Leaky Gut Care

Easy protocol to fix leaky gut and improve digestion #

This site describes the protocol I developed and followed to fix my gut issues. Note that I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice. I am sharing the protocol I used which worked for me. It is inexpensive and easy to follow. I found that I had substantial improvement in my gut function rapidly after starting the protocol. There were clear signs that the protocol was working for me that you will also be able to check to make sure it is working for you. If you follow the strict protocol for a week, you will know if it does or does not work for you. After gut improvement, the main principles of the protocol can be kept to allow you to eat a fairly normal and more varied diet.

Everything you need to know is on this single web page, organized as follows:

Note: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

What you need #

  • Frozen potatoes without skins or added fat. I find it’s best to used diced potatoes like this or this. If you have a nightshade allergy, this protocol is not for you!
  • L-glutamine powder like this (helpful container) or this (good value).
  • Orange juice
  • Simple seasonings of your choice
  • An air fryer (optional)
    • This makes preparation extremely easy and allows you to effortlessly keep fat content low.
    • This model is good for small kitchens, and this model is good for big kitchens.
    • Some ovens can do convection cooking which is pretty much like air frying, so you may already have this capability!

How to implement the protocol #

While following the protocol you will avoid the following foods (danger foods):

  • Wheat or anything with gluten
  • Weird food additives (check ingredients!), in particular:
  • Spicy foods and sauces
  • High-fat foods in any significant amount
  • Alcohol

You may be able to add these foods later depending on your personal sensitivities and how well you’ve managed to improve the state of your gut lining. For example, I could add back in “medium hot” salsas within about a week. Avoiding alcohol completely during the strict portion of the protocol is best due to its impact on gut permeability. At the least, keep it to no more than one drink per day.

First, you will be taking L-glutamine powder 3 times per day prior to each meal, increasing the dosage as you go. I started out with 5g per serving (for 15g/day), and over one week ramped up to 10g per serving (for 30g/day). I suggest mixing this in orange juice to mask the L-glutamine flavor (although some people like it). Orange juice also provides the one missing in nutrient in a potato diet: vitamin C.

Next, you will be eating LOTS of frozen potatoes. Cook them in an air fryer (or oven). Here is my cooking procedure, but it shouldn’t matter much how you cook them as long as it’s a low-fat method and you like the taste. I typically eat 1 lb (pre-cooked weight) at each meal. I toss them in 1 teaspoon of melted butter and add my favorite seasonings. I like salt, cumin, and garlic powders. Or sometimes this lemon-pepper seasoning. Always check seasonings for weird ingredients! Eating so many potatoes with little fat will ramp up your metabolism and make you surprsingly hungry. When I was hungry, I ate more. There is no need to restrict how many potatoes you eat on this diet.

As a side note, I did not gain any weight on this protocol, but actually lost a few pounds despite all the carbs. This is because a high-carb, very low fat diet will allow your metabolic rate to increase in proportion the carbs you consume (for more, see “Why this works”).

Finally, make sure you are eating small amounts of other foods to round out your nutrition needs. Potatoes plus orange juice will generally provide all nutrients, but it will be a bit low in protein. A good addition is a no-fat greek yogurt which will provide a lot of protein and will sit well with most people, even those with lactose intolerance. BE VERY CAREFUL that the yogurt does not contain any of the “danger foods” such as carrageenan and the gums as most of the big brands have been sneaking these in. I personally buy the Trader Joe’s nonfat greek yogurt since it has 11g of protein, is a good price, and has no gums or fillers (as of this writing, but always check!). An egg or two are also a good addition for protein (if you aren’t allergic) and go well with potatoes.

Summary of the protocol:

  1. Take L-glutamine 3 times per day (before each meal)
  2. Eat (previously frozen) potatoes at least 2 times per day. 3 times is better. Eat as many as you want and season to taste.
  3. Avoid danger foods and keep fat low (less than 50g/day or better).
  4. Make sure the other foods you eat are low fat and round out your nutrition needs
  5. The longer you follow the strict protocol, the longer you give your gut to heal and seal
  6. Slowly reintroduce other foods to enjoy life

How to know the protocol is working #

Very simply, your difficult gut issues - discomfort, fatigue, diarrhea and/or constipation - should quickly resolve. More specifically you should notice:

  • Less tension in your gut area and a flattening tummy
  • Regularized bowel movements (2-3 times/day, usually after each meal)
  • Very easy bowel movements
  • Little or no need for toilet paper

I’ve always found it odd that no other animal really requires toilet paper, but humans seem to almost always need it. After about 2 days on this protocol I all of the sudden no longer required toilet paper and my bowel movements became the easiest they’ve ever been. Laugh all you want, but I get the legendary “ghost wipe” always on the strict protocol. It seriously takes less time for a number 2 than a number 1.

Adding in other foods #

Once my gut started feeling awesome, I was able to add in more foods and be less strict while still generally enjoying the benefits listed above. I had nearly complete resolution of all my gut issues within about a week so started adding back in foods slowly at that point.

You should maintain the L-glutamine supplementation. Around 5g per meal (so 15g/day) is probably fine, but adjust according to your experience. As bodybuilders know, it also has the nice effect of making your muscles look fuller.

You should continue to eat several servings of potatoes per day in order to keep up the highly beneficial effects of butyrate production in the colon (see “Why this works”). Keeping the potatoes and L-glutamine as a base will help you branch out and live a more normal “food life”. For variety, you can also experiment by substituting potatoes with the following foods which also provide a good dose of resistant starch to keep up butyrate production: oats, cooked and cooled rice, black or pinto beans.

It is EXTREMELY important to keep a journal of what you eat (and supplement!) during this time so you can identify things that might be causing you problems. I like to keep a journal of my food consumption in Evernote, but you can use your preferred app, or a physical notebook if you like.

Different people will have different problem foods, but here are some common ones:

  • Wheat/gluten - Gluten is known to attack the gut lining in those sensitive to it. The stronger your gut lining, the less likely gluten will be a problem if you don’t have a sensitivity. It’s probably best to add gluten back into your diet once you’ve seen good results from the protocol for several weeks. I was able to add homemade sourdough in moderate amounts after a few weeks on the strict protocol without noticeable issues.
  • Fillers/Stabilizers - Carrageenan is linked to gut permeability. The gums (e.g. guar gum, locust bean gum, etc) tend to absorb a lot of water and can cause too much bulk for some people, especially if their motility is not good.
  • Alcohol - Alcohol can exacerbate leaky gut. Once you heal your gut, it’s still best to keep alcohol consumption moderate to avoid relapse.

A strong gut solves and prevents many problems so… be patient! Once you achieve good gut function with the strict protocol, you can expect to be able to enjoy a lot of other foods!

Problems? Check your journal! You need to identify the problem food or supplement. Don’t stress as you can always go back to the strict protocol for a few days and get back your gut gains. Problem foods you will either have to avoid completely or delay having until your gut is even stronger.

Why this works #

Besides being easy, the following questions and answers should provide insight to adjust the protocol for your needs and lifestyle:

  • Why L-glutamine powder 3 times per day?
    • L-glutamine is the most important amino acid for healing leaky gut. It provides an energy source to the cells lining the gut and also serves as a building material for repairing the gut wall. It fills in the “tight junctions” of the intestinal mucosa.
  • Why previously frozen potatoes?
    • Frozen potatoes are actually blanched prior to freezing. This heating and cooling process creates resistant starch. Resistant starch feeds the good bacteria in your colon so that they create butyric acid which in turn feeds the cells lining the colon. It keeps the mucosal layer of the colon healthy so everything slides right through.
    • Frozen potatoes in inexpensive, easy to keep, and highly nutritious. They take the guess-work out of choosing other foods while you are on the strict protocol. Easy to do means more likely to succeed. Other foods containing resistant starch would also help create butyrate, but the other resistant starch foods generally lack the nutrition of a potato and would take more effort to obtain good nutrition..
  • Why low fat?
    • A high-fat diet dramatically increases a thing called endotoxin in the gut, and increases the permeability of the gut to that endotoxin. Endotoxin is very bad news for both gut and overall health. To keep the organism healthy, the liver must remove the endotoxin which enters the body through a leaky gut. The task of endotoxin removal severely burdens the liver and lowers its ability to do other tasks like absorb nutrients, remove toxins, or deal with toxins and starch molecules escaping through the leaky gut into the portal vain.
    • In leaky gut, it is often the case that bile production or release is impaired. Bile is required to properly digest fat. By keeping to a low-fat diet, this protocol bypasses the need for good bile production until the gut is healed, inflammation is reduced, and bile production and release becomes more normal.
    • A very low-fat diet with the high carb content of potatoes actually allows your body’s metabolism to dramatically increase. This is measured by something called a respiratory quotient which indicates how well you are burning carbs. By following a very low-fat, high-carb diet, this study participant saw his respiratory quotient increase to over 1 after a high carb meal. What does that mean? It means the body will happily and efficiently burn carbs even when they are eaten in large amounts as long as fat consumption is very low. An increased metabolism is generally going to increase the rate of healing, helping to resolve a leaky gut more quickly.
    • A low-fat diet will reduce your consumption of the omega-6 fatty acids which have many harmful effects.

Questions and troubleshooting #

See the questions and troubleshooting page.