Contributed by Diamond Sydnor
Are you always tired? Do you deal with nutritional deficiencies? Are you always bloated or constipated? Skin problems such as acne or even eczema? Do you deal with constant inflammation? You may have what they call the “leaky gut syndrome.” What is the leaky gut syndrome you may ask? Leaky gut syndrome is a digestion condition that affects the lining of the intestines. With the leaky gut syndrome, gaps in the intestinal walls allow bacteria and other toxins to pass into the bloodstream. What’s interesting about this condition is most doctors don’t recognize the “leaky gut syndrome” as a diagnosable condition. Why? You may wonder, well if we have all of the “natural” solutions to our problems, who will pay the doctors and pharmacists? That’s a conversation for another day! Let’s just focus on how to get the solutions to a lot of the healthy problems we have learned to cope within our everyday lives.
LGS (Leaky Gut Syndrome) is linked to other health issues such as GERD, crohn’s disease, irritable bile syndrome, food allergies or food sensitivities, celiac disease, as well as diabetes. Many of these diseases, the African American community viciously suffers from. LGS comes with many symptoms that we may not even think twice about because it doesn’t seem like a big deal! Some of the leaky gut symptoms include headache, fatigue, skin problems, allergies, joint pain, inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies. Factors that aid the leaky gut are stress, poor diet, alcohol consumption, autoimmune disorders, and infections.
Enough of the loom and gloom, let’s talk solutions! YOUR DIET IS THE MAJOR KEY in healing a leaky gut if you suffer from one! At times we may think we can do what we want with our diets, but if you take care of your body, your body will take care of you. Ways to improve your gut health, include eating foods that have prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut and probiotics are microorganisms introduced into the body for beneficial qualities. Both prebiotics and probiotics aid in healing an unhealthy gut. Fermented veggies include lots of probiotics! Try kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha! Also decrease or completely eliminate meat and dairy from your diet. Meat and dairy create a surplus of mucus. Unhealthy amounts of mucus cause toxins. Artificial sweeteners and sugar aid in the growth of unhealthy cells which cause cancers and other diseases. Losing weight also helps in clearing up a lot of issues and diseases but also heals a leaky gut! Below you will find a list of other ways to improve your leaky gut!
1. Exercising regularly
2. Get enough sleep every night
3. Reduce your stress levels
4. Avoid the unnecessary use of antibiotics
5. Quit smoking
LGS is not something that is talked about often in the health profession, but our digestive systems can either be the solution or problem to our health! Let’s get our guts healthy and shake some of these health issues and remember, if you take care of your body, your body will ALWAYS take care of you!