How to Repair Leaky Gut and Increase Your Energy Levels with Dr. Stephen Gundry

Feeling low on energy? Relying on caffeine or sugar to get you through the day? Well then this is the post for you. Dr. Stephen Gundry discusses why this is happening at an increasingly alarming rate in Western civilization, and how it all begins in the gut...aka what we eat. Stick around to learn how to repair leaky gut, the silent energy thief, and how to avoid it plus which foods we should eliminate from our diet. Dr. Gundry is most known for his experience as a cardiothoracic and heart surgeon. However, today his work has shifted to “teaching people how to avoid surgery by using his unique vision of human nutrition,” as written on his website. Dr. Gundry argues that simple changes in your diet can improve your health, wellbeing, and even longevity. Lucky for us, he shares his knowledge on how to repair leaky gut with the Heal Squad.

1. Let go of the 3 L’s

Did you know that the average American desk worker produces the same amount of energy as a member of the Hadza tribe, one of the last hunter-gathering groups in the world. The difference is, the energy from the desk worker is being used to produce inflammation, which Dr. Gundry describes as a war between our immune system and leaky gut. Part of the reason this war is occurring is because of our diet - our body has to work harder to combat said issues. The Hadza’s diet, on the other hand, is able to be processed properly, giving them the energy to be as active as they are.

2. Anti-inflammatories are not the answer 

Dr. Gundry tells us that anti-inflammatory supplements are not enough. In his words, “it is like fighting a forest fire with a garden hose.”

3. Avoid foods with lectins 

Beans, peanuts, cashews, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, Goggi berries, chia seeds, oats, and quinoa, all have lectins, just to name a few. However, don't fret just yet - all of the listed items, except oats and foods with gluten, can be rid of lectins when cooked in a pressure cooker.

4. Soluble fibers are your friends 

Contrary to popular belief, wheat, oat, rice bran, and whole-wheat products in general are actually not as good for us as we think as they are full of lectins and insoluble fiber. We should instead strive to eat foods containing soluble fiber, such as asparagus, mushrooms, and artichokes because they fuel probiotics (good bacteria)

5. Cut out fructose 

Fructose, which is in almost all processed foods, prevents energy production. It is now even in fruit! For example, one cup of grapes has more sugar than an entire Hershey’s candy bar - and the sugar in the grapes is actually worse.

6. Leaky gut creates leaky brain

If you have leaky gut, you probably have leaky brain. Foggy brain and the symptoms that come with it, like memory loss and fatigue, is a result of neuroinflammation which serves as a warning sign for problems like dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, etc. It is all related to leaky gut. 

7. Take these tests for leaky gut  

Start with fasting-insulin level and highly sensitive HS-CRP tests. These tests will tell you if you are insulin resistant and reveal your inflammation levels. If you want to invest in a more sophisticated test, use Vibrant America’s test for leaky gut called The Wheat Zoomer. And good news is, all of these tests are fairly cheap!

8. Avoid grains

Grains, except sorghum and millet, fuel leaky gut. If you are going to eat rice, eat white rice instead of brown rice.

9. Cut down your eating window

Compress your “eating window,” the time when you eat, to about 6-8 hours a day. This idea is more commonly known as intermittent fasting. You will see your health and energy levels improve tremendously. To develop this routine, push back what time you eat breakfast by an hour everyday. Eventually, your body will adjust to this new schedule. Lastly, giving yourself 3 hours between your last meal and when you sleep will allow your body to focus solely on washing out toxins, instead of digesting the food you just ate, resulting in better sleep.

10. Beware of deadly disruptors

Deadly disruptors include antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, and blue light. Most animals are still fed antibiotics so when buying meat, look for the label “grass-fed, grass-finished” and “pasture-raised chicken.” This will ensure your meat is not full of antibiotics. Also, medicine like Advil, Aleve, Nexium, and Prilosec are essentially hand-grenades that change your gut microbiome and stop energy production. Instead, take Tums or Rolaids. Lastly, blue light, which is found in all screens, is one of the greatest sleep disruptors and is designed to make you hungry. So, buy a pair of blue light blocking glasses and turn our phones on “night mode” after the sun sets.

11. Use these supplements to help with leaky gut

Dr. Gundry recommends his supplement Total Restore and Bio Complete to seal leaky gut. However, when on any sort of supplement, you cannot cheat at all and eat leaky-gut inducing food.

12. Try energy snacking 

“Energy-snacking” is basically just doing various exercises for a few minutes throughout the day - dance for 3 minutes, plank while you're watching Netflix, squat while you’re brushing your teeth. This keeps you exercising and will also help with your hunger as most of the time, we aren’t hungry, we are just bored.

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Listen to the full interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-together-with-maria-menounos/id1320060107?i=1000517725148

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