Leaky Gut Diet Plan

4 cups loosely packed baby arugula

1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrot

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

16 large peeled and deveined shrimp (about 3/4 pound)

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, divided

Combine the first 2 ingredients in a large bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add rosemary, pepper, and garlic to pan; cook 2 minutes or until garlic is tender, stirring constantly. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shrimp to pan; sauté for 6 minutes or until shrimp are done. Remove shrimp mixture from pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and vinegar to pan; cook for 15 seconds. Drizzle warm vinegar mixture over arugula mixture; toss gently to coat. Divide arugula mixture among 4 plates; top with shrimp. Serve immediately.

After finding out that you indeed have leaky gut syndrome, your practitioner may recommend you do a gut cleanse. If you are anything like me, when you hear the word “cleanse” or “detox” you immediately think that you will be spending the next 4 weeks of your life tied to your toilet (sorry for that image by the way). The good news is, the leaky gut cleanse does not make you experience this at all, or at least it didn’t for me and I have done it twice now.

Your practitioner will probably recommend some supplements as well as determine how often you need to take them. I am sharing my plan with you and please note I am not recommending that you go out and buy these products and proceed with the leaky gut cleanse without first speaking to your medical practitioner. I just want to share my entire leaky gut cleanse experience with you so you know what it involved in my particular case.

My practitioner recommended that I do this cleanse 3-4 times per year following the below regimen:

Step 1 – Remove

Supplement Used: Apex Energetics GI Synergy – 1 packet twice a day for 45 days.

Approximate Cost $67.00 for 90 packets

Comment: Hope you are ok with swallowing horse pills.

This step involves the removal of infection, food intolerances, harmful bacteria, yeast, fungus, toxins and parasites from the gastrointestinal tract. During this cleanse you will need to remove all “allergenic” foods from your diet for the recommended period of time determined by your physician. These foods are most commonly gluten grains (which include wheat, oats, rye, barley, spelt and kamut), dairy, soy, corn and nuts. Coffee and alcohol in all forms (don’t think wine is ok, or sake, they mean zero alcohol of any kind), must also completely be avoided. See recommended list at the bottom of this article provided by Apex Energetics). By removing these items from your diet, your gut will be able to restore itself and reduce irritation.

Step 2 – Replace

Supplement Used: Klaire Labs Vitalzymes Complete – 1 pill three times a day for 4 weeks and as needed. (E.g. if I go hog wild and eat a bunch of foods I am intolerant to).

Approximate Cost $27.00 for 120 pills

Comment: Easy to swallow, no issues.

This step replaces enzymes, hydrochloric acid and other nutritional factors that may be lacking or deficient. These enzymes include protease, amylase, lipase, and several others that get secreted into the small intestine. It is very important to replace hydrochloric acid as it helps to digest protein in the stomach. These enzymes all help to break down foods and if not broken down properly, nutrients may not be available for intestinal cells and issues may arise.

Step 3 – Reinoculate

Supplement Used: Klaire Labs Ther-biotic Complete – 1 pill a day forever.

Approximate Cost $68.00 for 120 pills

Comment: Easy to swallow, no issues.

This step involves supplying healthy bacteria to the large intestine to balance the bowel’s normal flora which is vital for prevention of constipation, for maintaining your primary immunity, for shielding your large intestine from colon cancer, and for averting yeast infections. There are so many probiotics available these days so make sure your physician chooses the one that will suit you the best.

Step 4 – Repair

Supplement Used: Apex Energetics Repairvite – 1 scoop mixed in water, twice a day for a month and can continue 1 scoop daily for maintenance after the gut cleanse.

Approximate Cost $39.00 for 15 days

Comment: The regular formula supposedly has a coffee-like flavor (not sure I agree) but there is also a caramel flavor available. I heard this tastes better but it harder to mix into the water, making it more like powder floating in liquid, gross.

This step involves providing certain nutrients such as L-glutamine, N-Acetylglucosamine, Zinc, B6 and Glutathione which are critical for gut wall structure and function, and heal the intestinal lining. In much of my reading these nutrients seem to be the heroes for reviving gut function.

Additional Recommendations for ME:

Vitamin D3 – 2,000 IU daily gel cap

Whole Food Multi-Vitamin (liquid or chewable) – 1 daily

After the Cleanse

After the 4 weeks my practitioner recommended that I add 1 food that I am intolerant to, back into my diet, one at a time and wait 3 days to see how it affects my system. I would pay attention to any issues I experience such as feeling bloated, tired, sick, nauseous, lethargic, or having diarrhea etc. If no symptoms appear in the first 3 days, try the same food again right away for another 3 days and see what happens. If you develop symptoms now, it would be safe to assume that you could tolerate ingesting the food two times per week. If you have no symptoms again in this second round, do it again and see what happens. Again if no symptoms exist after this round, you can probably tolerate the food 3 times per week. Note: If you are intolerant to a food, most likely you will only be able to have it 1-3 times per week at maximum.

FYI- The supplements I used are not found at regular drug stores. I found them locally at chiropractors and acupuncturist offices, very specialized health food stores and they can also be ordered online.

Dietary Plan

Foods You Should Eat:

• Most vegetables including asparagus, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, carrots, celery, artichokes, garlic, onions, zucchini, squash, rhubarb, cucumbers, turnips, watercress. **See below for vegetables to avoid.
• Fermented foods including sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled ginger, mixed pickle, coconut yogurt, kombucha tea, etc. (make sure they are all natural and do not have sugar, MSG or any other preservatives)
• Meats including fish (types that are less prone to metal contamination), chicken, beef, lamb, organ meats, etc. that do not have any preservatives, sugar, etc.
• Low Glycemic Fruits such as apricots, plums, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, berries, etc.
• Coconut oil, coconut butter or coconut milk
• Herbal teas, olive oil and olives

Foods to Avoid:

• Any foods you are allergic or intolerant to.
• Sugars including corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, honey, chocolate, candy, etc.
• Grains including gluten, wheat, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, soy, corn, wheat germ, spelt, amaranth, kamut, millet, quinoa, etc.
• Gluten containing compounds such as processed salad dressings, ketchup, soy sauce, BBQ sauces, condiments, modified food starch, etc.
• Dairy including milk, whey, eggs, cheeses, creams, mayonnaise, etc.
• Soy including soy milk, soy sauce, soy protein, soy oil etc.
• Alcohol including beer, wine, liquor, sake, etc.
• Lectins including nuts, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, peanut oil, etc.
• Coffee, processed foods, canned foods

My comment on the dietary plan provided by Apex Energetics is that it is slightly ambiguous with the “etc.” at the end of each category. I would really appreciate a thorough list of foods to eat/avoid as it would take some of the guesswork out of the process and would ensure that no errors would be made.

It would also be nice if there was a contact at Apex Energetics or an updated list on their website regarding the dietary plan. I have read several other articles and sites regarding the leaky gut diet cleanse and there is some conflicting information regarding specific foods such as seeds, dark chocolate, sweet potatoes, almonds “etc.”, (hahaha). I have contacted Apex Energetics regarding the list and will update my post if I receive a reply.

No this cleanse is not an easy one but it is easier than some. The fact that you can eat meats helps tremendously in my opinion, because you can actually feel full. The easiest way for me to do this gut cleanse is to just pick a legal meat, and eat with a bowl of legal vegetables or with a salad with olive oil, salt and pepper. Breakfast always seems the toughest but I have learned what works best for me. Be sure to check out the recipes I use which can be found on this blog. Good luck to you and happy gut cleansing!

1/2 banana

1 cup spinach

Juice from small red grapefruit

1 cup kefir

1 cup of ice

Throw all ingredients in blender and puree until completely blended. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

I have to admit that I was worried what the flavor of this concoction would be but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It was slightly bitter but it went down fine. I even made one for my husband and he thought it was pretty good.

4 medium carrots

3 stalks celery

1 medium onion

½ head of cabbage

1 1/2 to 2 pound beef round roast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 to 1 1/2 cups water or stock (make sure it is gluten and casein free stock)

Additional seasoning as desired*

Rinse vegetables. Peel and cut carrots and onions and celery.  Chop cabbage in half. Throw all vegetables in the bottom of the crock pot. On the stove, brown the roast in a hot oiled skillet.  Place the browned roast on top of the vegetables. Pour the liquid (water or stock) over top of everything. *Add the salt and pepper and some chopped garlic, and rosemary or whatever herbs you like to the top of the beef. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low 6 – 8 hours or high 3 – 4 hours.

This is a super-fast and easy recipe that you can prepare and cook while you’re at work. I know it is summertime but sometimes you just want some comfort food and this dish is perfect for me. You can add any other legal vegetables you would like and you can serve it with the cauliflower mashed potatoes if you so desire.

1-2 lbs. boneless lamb, cubed
2 chili peppers, such as poblano, cubanelle, or Anaheim, deseeded & diced (skip if you are doing the cleanse)
2 medium onions, diced
3 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups gluten free, dairy free beef broth
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cloves
1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp ground pepper
½ tsp sea salt
1 ½ cup frozen cut leaf spinach

Cube the lamb. You may cut off some excess fat, but do not relieve the lamb of all the fat. In a dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until glistening. Brown lamb in batches, transfer to a bowl. Heat remaining oil until glistening and cook the onion until semi-translucent. Scrape the bottom of the pan to free up all the bits of lamb as the onion cooks. Add the garlic and chili peppers and cook another 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and lamb, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 ½ hrs, stirring every 15 minutes or so. I cover the lamb for about the 1st ½ hr. Add the spinach with 20 mins left. Serve over mixed vegetables or steamed rice if you are not doing the cleanse. (You can top with plain yogurt if you are not doing the cleanse also, I would recommend goat yogurt)

½ hr. prep time
1 ½ hr. cook time

This is one of my absolute favorite meals as it is so delicious and the flavors are so unique. You can make it with chicken instead if you are not a fan of lamb. We eat this almost every week and I always crave it. Trust me, you will love it!

2 lbs of ground pork (have butcher grind pork loin for you or you can do it at home if you have the proper equipment)
2 tsp ground sage
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp cracked red pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Place all dry ingredients in bowl and mix. Add ground pork and mix well to make sure spices are evenly distributed throughout. Form approximately 18 patties.

Line a cookie sheet with foil or wax paper. Place one layer of patties on the paper so that they’re not touching. After the first layer is full, add another piece of foil or wax paper and repeat until all patties are stacked on the sheet. Place the cookie sheet with multiple layers in freezer allowing the patties to freeze completely. Once frozen, remove and place in freezer bag for later use.

To cook, saute the frozen patties over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes per side.

This is a great way to enjoy breakfast sausage without ingesting all of the unnecessary additives like sugar, sodium nitrate and MSG. These are delicious and very convenient for the morning rush. I eat a patty with a banana and a cup of kefir and I stay full for hours.

1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut into medium size pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

Steam the cauliflower pieces until very tender. Place cauliflower in a food processor and puree while adding oil and salt. Put in a casserole dish in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes to reheat.

This recipe is really easy and I must say that pureeing the cauliflower is much better than trying to mash it yourself (plus the consistency is much closer to mashed potatoes). My husband was very skeptical that this would taste good or mimic real mashed potatoes but he absolutely loved them!

2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt
1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients such as garlic powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, thyme and salt. Stir mixture with a fork until all the ingredients are well combined and they form a seasoning. This will be used as a rub to ensure the pork is well seasoned throughout. Sprinkle the rub over the tenderloin with a dry hand, then rub the pork with the seasoning over both sides of the meat, pressing gently so the seasoning adheres well to the tenderloin. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté, for 1 minute while stirring. Put tenderloin in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, searing each side to brown and using tongs to turn the meat. Transfer meat to a roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145 degrees. Slice and serve.

I love this recipe as it is so easy and the rub is awesome tasting. I served mine with mashed cauliflower and a side of sauerkraut. Simply Delish!

Cooking spray

1 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup dry sherry

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans gluten free, dairy free chicken broth

1 pound skinless/boneless chicken breasts cut into cubes

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 cup carrots diced

1 cup zucchini diced

1 cup squash diced

1/4 cup water

Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in sherry, salt, pepper, and broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken pieces; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is tender. Add water and vegetables and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This soup is very easy to make and quite delicious. We always have the ingredients on hand so we can make it if we can’t figure out anything else to eat. You can add any type of legal vegetable you have available or use frozen vegetables as well as long as they don’t contain any sugar.

2 boneless chicken breasts

1 clove of garlic

1/4 teaspoon of dried parsley

1  cup of lemon juice (we used 5 lemons)

1/8 cup of olive oil

sea salt and pepper as desired

1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables prepared as directed (e.g. carrots, cauliflower and broccoli)

Marinate chicken breasts in oil, lemon juice, garlic and parsley in a plastic bag for 24 hours if possible. (I marinated mine the first time for 3 hours and it still came out great.) Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until done (I use a meat thermometer to ensure I don’t under/over cook my meats; chicken needs to be cooked until it reaches 165 degrees). Serves 2.

My husband who is not doing the cleanse, served his over steamed rice with a side of vegetables and I just served my chicken on top of the vegetables.  Very tasty and great for a summer meal!