4 Critical Steps to Healing Your Gut

The Gut Guru & author of the GAPS diet, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, has 4 recommendations when beginning your journey to healing your gut. Aside from these recommendations, she also has a very detailed (& very strict) diet to follow- The Gut & Psychology Syndrome diet. To be honest, the diet requires a TON of prep work, and it something I could not follow unless myself or one of my children were suffering from a debilitating disease. Only then, could I commit to such a diet as the GAPs diet. When you buy her book, she gives you a 2nd book of accounts from people who have healed themselves from one condition or another, including children with autism.

HOWEVER, the 4 recommendations given by Dr. Natasha, while on the GAPS diet is very feasible. So here they are:

1. Eliminate gluten & dairy. Both are very irritating to the lining of the intestines and exacerbate leaky gut syndrome. LGS is where there are gaps in the lining of the gut caused from the abundance of toxins we are exposed to daily & our foods not being broken down appropriately. Food & toxins leak through the holes in the lining into the bloodstream, causing numerous autoimmune disorders and inflammation.

2. Supplement with probiotics & fulvic acid. Probiotics re-establish healthy gut bacteria which plays an important role in appropriate food break-down & immunity. Fulvic acid is a nutrient dense substance created from the degradation of organic material. It acts as a detox and is extremely healing to the gut lining.

3. Drink Bone Broth & Ginger Tea. Bone stock/broth contains many nutrients. The gelatin in bone broth strengthens the connective tissue of the gut, helping heal the gaps associated with leaky gut syndrome. It also contains high amounts of collagen, which nourishes the lining and is anti-inflammatory. Ginger encourages efficient digestion, moving food through the intestinal tract, not allowing it to sit for too long.

4. Take HCL & pancreatic enzymes. As we age our stomach's hydrochloric acid decreases. A large majority of people have low HCL levels. HCL triggers the release of pancreatic enzymes. HCL & pancreatic enzymes work together to make sure food enters our intestines in a broken down state and the correct acidity. If this process is insufficient, foods sit in our intestines fermenting, building up on the walls and degrading the lining of our gut.

Healing your gut is the single most important thing you can do to significantly improve your health. Your gut is responsible for 70% of your immune cells and has direct communication with your brain via the vagus nerve. An unhealthy gut leads to numerous chronic conditions, autoimmune & mood disorders, including autism.

Visit a natural health practitioner who can test your HCL levels.