If you have leaky gut, Crohn’s disease, IBS, inflammatory bowel disease or any other gut disorder, your first priority is healing your gut. Due to our modern environment, more people than ever are dealing with severe gut issues. Every other person I talk to seems to bring up a digestive issue at some point during a conversation. I dealt with some digestive health struggles growing up young with some food sensitivities. Whether you were like me or have more severe diagnosed gut issues, generally symptoms can be drastically improved even if you may not be able to fully cure a Crohn’s disease for example. Here is a list containing some of the best gut lining healers known.
–Gelatin– Gelatin is a pure protein harvested from beef or pork. What makes it unique is that it is pure connective tissue, often called collagen. I have written about using gelatin to regenerate your skin and joints. Fortunately, gelatin acts to regenerate the gut lining as well. The regeneration of a healthy gut lining is priority number one for those with serious gut issues. This is especially true for leaky gut syndrome.
Glutamine is a common supplement used to regenerate the gut lining. I recommend gelatin over glutamine. Why? Because taking isolated amino acids like glutamine leads to amino acid imbalances. In the case of glutamine, supplementation without also leads to slight excitotoxicity in the neurons.
Instead of glutamine, take gelatin, which contains glutamine. Gelatin also contains glycine, which protects your brain cells from the excitotoxic effects of glutamine. Every nutrient works better and is safest in its whole food form.
When you consume gelatin, it coats your intestinal lining and can act as a sort of temporary barrier to allergenic food particles, preventing the inflammatory cascade of damage to your gut. When taken before every meal, gelatin can assist in eventually allowing the gut lining to heal itself in this preventative fashion.
Chia Seeds
–Chia Seeds– Chia seeds, when hydrated in water, form a gel coating due to their unusually high content of soluble fiber. When consumed, this soluble fiber gel coats and soothes the intestinal lining which curbs allergic inflammatory reactions to problem foods. When hydrated chia seeds are eaten before meals, digestion will often immediately improve.
Ground chia seeds are best to eat, soak them in 9 parts water to 1 part chia seed powder. Once the gel forms in about 10 minutes, eat a spoonful before meals and store the rest in the fridge for up to a week.
–Fermented Food– This should be first on the list for anyone who has taken antibiotics. Err, just about everybody I guess. Probiotics have been studied to change the expression of hundreds of different genes in your body. Many probiotic strains down regulate pro inflammatory genes in your body. This exerts powerful healing effects in the gut and is necessary for the reversal of leaky gut and inflammatory bowel disorders.
Fermented foods also fight off and crowd out the pathogens in your gut which produce toxic byproducts. You will feel better when your gut is no longer a toxic factory!
Water kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, non processed yogurt and kombucha are a few good fermented foods to try out.
–Bromelain– A protein digesting enzyme derived from pineapples, bromelain is a powerful digestive aid. When taken with meals, bromelain breaks down allergenic proteins like gluten or casein before they can cause severe gastric and systemic inflammation.
I typically avoid or minimize any modern wheat derived gluten or casein, but when I indulge on rare cheat meals containing a personal allergen, I take a capsule of bromelain before and after the meal. With this strategy my digestion remains largely unaffected by meals that used to make me destroy bathrooms. Everyone with gut issues is suffering from different causes, but if your gut issues were anything like mine (certain protein sensitivities), bromelain will help.
–Bovine Colostrum– The queen of all gut healers, colostrum literally was designed by nature to generate a healthy gut lining in mammals after birth. Colostrum contains 86 unique growth factors which rapidly generate healthy intestinal lining.
Simultaneously, proline-rich polypeptides (PRPs) in colostrum shut down the bodies production of harmful allergenic TH2 cytokines while keeping healthy white blood cell production high.
The combination of growth factors and PRPs make bovine colostrum the most valuable food for anyone whose digestion is even slightly ailing. Those with severe gut issues should use colostrum as their base tool for disease remedy.
BONUS A 6th bonus is the herb turmeric. The active compounds are curcuminoids, powerfully anti inflammatory action assists in gut health as it is inflammation itself that destroys gut health.
Summary
These are 5 (+1) powerful foods that will 1.) protect your gut lining from allergic immune reaction and 2.) regenerate your intestinal lining to prevent leaky gut and the development of food sensitivities. Though they were written in no order, colostrum is the most powerful for gut health followed by gelatin, fermented foods, bromelain, chia seeds and turmeric.
Always consult your doctor when trying new things.
I wish you the best journey in health
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