Leaky gut syndrome a.k.a intestinal permeability happens when gaps in your gut barrier let bacteria and other toxins pass into your bloodstream. Although not everything is known about this condition, it is believed to contribute to a range of other medical problems. 

If you’re feeling symptoms like bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivity, pain, IBD, IBS, autoimmune disease, thyroid problems, and inflammatory skin conditions, you may have a leaky gut.  

We’ve previously posted an article on what may cause a leaky gut so you may want to check it out if you think you’ve done any of them. If you have, and you’re feeling some of the above-written symptoms, chances are high that you may have a leaky gut. 

Fix Intestinal Permeability By Avoiding These Leaky Gut Foods

Prevention is always better than cure, especially against conditions that have yet to be fully understood. However, if you’re already suffering from this condition, you’ll have to make some temporary dietary changes to help your gut recover faster. Here are some foods you need to avoid to plug that leaky gut.

Btw, here are 6 Tips To Cure A Leaky Gut. 

1. Lay Off The Booze

If you want to quickly recover from a leaky gut, you’ll have to (at least temporarily) abstain from alcohol.

Alcohol has been associated with leaky gut syndrome and is even believed to be one of its main causes. Alcohol has a toxic effect on your body that won’t only cause a leaky gut but will also aggravate its symptoms. 

The primary reason for alcohol’s bad rap is because it suppresses the production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that regulate your body’s inflammation. The more inflamed you are, the more your leaky gut gets worse. 

Another reason is that alcohol interferes with your gut’s tight junctions. These tight junctions are what stops germs from entering your bloodstream. 

Finally, alcohol prevents you from fully digesting the food you eat. This means you’re getting less nutrition while being constipated at the same time [1, 2, 3, 4]. 

Here are 5 Signs You’re Not Really Sick, You’re Just Thirsty.

2. Ditch Anything Corn

While corn isn’t all bad when it’s eaten whole, the problem lies once it’s processed into something else – especially if you’re sensitive to it. 

Corn, as well as other allergenic foods, can come in various processed forms like breakfast cereals, chips, popcorn, and frozen dinners. This is why people with leaky gut syndrome are usually told to avoid processed foods as they never know if those processed foods actually contain ingredients they’re allergic to. 

As you know, allergies cause inflammation and inflammation aggravates leaky gut syndrome [5, 6, 7, 8].

3. Stay Away From Dairy

Got milk? You may want to lay off dairy products if your gut is leaking. 

While we’ve been told that milk is good for us, the thing is human adults just aren’t made to drink milk anymore. While not everyone will have extreme lactose intolerance, the fact remains that our adult bodies just aren’t designed for efficient lactose digestion. 

You may want to avoid milk in any form like cheese, butter, cream, and any other product made from dairy. The good news is you can now find non-dairy replacements for all these products [9, 10, 11]. 

4. Reject Those Nightshades

You may already know that deadly nightshade is poisonous to humans, hence its name, but you may actually be eating other nightshades unknowingly. 

What you may not know is that tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, peppers, and goji berries actually belong to the nightshade family. While they aren’t deadly, it’s suggested for people with autoimmune problems to keep away from them. This is because these plants have glycoalkaloids that help them keep pests and insects away. 

It’s these glycoalkaloids that have an adverse effect on nutrient absorption. It’s believed that they actually may further perforate the already damaged intestinal lining, thereby, harming red blood cells [12, 13, 14, 15, 16].  

Consider trying these 5 Powerful Herbs To Quickly Heal A Leaky Gut.

5. Keep Off the Grains

I’m sure you’ve heard that “gluten is bad for you” somewhere else on the internet. It’s the same thing here. 

Gluten is just a mixture of proteins that come naturally from grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten is what gives bread its elasticity and chewy texture. 

While most people can tolerate gluten just fine, those with autoimmune problems like celiac disease may want to avoid it entirely. Those with severe gluten intolerance may suffer effects like diarrhea, bloating, gas, as well as joint pain and brain fog after eating anything with gluten [17, 18, 19].

6. Say No To Legumes

You may want to lay off the legumes if you’re suffering from a leaky gut. 

Legumes come in the form of beans, lentils, peanuts, and soybeans. People who are particularly allergic to legumes should avoid them to keep being inflamed. 

Even if you’re not allergic to them, you may still need to keep away because of their high fiber content. While fiber keeps you full longer and helps detoxify your body, too much of it makes your food harder to digest, thus, leading to poor nutrient absorption [20, 21, 22]. 

7. Beware Of Processed Oils

Let’s get this straight: Not all fat is bad. 

That being said, remember to stay away from bad fat that comes in the form of processed oils. Processed oils made from soybean, corn, vegetable, and peanut are processed through extreme heat. This destroys the nutrients they have and negates any health benefits these foods may have offered in their whole form. 

More importantly, you already know that most of the foods from which these oils come from can cause inflammation [23, 24, 25]. 

Have you checked on the 9 Signs You Have An Autoimmune Disorder. 

8. Abstain from Sugar

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before but it’s important enough to repeat:

“Sugar is bad for you.”

Not only does excessive sugar consumption lead to a plethora of various health problems like bad teeth, hypertension, obesity, and type 2 diabetes but it also has a specific effect on those with leaky guts.

This takes the form of a fungal infection by candida yeast. This yeast can poke holes in your gut, thereby, allowing harmful germs to pass through. 

A Candida overgrowth can be traced to a diet high in refined sugar. Since this yeast feeds on the refined sugar you eat, keeping away from refined sugar means it’s going to starve and die out. 

You will also need to keep off the artificial sweeteners as these may be made from ingredients you’re allergic to. 

A leaky gut can lead to more serious problems down the line.

If you’re experiencing the symptoms of a leaky gut, you’ll need to make some changes to your diet if you want to recover faster. Avoid the foods on this list so you can be on your way to plugging that leaky gut [26, 27, 28]. 

Health by choice, not by chance.