What is Leaky Gut?
When you're eating junky food, that may cause an imbalance in your microbiome. That imbalance may result in your gut wall not being as strong as it should be, which could allow inflammatory particles to leak into your bloodstream. This can cause irritation throughout your system.
According to UCLA Health, "Nutrition is a key modulator of immune function."
Having a diversity and balance of bacteria is best, rather than an imbalance or overgrowth of harmful bacteria. The food you eat not only contains macro- and micro-nutrients, it is information for your body, and the gut buddies that live in your microbiome.
Fiber is your friend.
Your gut buddies eat the fiber that is undigestible for humans. Sometimes this is referred to prebiotic fiber and this is food to feed a balanced microbiome. Eating a diversity of plant foods promotes a diverse gut microbiome, which is what you want. Limiting the foods you eat can lead to imbalances in the species of bacteria in your gut and may contribute to leaky gut, and systemic inflammation. See my blog on Book Notes: The New Rules of Aging Well, for more on inflammation.
Food quality matters.
Sourcing quality food when you can will help maintain gut integrity and stem inflammation. One of my favorite health guru's, JJ Virgin, who is a holistic nutrition expert, New York Times bestselling author and celebrity fitness trainer, says, "you are what you eat ate." So, pay attention to the feed that the animals were fed when you are sourcing eggs, meat and other animal products. For example, I learned from a blood test that my worst food sensitivity is to corn. A lot of animals are feed corn because corn is subsidized in the U.S., and that makes it a cheap source of calories. If I want to avoid joint pain, brain fog, and bloating, I avoid corn - including animals that were fed corn when I can.
I like to look for organic vegetables and fruits using the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) website or app that has their food lists: the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. You might be surprised what foods are on the "dirty" list. For example, spinach is #1 on the list with "more pesticide residues by weight than any other type of produce." For this reason, I look for organic spinach, which means that it has not been sprayed with pesticides.
On the EWG's website explaining the results for their spinach testing, they say: "Seventy-six percent of the samples contained residues of permethrin, a neurotoxic insecticide. Since 2000, Europe has not permitted any permethrin to be used on food crops.
At high doses, permethrin overwhelms the nervous system and causes tremors and seizures.
But several studies have also found a link between lower-level exposure to permethrin-type insecticides and neurological effects in children. In one study, children with detectable permethrin residues in their urine were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as those with undetectable levels of the pesticide."
Strategies to boost the microbiome.
Eat protein at every meal.
Eat good fats.
Eat plenty of plants.
Use spices and herbs to amp up flavor and the phytochemicals that may support gut-bug diversity.
There is recent research from the British Gut Project, which was part of the American Gut Project, a collaboration of researchers and volunteers from the US, the UK, and Australia, which was led by epidemiologist Tim Spector. According to Yahoo! lifestyle, "The results of the research showed that participants who ate 30 or more different plants per week had more diverse gut microbiomes, and were more likely to have certain “good” gut bugs and bacteria compared to those who ate only 10." Since this research came out, it's spread far and wide. A BBC article stated that "Science suggests this can help protect against disease, improve metabolic and immunological functions, and promote healthy ageing."
How to eat 30 plants each week.
What counts? vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and herbs and spices. Different colored foods count, so red, yellow, and orange bell peppers count as 3. Different varieties of lettuces count - so getting the organic spring mix might count for 5 depending on the mix. Tea counts since its from leaves of a plant. Coffee and 70% dark chocolate count since they come from seed. Although this may be a rebrand of the advice to eat the rainbow, or the recommendation to follow a Mediterranean diet, it can be fun to gamify healthy eating.
If you're interested in downloading a free 30 Plant Tracker designed by my sister, here you go: https://www.lifealive.com/30plants.
I've put together supplement ideas to Support Immune Function and Decrease Inflammation on my Fullscript website. Once you've created an account you will have lifetime access the the catalog. Plus, there is a 15% discount.
