7 Tips on How to Fix Your Leaky Gut: Functional Medicine Approach

If you’re looking for tips on how to heal a leaky gut fast, you may not like this answer. Healing a leaky gut takes time, but it totally possible! With some simple insight into what’s going on with your gut, you can take the appropriate steps needed to repair your leaky gut.

What is Leaky Gut, Anyway?

Leaky gut is when your gut lining becomes damaged, and undigested food particles, chemicals, bacteria, and toxins have the ability to leak through your gut barrier. So, really, leaky gut is another way to say “intestinal permeability”.

Your gut lining is made up of a single layer of epithelium cells. We all have small holes in our intestinal lining that allow nutrients in, but what happens is these holes get larger and larger. Eventually, molecules that are supposed to stay in your digestive track get into your bloodstream.

This is not good! Because those particles are seen as foreign substances or invaders, that your immune system attacks. Because this isn’t a one-time thing and foreign molecules are getting into your bloodstream with each time you eat, your immune system is on all-time alert mode, which may cause constant inflammation.

Signs of a Leaky Gut

Leaky gut symptoms may appear differently for each person. However, these are the most common signs that I see:

• Food sensitivities

• Skin issues (eczema, acne, rosacea)

• Joint pain

• Nutrient deficiencies due to malabsorption

• Sugar/carb cravings

• Mood issues (anxiety/depression/ADHD)

• Digestive issues (gas, bloating, diarrhea)

• Chronic fatigue

• Autoimmune diseases

So, now let’s get to what you want to know…what’s the fastest way to heal your leaky gut? Let’s find out.

How to Fix Your Leaky Gut

1. Focus on Diet

2. Check for Food Sensitivities

3. Prioritize Stress Management

4. Gut-Healing Supplements

5. Ditch The Toxins (watch for the hidden ones!)

6. Skip on the Extra Alcoholic Drink

7. Go Gluten-Free

How to Heal Your Leaky Gut Naturally

Focus on Diet

With a functional medicine approach, a natural leaky gut treatment relies majorly on diet changes. Think about it. Every time you chow down on a meal, those ingredients are digested and broken down in your gut, coming in contact with your gut lining.

With simple dietary modifications, you can give your gut a break and allow it to heal. Repairing a leaky gut requires you to pass on processed foods, inflammatory foods, refined vegetable oils, and excess sugars.

Instead, focus on consuming foods that will heal your gut lining. Incorporate as many organic whole foods into your diet as possible. This simple change can go a long way when it comes to your gut health. Some of my favorite gut healing foods to incorporate are: bone broth, sauerkraut, warm, nourishing soup,, seasonal products, as well as high-quality protein and healthy sources of fats.

Check for Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities may be the main contributor to your leaky gut and leaky gut may be causing your food sensitivities. Either way, it’s essential that you find out if you have a specific food sensitivity.

Since food sensitivity symptoms may not show up until hours or days later, it’s hard to detect them. A functional lab food sensitivity test is one way to find out for sure if you do. There is a difference between a food sensitivity and a food allergy. Food allergy symptoms are immediate reactions (think hives or swelling of the tongue), while food sensitivity symptoms (headache, bloating, acne and more) can be delayed.

If foods do show up on your lab results, you may have to eliminate those foods for a couple of months while healing your gut. Once you do that, you can try to reintroduce them. If you still show symptoms, longer periods of time away from those foods may be necessary until your gut fully heals.

Prioritize Stress Management

Stress can wreak havoc on your gut bacteria, causing an imbalance. Not only that but stress and depression can increase inflammation, worsening your gut barrier permeability.

These next couple of months (and forever, really), you need to prioritize stress management. For you, this may look like learning to say “no”. You don’t have to accept every invitation or request… especially if it doesn’t bring you joy.

Reducing stress may even mean changing careers or jobs if you are stressed day in and day out, with no end in sight. You may have to consider if your career path is worth your declining health… Ask yourself if your career allows you to live a long, happy, healthy, and fulfilled life.

Now I know that up and quitting your stressful job may not be an option right now. So, here are some stress management techniques you can practice starting today to help minimize the impact on your body.

• Yoga

• Meditation

• Praying

• Journaling

• Practice gratitude

• Grounding

• Spending time with friends, laughing

Gut-Healing Supplements

Not only do you want to avoid further damage and restore your gut lining, but since your body hasn’t been able to absorb nutrients properly, it’s important to replace digestive enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. Here are a few of my favorite gut-healing supplements below.

• Glutamine

• Zinc

• Omega 3s (Taylor Dukes Wellness)

• Antioxidants

• Amino Acids

• Get Your Gut Right Digest: a broad spectrum digestive enzyme

• Get Your Gut Right Gut Support: an all-encompassing gut-healing supplement

Ditch The Toxins (watch for the hidden ones!)

Toxins from a poor diet, pesticides, and chemicals found in our beauty supplies, can damage your gut lining and kill off beneficial bacteria in your microbiome. This contributes to those holes in the gut lining.

Not only does it cause physical damage to your gut lining barrier and cells, but those toxins then leak into your bloodstream, enhancing your systemic inflammation. Healing a leaky gut requires you to ditch those toxins ASAP. Want to learn more about what we do to keep our home non-toxic?

Skip on the Extra Alcoholic Drink

Excessive alcohol drinkers may be more prone to digestive issues, inflammation, and impaired function. This can support the onset of leaky gut syndrome or worsen its effects once it appears. Instead of grabbing for the next alcoholic drink at your next gathering, try a fancy mocktail. Pour some sparkling water and some fresh squeeze grapefruit juice in a fancy wine glass, or mix together some kombucha, lime juice, and a couple of mint sprigs.

Go Gluten Free

Gluten may impact your intestinal tight junctions (your tight junctions are what keeps your gut barrier healthy like a mesh cloth rather than a chain-linked fence). Gluten can trigger zonulin release, widening those tight junctions.

Be careful though, just because something says gluten-free doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you! It’s important that you still look at the ingredients and grab for foods that have a small ingredient list. Essentially, just focus on consuming whole foods, in their purest form.

How long does it take to heal a leaky gut?

Healing leaky gut naturally doesn’t happen overnight. It honestly will take a couple of months to a year to allow your gut to heal. However, if you are super intentional with what you put into your body and have a clear understanding of what you are dealing with (via functional lab tests), or an experienced provider, you may heal your leaky gut faster. This is because you will know exactly what steps you need to take for optimal healing.

These 7 tips on how to fix your leaky gut are key to feeling better and optimizing your health. Also, because inflammation is a common association with leaky gut, you may want to read my blog, 12 Daily Detox Practices To Reduce Inflammation.

Get Your Gut Right

If you need access to a stool test, a gut health expert, and personalized protocols, the Get Your Gut Right program might be the right fit for you. This is a very comprehensive program that also focuses on nutrition, detox pathways, nervous system, clean environment, and more. Click HERE to learn more.

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