America. Dr. Tate's would be happy to talk to you and help you develop a plan. But the fact is, we control our own health. We have enormous control over our own health. One of the best things that we can do,
 
 is to simply allow our bodies to heal. Our bodies have an amazing ability to heal. Sometimes we just have to sometimes get out of our own way or perhaps take a little additional effort to set our bodies up for success. That can be a hard thing to do because you're getting information from so many directions, YouTube, but in many other places.
 
 And so sometimes it's hard to know exactly what the best step is to do. What is the best strategy? Having a coach or a mentor help walk you through this process is usually a very good investment in your time and your effort. And that's why I'm mentioning you. If you're suffering, particularly from a chronic disease, you need help. You need someone to help walk you through your journey.
 
 This video, I hope you found it helpful as a first step, but it's just a first step. Uh, you really need to talk to someone who can talk to you as a human being one -on -one, understand your lifestyle, the foods that you're eating and develop a strategy so you can heal your digestive tract. You can get rid of that leaky gut. And if you have a chronic disease that is being affected by that leaky gut.
 
 then you can improve your health. That's what this is all about. All right. So, uh, that's it for this particular podcast. You may have noticed this is a little bit different format. I'm normally doing my podcasts, uh, in my studio. It's usually a couple of talking heads. It's me and an expert, and we're talking about a particular topic. Uh, this time it's just me talking to you. Uh, and it's what? 70 degrees.
 
 Fahrenheit, I think that's like 20 degrees Celsius here in Atlanta. You can, maybe you can even hear the birds. It's a beautiful day. And my wife said, why don't you do your podcast from the deck? It's a beautiful day. Uh, so here I am. So it's a little bit different format, but I enjoy talking to you. And so if you have any recommendations, uh, for future podcasts that you would like us to explore, then reach out to me.
 
 David Maloof (23:59.468)
 a comment and just post a comment in this video. I definitely do read, I read those comments and I respond to those comments, and I appreciate the ideas. Please like, and if you haven't done so already, ooh, please subscribe. That really helps the algorithm for the show. And one other piece of advice, or actually one more request that I have for you is that if you know someone who you think may benefit,
 
 From the information in this video, please share the video. They will appreciate that. I think this is important information. Okay. Well, that's it for now. This is David Maloof signing off, exploring natural approaches to good health. That does it for this episode of Adventures in Good Health. We would like to hear from you regarding this podcast and any suggestions you have for future podcasts.
 
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