Resistant Starch – Why Leaky Gut Sufferers Should Avoid Grains.

If you to suffer from leaky gut syndrome, you are likely to have also been through countless dietary adjustments to find a solution that suits your case and lifestyle. Healing a leaky gut is no simple or quick fix. There are obviously full diet plan options such as the GAPS diet, but if, like many people who suffer from this common but potentially debilitating ailment, you don’t want to completely miss out on foods you love, some minor dietary adjustments/additions might be your preferred avenue. Removing problematic foods and including foods that are gut healing can, depending in the severity of your case, make all the difference.

The question is, where do you start? If you haven’t yet been to a Doctor or been diagnosed, but you suspect you have a leaky gut or a similar gut problem, removing some foods and adding others is a great, proactive step towards healing yourself.

Foods to add to your diet, which will help improve and possibly rid you of the symptoms of a leaky gut include;

Bone broth
Pasture raised/grass fed meats
Natural fats
Fermented or naturally cultured foods

Natural fats refer to those derived from organically raised, grass fed animals like; ghee. butter, lard and tallow. Some other common natural fats are found in pure olive oil, avocados and non-hydrogenated coconut oil.

As far as fermented foods go, these are packed to the brim with probiotic benefits but also come with the added advantage of high macro and micro nutrient content. There is a huge range of fermented foods that can be added to our diet from fruits and vegetables to dairy and beverages. One food that is often included in the fermented food ‘go-to’ list is sourdough bread which utilizes fermented grains within its dough.

Grains are consumed by an enormous amount of people and are often consumed daily. What many people do not realise, however, is that grains and legumes contain anti-nutrients, irritants and lectins. These anti-nutrients, irritants and lectins may well damage the gut and increase intestinal permeability. They may even be the cause leaky gut syndrome and associated ailments. To think that the elements that make up grains and legumes could be the cause of the of gaps in the membrane lining of the intestinal wall, is pretty polarizing.
It makes you think, ‘Why don’t we just eliminate grains from our diets all together?’ Doesn’t it?

Well? Why don’t we?!

Interestingly, human beings didn’t consume grains until fairly recently as far as boiological time goes. Our species has therefore not had long (in the grand scheme of it all) to adapt to them or what they do to our insides. The irritants and components of grains that can cause problems in the digestive tract of humans also shines a light on the ‘grass fed versus grain fed’ debate. That’s an entirely different blog topic entirely! You can read up on it in one of my recent posts here.

To sum all the above up, human beings often react badly to grains – and more specifically, to barley and wheat. The best solution if you suffer from gut ailments is to avoid barley, wheat and resistant starch products that degrade and escape from the intestines; promoting leaky gut symptoms. In addition to avoiding these food types, adding the afore mentioned foods, such as bone broth and fermented foods to your diet is recommended. Do all this and you will be on the path to better gut health and overall wellbeing in no time.

*Broth of Life does not offer medical advice and recommends you consult your GP if you have concerns for your health