Millions of Americans are unknowingly suffering from a digestive condition called “leaky gut.”  The scientific term of this condition is called gut permeability.

Those who follow a diet high in processed foods, carbohydrates, and sugars will be more likely to develop this digestive condition.  However, fungal overgrowth’s such as candida can also contribute to gut permeability.

That all being said, if you’ve landed on this page, chances are you’re suffering from both a leaky gut and a candida overgrowth.  The two typically go hand and hand.  Luckily, we hope to shed some light on leaky gut and natural steps that can be taken in order to correct it.

However, before we get into how to correct gut permeability issues, let’s first talk about what leaky gut is and how it can affect the body.

What is Leaky Gut?

Those suffering from a permeable gut will have small microscopic holes within their intestines that allow undigested food particles to pass into the bloodstream.  It should be mentioned that food was never designed to enter the bloodstream without first being broken down by the stomach.  As a result, those suffering from leaky gut often times suffer with a very hyperactive immune system.

Their immune system recognizes these undigested foods particles as a threat which can a cause an intense immune reaction in the body. 

Leaky gut sufferers also often times have high amounts of intestinal inflammation.  This is because the protective mucosal lining will always be damaging in those with gut permeability.  When this protective lining is damaged, the intestines will naturally become inflamed.

Unfortunately, many are completely unaware that many of their bodily symptoms are a direct result of poor gut health.

What Causes Leaky Gut?

There are several different factors that contribute to gut permeability.  However, the most common reasons for this condition are:

• Overuse of Antibiotics
• Eating Too Many Plant Foods
• Fungal Overgrowth’s Such as Candida

Frequent antibiotic users are going to be more prone of developing gut issues than someone who does not use antibiotics.  In fact, research has shown that frequent antibiotic use can induce changes in the hosts microbiota and can contribute to intestinal permeability (1).

Also, the consumption of abrasive plant foods that are high in anti-nutrients can also cause intestinal permeability in the gut.  It’s well known that all plant foods contain nutrient inhibitors such as lectins, oxalates, and phytates that can contribute to a leaky gut condition in the body (2)(3)(4). 

It should be mentioned that cultures all around the world all use special preparation methods in order to render plants less abrasive and less toxic to the body.  It wasn’t until the boom in modern agriculture that these plant foods began to form the base of our diet.

How Candida Can Cause Leaky Gut

Diets that are high in sugar and starchy carbohydrates are going to be more prone of developing a candida overgrowth in the body.  For those unaware, candida needs sugar in order to survive and multiply.  Consequently, high carbohydrate and sugar diets provide the perfect fuel source for candida and allow it to take over the gut microbiome.

Once well established, candida can wreak havoc on the body’s digestive system.  In fact, this pathogenic fungus will actually burrow itself into the intestinal lining which can cause immense amounts of intestinal inflammation. 

Furthermore, it’s well known that candida can release several different toxic byproducts which can significantly diminish overall health in the body.  In particular, candida releases small amounts of alcohol which can contribute to conditions such as leaky gut.

Research has shown that the colonization of candida in the gut can cause hyper gut permeability and can promote various food allergies in its host (5).

That all being said, food allergies are extremely common among those suffering with either leaky gut, candida, or both.

How to Correct Leaky Gut

Correcting the gut is no easy task and often times high amounts of effort from the individual is needed in order to do so.  However, through proper diet and the removal of problematic foods, recovery and optimal health can be achieved.

Following a proper gut healing and candida diet is essential for anyone suffering with leaky gut.   Luckily, we’ve provided a free candida diet eating strategy that can be found on our Diet Protocol Page.

For those who want the short version, the following is a small list of foods that can be extremely beneficial for correcting conditions such as leaky gut.

• Animal Protein
• Animal Fat
• Bone Broth
• Collagen (Gelatinous Cuts of Meat)
• Fermented Vegetables
• Kefir
• Pastured Eggs

As always, these foods should be of the highest quality and should always be grass-fed, organic, wild caught, pasture raised, etc. 

Unlike plant foods, animal foods contain no anti-nutrients.  As a result, they will not irritate the intestines and further contribute leaky gut and intestinal inflammation.  Also, animal foods do not contain sugar.  It’s for this reason that high quality animal foods are very important for anyone dealing with candida.

Animal foods contain all the minerals, amino acids, and vitamins the body needs in order for the body to recover.  None of the nutrients found in animal foods are bound to nutrient inhibitors such as found in plant foods.  As a result, the nutrients found in animal foods are completely bioavailable to the body and are easily assimilated.

Also, consuming gelatinous cuts of meat is perfect for obtaining collagen which can help tighten the epithelial tight junctions and make the gut less leaky.

Focus on Easy to Digest Foods

A useful strategy to implement if you suffer from leaky gut is to make sure that all of you meals are easy to digest.  This comes from a Traditional Chinese Medicine stand point and seems to be very useful for those with both candida and gut permeability.

This means all cold and raw foods should not be consumed.  Instead, all foods should be heated and cooked so that less digestive effort is needed to digest the food.

Also, the incorporation of bone broths can be amazing for those dealing with gut permeability issues.  Bone broth is extremely easy to digest and contains all the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids needed for intestinal repair in the body.  It’s also great for improving digestion and naturally attracts digestive juices in the stomach.

It’s highly recommend that you consume bone broth with all of your meals and at least twice a day.  There is no other food on the planet that is as soothing to the intestines as a high quality bone broth!

Consider Soil Based Probiotics

Although fermented foods are great for naturally increasing the amount of good bacteria in the stomach and improving gut health, many may find they react negatively to such foods in high amounts.  This is because fermented foods contain a compound called histamine. Those with candida often times cannot tolerate high histamine foods and react poorly to them.

This is because candida naturally stimulates the mast cells in the body which causes a release in histamine (6).  This often results in histamine overload and causes the individual to develop a histamine intolerance.

If this is the case, a high quality soil based probiotic can be a great option until the gut is properly balanced.  Soil based probiotics are very beneficial for the gut and have been part of the human microbiome for centuries.  Unfortunately, due to over sanitizing, most are deficient in these vital  microorganisms.  Also, unlike other probiotics, soil based microorganisms typically are low histamine producing.

If you’re going to try a soil based probiotic, the only one we recommend is Ancient Nutrition SBO Probiotic.  This is by far the best soil based probiotic on the market and is free of synthetic ingredients and fillers.

Start Cooking Gut Friendly Meals

For those interested, we highly encourage you to check out our Crush Candida Cookbook.  Our cookbook can be great for those with leaky gut and was designed to help combat candida.  Best of all, our recipes that we’ve included in this cookbook are absolutely delicious!