When my Husband told me the results for my gut health and food intolerance tests were in, I was as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve. I couldn’t wait to sign in to the patient portal to see them.
Since I had been drinking bone broth, taking probiotics, and doing gut shots consistently for over a year, I optimistically believed my test results would reflect my hard work.
The gut health report
The report showed, my gut bacteria was in great shape and balance which made me very happy because I had significant issues with it in the past. I was confident the Whole30 diet, a great probiotic, and nightly gut shots plus a whole lot of bone broth must have really helped!
When I scrolled to the section about my overall gut health and food intolerances, my jaw dropped open and the tears started to stream down my cheeks. It showed I was highly intolerant to well over 30 foods!
About seven years ago, when I was first tested for food intolerances, my Doctor told me that anyone with over fifteen intolerances most likely had a leaky gut. And thirty is twice as much as 15 – ugh.
As a sidebar to my story, in case you are wondering if you or a loved one has been affected by poor gut health some of the symptoms are listed below.
Known symptoms of a leaky gut:
- Chronic diarrhea, constipation, gas or bloating – potentially IBS, Crohn’s, or colitis
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Poor immune system
- Headaches, brain fog, memory loss
- Excessive fatigue
- Skin rashes and problems such as acne, eczema, or rosacea
- Cravings for sugar or carbs
- Arthritis or joint pain
- Depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD
- Autoimmune diseases
- Gastric ulcers
- Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth
- Allergies
- Respiratory infections
- Acute inflammation conditions
- Thyroid disorders
- Obesity-related metabolic diseases (fatty liver, Type II diabetes, heart disease)
- Autoimmune disease (lupus, multiple sclerosis, Type I diabetes, Hashimoto’s, and more)
- Tendency toward weight gain or obesity
Plan to heal my gut
It quickly became obvious, I needed a plan to heal my gut quickly. I spent days googling, skimming books, reading blogs, and watching videos and online classes. Throughout my research, I found multiple blogs that supported my hypothesis that my leaky gut was impairing my weight loss efforts. Check out: Could a Leaky Gut be Making You Fat? and Is Leaky Gut Causing You To Gain Weight?
And finally, I committed to the following plan:
- Eliminate foods shown as being intolerant to and continue eating a Whole30 diet (minus the foods that tested as intolerant).
- Continue with the same probiotics as they seem to be doing a great job.
- Start taking a prebiotic. I’ve never given much credence to prebiotics but recently read they are like gut fertilizers. Prebiotics feed the friendly bacteria in the gut and allow them to grow and repopulate. They also prevent the overgrowth of bad bacteria and yeast. So, here goes!
- Continue to take the same digestive enzymes since they seem to be working well. I haven’t had any acid reflux issues at all since I started taking them!
- Start taking JJVirgin’s Leaky Gut Support . It seems as though the main ingredient is L-Glutamine which has been recommended throughout my research. I also love JJVirgin and the quality of her products.
- Start taking three shots of apple cider vinegar a day.
- Continue doing a few gut shots a day since they seem to be part of the cocktail that has drastically improved my gut flora and balance.
- Start taking collagen daily because it is known for healing and supporting gut health.
Progress in my gut health story
When I started my health and weight loss journey, I was experiencing thirteen of the above symptoms. Today I am blessed, grateful, and proud to say I experience none of them…..well, maybe a bit of #19 (tendency toward weight gain or obesity). But, in n case you don’t know, as of the last time I weighed in, I am no longer obese :). The great news is, if I can heal my gut, you can heal yours too!
Experts say a leaky gut can be repaired
Potentially the most promising thing I read this afternoon is that gut health can be repaired in as little as 120 days!
Please if you know someone who might be suffering from gut health issues or would benefit from this blog, share it with them. In this instance, sharing is truly caring :).
Cheers!
Tanya
Weight Loss Confessions 