Understanding Leaky Gut

I had heard of leaky gut, but didn’t really know what it meant in detail. The funny part about that, is I had heard about it while in school for nutrition and dietetics - now don’t get confused though, I didn’t hear about it from my program, but from outside sources.

So what is it, your gut leaks? Basically yes. (There are a million thoughts around this but one thing at a time) so when you are massively inflamed (think eating crappy, not sleeping enough, drinking, applying/living around a ton of toxins and living in a constant state of stress) what can sometimes happen is the lining of your gut can have large holes which allows partially digested food, toxins and more to release into your blood stream (very short version). This can trigger further inflammation and changes in the gut bacteria.

When you are massively inflamed (think eating crappy, not sleeping enough, drinking, applying/living around a ton of toxins and living in a constant state of stress) what can sometimes happen is the lining of your gut can have large holes which allows partially digested food, toxins and more to release into your blood stream (very short version).

This can trigger further inflammation and changes in the gut bacteria. This can also show up outside the gut in a variety of ways, for me it was through several things but the biggest, craziest one was eczema.

Eczema is definitely annoying, but this was so bad I couldn’t open my hands because of all the little cuts at each wrinkle of my hand. I had to wear Michael Jackson style white gloves to protect the cuts while putting on a mix of Shea butter and essential oils to get it to calm down.

The thing is, it’s wasn’t coming from the outside, so while those things helped, it was my leaky gut that was causing this. So knowing what causes leaky gut I had to make some changes.

Because the fact of the matter is, even if you change what you’re eating there is more to it than that. And leaky gut is known by some as a gateway into other autoimmune conditions.

I have some great resources around the gut, that can be helpful if you're unsure what to do!

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Meet Leah Negrin

 
I am a bold, beautiful, sometimes timid, usually happy, essential oil, nutrition junkie. Although at 39 I feel as if I've had several careers over a lifetime (or at least sometimes when I look back at my resume that is what shines through). I've been a paralegal, an office manager, an administrative assistant, worked in commercial lending and have finally landed on nutrition.

My journey to nutrition started many years ago when my sister was diagnosed with celiac disease and food had to change for the family. From there, along my own health journey I’ve helped people not only figure out what to eat but how to do it so that it can work for them sustainably. For almost seven years I’ve been counseling people on their nutrition and weight loss journeys. 

Finally getting some sunshine in Southern California *Photo credit  Brittany Hassett 

I am knowledgeable about what purpose food serves your body and I focus on finding sustainable options when it comes to food; this also led to my love of essential oils. I had the opportunity to attend a workshop where a registered dietitian spoke about using essential oils in her practice to help her patients. I was floored. I knew that #plantsheal but I didn't realize that others in the 'conventional' medical community thought that as well!! Learning that it was possible to incorporate these magical little bottles gave me a huge sense of hope.


Alina, myself and Caitlin (oily bffs) *Photo credit Anne Negrin

 
As I learned more about these oils I was diagnosed with increased intestinal permeability or as many of us know it, leaky gut. Leaky gut has been around for quite awhile but many of us are just learning what this is or why this is even more common these days than ever before. Many issues can be related to leaky gut including autoimmune diseases. Receiving this diagnosis just led me down a path further to learn about nutrition and how to best serve my body and take care of myself.


Enjoying a vegan ice cream cone in Budapest! *Photo credit to Michelle Owen 

Since birthing our sweet baby boy at home earlier this year I’ve been incredibly passionate about helping other women too who are pregnant and new mothers with their nutrition. Eating healthy for your pregnant body and your postpartum self is a game changer for both mother and baby.

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