Healing your leaky gut is a key strategy in managing your Endometriosis symptoms.

Because you have a disease that is mostly associated with your reproductive system, you may not have spent a lot of time considering how your gut is causing or affecting your symptoms. In my previous blog post I explained why you should spend time thinking about your gut (if you missed it, you can read the article here).

So, if your gut plays a big role in your Endometriosis symptoms, and this thing called ‘leaky gut’ is a involved, what can you do to try and heal your gut?

Well, I recommend 3 do’s, and 4 don’ts for healing your leaky gut.

Do’s for healing your leaky gut

Do: Assume you have leaky gut

You don’t need to be diagnosed with leaky gut to treat your gut-related symptoms as indicators of it. If you suffer from bloating, constipation and/or diarrhoea, flatulence or nausea/vomiting, assume you have leaky gut! Because the ways to heal a leaky gut will directly improve these symptoms.

Do: Remove gluten and dairy

Leaky gut is mostly caused by food intolerances and gluten (in wheat) and dairy protein are the most commonly experienced intolerances. On occasion, I see a client who does not test intolerant to gluten, and I’ve yet to come across someone who doesn’t have a problem with dairy.

I strongly recommend you start with a gluten-free, dairy-free diet and see how your gut reacts. Most times, bloating disappears, sometimes overnight! Fatigue and brain fog are also two symptoms that can improve very quickly.

Do: Find out what your food intolerances are and remove those foods from your diet

Although removing gluten and dairy from your diet can give you enormous improvements in your symptoms, you’re very likely to have more food intolerances. And as long as you still eat those foods, your leaky gut will not have a chance to heal. This means you’re still not absorbing all nutrients from your food; there won’t be enough space in your gut for your microbiome; and the gut mucous layer will not repair.

Don’ts for healing your leaky gut

Don’t: Drink alcohol

Alcohol irritates the gut wall which creates damage to an already irritated, inflamed wall. It also has a ‘drying’ effect, reducing the mucous layer in your gut. This mucous layer is crucial in protecting your gut and helping with digestion.

Don’t: Drink caffeine

Coffee, black tea, and green tea contain caffeine. Caffeine can worsen your leaky gut by irritating the gut wall. It is also a known dehydrator, which means it dries out the mucous layer in your gut.

Don’t: Assume too quickly your gut is healed

When you start to change what you eat and drink and healing your leaky gut, you could see an improvement in your symptoms quite quickly. That could lead you to believe that your gut has healed and that you don’t have to worry about it anymore.

Unfortunately, it takes time for your gut to heal, and the absence of symptoms does not mean it’s all fixed.

I recommend you give it at least 4 months before you assume your gut is healed. And even then, you could still have food intolerances that, if you reintroduce foods, might damage your gut again.

If you are at all concerned about your Endometriosis and your gut health and would like to find out what your options are for managing both, why not book a free 30-minute Endometriosis SOS Call: https://theendometriosisnutritionist.online/endometriosis-sos-call/.