10 Symptoms You Have a Leaky Gut—and How to Heal It

There are several symptoms that we experience which may cause our physicians to have a hard time determining what our body’s problem really is. One of the most common health problems that on the gray area, often undiagnosed is the leaky gut.

Like many of us, you are probably wondering what a leaky gut is exactly. A leaky gut or "intestinal permeability" is said to have the symptoms of bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivities, and aches and pains.

It is a condition in which the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, causing undigested food particles, toxic waste products, and bacteria to "leak" through the intestines and flood the . Hence the name.

The foreign substances that enter the blood can cause an autoimmune response in the body. These can range from inflammatory and allergic reactions such as migraines, irritable bowel, and eczema to chronic fatigue, food allergies, rheumatoid arthritis and more.

When suffering from a leaky gut, damaged cells in your intestines don't produce the enzymes needed for proper digestion. This results in hormonal imbalances and a weak immune system since your body will be unable to absorb the essential nutrients from the food you eat.

Despite this condition, even at the worst of times. It is always important to remember that, “Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” - Vivotion

10 Symptoms You Have a Leaky Gut

So, here are 10 of the most common symptoms that might be signs of a leaky gut according to Dr. Leo Galland, director of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine.

1. Digestion problems
   These symptoms can vary from simple chronic diarrhea, constipation and heartburn/acid reflux to more innocent symptoms such as excessive gas, bloating and burping.


2. Nutritional deficiencies
   A leaky gut can mess with your gut lining, letting bigger particles pass through that shouldn’t. They sometimes let the big baddies through (eg. gluten), while they stop letting the small good guys pass (eg. nutrients). This problem can lead to malabsorption of nutrients and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Thus, acquiring other health problems for a weak immune system and lack of nutrients.


3. Food allergies/intolerances
   When undigested food particles, or toxins in general, cross the gut barrier and into your bloodstream, food sensitivities may arise. Basically, this is how the body responses: when food particles that shouldn’t make it through to your bloodstream, do make it, your body considers them intruders and works hard to raise the immune response to destroy them. That’s what happens. The foods your body previous tolerates can become intolerable in an instant.


4. Skin problems
   Skin problems like eczema, acne, Rosacea, Psoriasis and rashes may occur to a person who has a leaky gut.


5. Autoimmune diseases
   Leaky gut can strongly be linked to AI conditions such as Celiac Disease. Other health problems aren’t as strong but can still result in rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, type 2 diabetes, and asthma.


6. Depression and anxiety
   80% of your serotonin is housed in your gut, that’s why some consider it our second brain. This means that a leaky gut, which causes inflammation and havoc down there in general, can highly affect how you feel.


7. Headaches, brain fog, and memory loss
   Considering these symptoms are very common for a wide variety of reasons. Only consider a leaky guy being the cause if you experience these feelings despite sleeping and eating well.


8. Inflammatory bowel disease
   The link between inflammatory bowel disease and a leaky gut is quite clear. The generally accepted connection is that intestinal hyperpermeability starts, then it leads to the development of IBD.


9. Allergies
   Leaky gut is also linked to causing seasonal allergies, for example, pet allergies. And we don’t know about you, but we don’t want to live a life of having to consciously avoid cute little puppies. Don’t worry, however, sealing up the gut barrier and re-inoculating your gut with probiotics will fix this problem.


10. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
    This condition is one of the best indicators that a person has leaky gut.

How to Heal a Leaky Gut

The major key to curing a leaky gut is changing your diet. You should start eliminating the foods that your body treats as toxic.

Seek for the advice of your nutritionist on which foods you should be removing from your diet. This is as it may vary between each patient.

A case study shows that after her nutritionist advised her to eliminate gluten, dairy, soy, refined sugar, caffeine and alcohol, her energy levels rose. One woman happily said diarrhea, bloating and gases have subsided and she was sleeping like a baby at night. In fact, she also said she felt like a new person after six weeks!

In addition to avoiding foods your body find toxic, you can also add up your diet with foods that will help repair your leaky gut. These include healthy fats such as fish, coconut and olive oils; avocados and flax; probiotics to restore the healthy bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract; and L-glutamine, an amino acid that rejuvenates the lining of the intestinal wall.

Here is a more specific list of the foods great to improve your digestive health:

• Vegetables: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, arugula, carrots, kale, eggplant, beetroot, Swiss chard, spinach, ginger, mushroomsand zucchini.


• Roots and tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, squashand turnips.


• Fermented vegetables: Kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, and miso.


• Fruit: Coconut, grapes, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, oranges, mandarin, lemon, limes, passionfruit, and papaya.


• Sprouted seeds: Chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and more.


• Gluten-free grains: Buckwheat, amaranth, rice (brown and white), sorghum, teffand gluten-free oats.


• Healthy fats: Avocado, avocado oil, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil.


• Fish: Salmon, tuna, herring, and other omega-3-rich fish.


• Meats and eggs: Lean cuts of chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, and eggs.


• Herbs and spices: All herbs and spices.


• Cultured dairy products: Kefir, yogurt, Greek yogurtand traditional buttermilk.


• Beverages: Bone broth, teas, coconut milk, nut milk, waterand kombucha.


• Nuts: Raw nuts including peanuts, almonds and nut-based products, such as nut milk.