Many of us are suffering from a damaged or leaky gut and don’t even know it.

It is a common misconception that if you have a leaky gut then you will experience stomach pain, gas, bloating, etc. That definitely CAN be a big part of it for some people. But for others, the cells of the gut lining are being sneakily penetrated by compounds like lectins, glycoalkaloids and lysozyme from common “healthy” and not so healthy foods, making way for undigested food & other inflammatory compounds to sneak through into the bloodstream (1, 2, 3).

Anything that gets into the bloodstream that shouldn’t be there (ie. gluten, casein, lysozyme, etc) is going to generate an immune response (4, 5, 8). If these immune responses are ongoing, this is going to lead to chronic inflammation and, as we know, chronic inflammation is at the core of most chronic disease (4).

For those with autoimmune disease, in particular, this is an important concept. For all autoimmune diseases in which it has been testing, leaky gut is present (6). It is now being considered a prerequisite for the development of autoimmune disease (7). So, if you have an autoimmune disease but you don’t feel any digestive distress, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to heal your gut! In fact, the first therapeutic measure anyone with autoimmune disease should be taking is to heal the gut.

If we can heal and seal the gut lining we can reduce inflammation, eliminate antibodies and calm the autoimmune response, slowly and sometimes even halting disease progression (4).

Some key signs you may have a leaky gut?

• digestive distress

• joint pain

• acne

• eczema

• rashes

• brain fog

• ADHD/ADD

• depression

• chronic fatigue

• chronic headaches

• chronic pain

• IBS/IBD

• autoimmune disease

I recommend working closely with a certified health care practitioner who specializes in the subject to really heal the gut. If someone is selling you a quick-fix for this problem, that is a clear sign that they’re not actually a specialist in the subject. The solution to healing and sealing the gut lining is an in-depth nutritional protocol, like AIP or GAPS, AND personalized strategies for your particular situation.

One tool that I use with my autoimmune clients to heal the gut is bone broth. You can learn more about the healing powers of bone broth here.

This green soup provides nutrient-density by packing in greens, cruciferous vegetables and the anti-inflammatory power of ginger while also supplying targeted nutrition for the cells of the gut lining by using a base of bone broth.

Gut-Healing Green Soup

(AIP, GAPS, PALEO, GF, DF)

TIME: 25 minutes

SERVES: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 yellow onion (diced)

1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)

5 cups baby spinach

2 cup parsley (chopped)

1 tsp ginger (freshly grated)

4 cups chicken bone broth

2 tbsp coconut cream

Sea salt (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1) Heat coconut oil in a large soup pot over high heat. Once the pot is hot, lower to medium heat, add diced yellow onion and season with a pinch of sea salt. Sauté until fragrant.

2) Add cauliflower florets and another pinch of sea salt. Sauté until the cauliflower has slightly softened.

3) Add bone broth and cover the pot with a lid. Bring to a boil.

4) Once the vegetables are very soft, add baby spinach, parsley, ginger and coconut cream. Stir for a few seconds until the greens have slightly wilted, then turn off the heat.

5) Blend the soup with an immersion blender, or transfer to a regular blender and blend in batches until creamy and smooth.

6) Divide between bowls and optionally drizzle with olive oil, coconut cream and top with additional herbs or micro-greens.

This is just one gut-healing meal to be included in any kind of gut-healing protocol. To check out how to make your own bone broth and other ways to get it in, head over to this post.

If you make this recipe, please feel free to take a pic and tag me on instagram @realistic.holistic and use #realisticholistic :) I’ll be sure to share your gut-healing adventure!

COMMENT below if you have any questions about the recipe or about gut-healing!

SHARE this with someone who needs to heal their guts!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Kisses & kombucha,

xox Meg

SOURCES

1) Lectins, agglutinins and their roles in autoimmune reactivities: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25599185

2) Potato glycoalkaloids adversely affect intestinal permeability and aggravate inflammatory bowel disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12479649

3) Food intolerances in patients with manifest autoimmunity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30213697

4) Intestinal permeability--a new target for disease prevention and therapy: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25407511

5) Changes in intestinal tight junction permeability associated with industrial food additives explain the rising incidence of autoimmune disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25676324

6) Leaky Gut and Autoimmune Disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22109896

7) Leaky Gut as a Danger Signal for Autoimmune Disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28588585

8) Adverse effects of gluten ingestion and advantages of gluten withdrawal in nonceliac autoimmune disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29202198