Full Transcript 0:00 Hey everybody, I want to talk to you about 5 foods that can make leaky gut worse. 0:04 Now if you're trying to heal your gut, you may be focusing on all the healthy foods you should be eating, and that's a good thing. 0:09 But there's another side of the equation that is just as important. 0:12 What foods should you not be eatin'? 0:14 Now some of them are obvious and some may not, but let me get into this in more detail. 0:19 Because you can take probiotics, digestive enzymes and all kinds of nutritional supplements but you're continually eating foods that irritate your intestinal lining, 0:27 disrupt your microbiome, or feed unhealthy organisms. 0:30 So you may be working against yourself. 0:32 Again, some of these foods may obvious, but other ones may not be, and they may surprise you. 0:37 And stay with me until the end, because I'm going to explain how I use a simple elimination and reintroduction strategy to help determine which foods maybe 0:45 a problem for an individual patient. 0:47 Let's get started. 0:49 So first, what do we try to accomplish? 0:52 While not working with someone who has already been diagnosed or I think has leaky gut, I thought about foods in two basic categories. 0:58 First, What foods can help support a healthier intestinal environment? 1:03 And second, which foods may be interfering with the healing process? 1:08 And you really need to address both. 1:10 Think about it this way. 1:12 If you injure your ankle, you don't just provide nutrients that support healing and then continue running five miles every day. 1:18 You also remove the stress that's contributing to the injury. 1:22 I apply a similar principle to intestinal threat. 1:25 you want to provide the nutrients and foods that supports intestinals health, while simultaneously reducing exposure to foods, 1:32 that may be perpetuating the problem. 1:34 So let's look at five of the biggest categories. 1:37 The first, Gluten isn't actually one protein, it's a collection of proteins found primarily in grains such as wheat, rye, 1:46 and barley. 1:47 And certain gluten proteins can be difficult for the human digestive system to completely break down. 1:52 But what makes gluten especially interesting in this discussion of leaky gut is its relationship to zonulin and intestinal permeability. 2:00 Zonulin is involved in regulating the tight junctions between the cells lining your intestine. 2:05 Think of those tight junction as microscopic gates controlling what gets through your intestinal barrier. 2:10 Gluten can affect zonulin activity, these proteins which act as gates again, especially in susceptible individuals and influence intestina permeability. 2:20 Now I want to make one important distinction. 2:22 Celiac disease is not just simply being sensitive to wheat or gluten. 2:26 It's an immune-mediated disease triggered by gluten and affects about 1% of the population. 2:31 But there are also people who don't have celiac disease who record digestive or systemic symptoms associated with consuming wheat and gluten foods. 2:41 This is commonly referred to as non-celiac gluten sensitivity or non celiac wheat sensitivity. 2:47 And some studies show maybe up to 25% of people have some degree of gluten sensitivity, but not allergies. 2:54 And so I've seen over 31 years that many people, their digestive system does much better when they're on a gluten free diet. 3:01 But that doesn't mean it's something that everyone has to follow. 3:04 It's, something you can try and see how you do unless you have very specific testing done. 3:09 So if you remove wheat products, rye products barley products. 3:13 Remember, there's one downside. 3:15 These are a rich source of fiber that also not only help your bowel movements, but support your microbiome. 3:21 So, if your gluten free, you can't just take these things out of your diet and not get other fiber sources in. 3:27 It's important that we boost up other fibrous sources. 3:31 For example, You can have foods such as quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, these types of grains will give you fiber as well, 3:39 and other appropriate whole food sources of fiber. 3:42 I also pay particular attention to prebiotic and probiotic foods because they maintain microbial diversity, which of course is very important for healing 3:50 up a leaky gut. 3:52 So the goal isn't to simply just avoid gluten. 3:54 The goal is to create a healthier intestinal environment. 3:57 The second category is one of the biggest problems in the modern diet, and that is refined sugar and excessive simple carbohydrates. 4:06 Well, why is that? 4:08 Because you're not just feeding yourself when you eat, you are feeding your microbiome. 4:12 And different microorganisms thrive on different foods. 4:15 A diet high in refined sugars can favor the growth of undesirable organisms. 4:20 Simple sugars fuel potentially pathogenic bacteria, as well as fungi such as Candida albicans. 4:26 At the same time, a poor quality high sugar diet may negatively affect beneficial bacteria, and this can create a vicious cycle. 4:34 Let me explain. 4:35 You consume large amounts of refined sugar. 4:37 Certain undesirable organisms flourish. 4:40 These organisms can produce substances that irritate the intestinal environment. 4:45 Inflammation increases. 4:46 Digestion and absorption may become impaired. 4:49 More poorly digested foods move further through the intestinal tract and that provides additional material for microbial fermentation. 4:57 The result for some people can be more gas, more bloating, and potentially further disruption of the intestine environment. 5:06 Animal research has demonstrated increased intestinal permeability with diets high in glucose and fructose. 5:14 So if someone has significant dysbiosis or leaky gut, one of my basic nutritional strategies is to dramatically reduce refined and added sugars. 5:22 And look at where those sugars and refined carbohydrates are hidden, such as pastry. 5:27 The obvious candy and soda, for example, sweetened drinks you need to be aware of. 5:32 Desserts, these are all common ways Americans get excess sugar, but it goes beyond that. 5:37 Many breakfast cereals are very high in syphilis sugars, and highly refined breads and pasta products can be very problematic. 5:45 You don't need pathogenic organisms thriving on a constant supply of refined carbohydrates. 5:51 Hey, one second. 5:53 If you're looking for help with any type of health issue, I've put together a line of doctor grade supplements that I formulated myself. 6:00 They're the same formulas I use with my patients. 6:03 Click the link below to check them out. 6:05 Okay, back to the video. 6:07 Food group number three is artificial sweeteners and food additives. 6:11 Now someone might say, OK, Dr. 6:13 Sengler, I'll stop eating sugar and just use artificial sweetness. 6:17 No, that's not a good idea. 6:19 And before I get into details, what are some of these artificial sweets? 6:22 Well, some you've heard about saccharin, sucralose, aspartame. 6:26 It's also famed potassium. 6:29 neoltame, and avatame. 6:31 Some of these substances are hundreds or even thousands of times sweeter than ordinary table sugar. 6:38 But the issue we're interested in right now isn't simply sweetness, it's their potential effect on the gut microbiome. 6:45 Research has raised concerns that certain non-nutritive artificial sweeteners can alter the composition or function of intestinal bacteria. 6:53 In other words, replacing large amounts of sugar with large amount of artificial sweetness isn't necessarily the gut health solution people think it is. 7:01 It definitely is not. 7:02 So if the goal is to create the healthiest possible microbiome, I really recommend people get off not just highly processed foods, 7:09 but you've got to get these artificial sweets out of your diet. 7:13 Let's talk about the fourth group, number four is alcohol. 7:17 And this one is especially important if you're actively trying to heal a compromised intestinal barrier. 7:23 Alcohol can negatively affect the microbiome. 7:26 It can promote an environment that favors undesirable bacteria and fungi. 7:30 it can increase intestal inflammation, and importantly, alcohol metabolism produces acetaldehyde. 7:37 Acetaldehyde is a compound that can adversely affect the intestinal barrier and increase permeability or worsen leaky gut. 7:45 That creates the potential for bacterial products known as endotoxins to cross from the intestine into the circulation. 7:53 Once those substances enter the bloodstream, they can activate the immune system and contribute to inflammation. 7:59 So, alcohol can create problems on several levels. 8:02 This includes microbiome disruption, intestinal inflammation, increased permeability, and greater exposure to bacterial endotoxins. 8:12 If someone doesn't have digestive problems, moderation is still important. 8:17 But if you already have leaky gut or strongly suspect you do, my recommendation is much more straightforward. 8:23 Consider avoiding alcohol completely while you're actively healing the intestinal barrier. 8:28 Remember, you are trying to remove obstacles to healing. 8:32 Alcohol is definitely one of those common obstacles. 8:35 Number 5 is food sensitivities. 8:38 Now we get to perhaps the most individualized category and that's food sensitivity. 8:43 This is where people often become confused because a food that's perfectly healthy for one person may cause symptoms in someone else. 8:50 First, let me make an important distinction. 8:53 A food allergy and a foods sensitivity or intolerance are not the same thing. 8:58 True food allergies can potentially produce a serious and sometimes like threatening reaction. 9:03 Symptoms can include hives, swelling, or difficult breathing. 9:07 Now food sensitivities are different, they're more subtle. 9:10 They can produce less immediate and sometimes much less obvious symptoms. 9:15 And examples of what a food sensitivity might induce would include just different types of digestive upset, bloating, you could have headaches, 9:23 fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, muscle aches, it could aggravate skin problems. 9:29 It can include a variety of different other symptoms as well. 9:32 Again, They won't kill you, but they can make life miserable in many ways. 9:36 Now, one thing that's very important that you should be aware of is that there's a relationship between leaky gut and multiple food sensitivities. 9:44 And this relationship becomes very interesting. 9:47 Increased intestinal permeability may expose the immune system to food components in ways that promote increased immune reactivity. 9:55 So when I see someone who says, Dr. 9:57 Mark, I seem to be reacting to most foods. 10:00 I've only eaten maybe 10, 15, 20 different foods, I don't assume that that person needs to permanently eliminate all these different foods. 10:09 Instead I ask, why has this person become so reactive to foods in the first place? 10:14 Is there an underlying problem with the intestinal barrier? 10:17 Could dysbiosis be involved? 10:20 Could we improve the intestinal environment and eventually improve intolerances? 10:24 This would include the microbial. 10:26 In my clinical experience, I called that as we improved leaky gut and dysbiosis, the number and severity of food sensitivities can be reduced substantially. 10:36 And that's an important concept because the ultimate goal shouldn't necessarily be to put someone on an increasingly restrictive diet forever. 10:44 That's gonna lead to a restriction in the amount of nutrients you get that actually can increase food sensitivities over time. 10:50 So the goal is to improve the underlying intestinal environment whenever possible. 10:54 Now you've probably heard about elimination diets and elimination diet simply are you avoid common food sensitivity, things like coring, 11:02 soy, gluten, dairy products, These are some of the more common foods that people react to. 11:08 Eggs can definitely be one as well. 11:10 And so you remove those foods I'd say for a few weeks and then one at a time you reintroduce them say every three to five days and you notice if your symptoms 11:19 first had cleared up and in second if you were re-introduced that food and Now remember a lot of food sensitivities are not immediate, 11:27 they're delayed. 11:28 So you may not have symptoms for hours or even for a day or two. 11:31 You need to keep a chart, a log of how you're feeling and the symptoms that you are experiencing. 11:37 But for lot a people just a simple elimination and reintroduction diet over a period of four to six weeks could be quite revealing and help you seal your 11:46 digestive tract and prevent systemic problems in your life. 11:51 Now there are certain labs and some are much better than others that we integrative doctors use where we can check food sensitivities with different immune 12:00 markers and that can help fast trap for some people what their food sensitivity are. 12:05 Well there you have it, the five categories of foods that you should be aware of that by addressing these you can greatly accelerate your healing from 12:13 leaky gut and greatly improve your health. 12:15 Now, if you want to learn more about how the bodies actually design, engineer if your digestive system to function properly, 12:22 how it interacts with other systems and organ systems in the body, then you might want take a look at my new book, Ultimate Health and Healing. 12:29 And you can get free excerpts from that book at ultimatehealthandhealing.net. 12:34 As well, the book is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers.
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