DIY Leaky Gut repair powder

Leaky gut repair is usually the last part of any gut healing protocol. Once the root cause of leaky gut has been solved the repair process can start. But it never hurts to add gut support while doing a healing protocol for SIBO, h. pylori, parasites or yeast.

Leaky gut, also called intestinal permeability, can be caused by a gut infection, taking NSAIDS and other pharmaceuticals, eating an inflammatory diet (gluten, sugar or foods you are sensitive to) or chronic emotional stress.

Common symptoms are joint pain, fatigue, brain fog, autoimmune disease, IBS-like digestive issues, seasonal allergies, skin issues, anxiety or depression and hormonal imbalance. You may have all or just some of these issues.

The zonulin marker on the GI Map will tell you if your gut is leaky. But if you have many of the symptoms above, plus another gut infection or overgrowth, chances are you have it.

While everyone is different, some people may not feel completely better or have total symptom relief until a leaky gut has been repaired. And this process may take several months (anywhere from 2 to 6 month depending on the damage).

Don’t feel discouraged if you cleared an infection and your symptoms still linger. This is normal. It takes a while to rebuild after the battle is over.

If you are in this situation, have faith, hang in there and use a powerful daily repair powder and herbs to “spackle” the intestinal wall lining.

Leaky gut can cause or be caused by inflammation, so eating an anti-inflammatory diet (avoid gluten, processed foods and white sugar) or taking anti-inflammatory supplements like curcumin (turmeric), boswellia or fish oil can help.

Supporting the biome is also very important by adding prebiotics and polyphenol foods (more on that below).

The most powerful herb for repairing the gut lining is l-glutamine. It helps repair the gut lining AND stomach lining. So this powder below is also great for repairing damage done to the stomach after clearing an h. pylori infection.

I suggest taking it at a high dose so make sure your leaky gut repair powder has 5 grams of glutamine in every 1.5 teaspoons (8 grams).

My favorite leaky gut repair powder brand is GI Response. It is rich in glutamine but also contains ingredients that can bother people recovering from SIBO (due to marshmallow or slippery elm) or those who are sensitive to stevia or gums (arabinogalactan). It is also pretty expensive for a 30 day supply.

I like it because it is high dose and tastes really good with the addition of raspberry powder, pineapple powder and beet powder.

Also, it is not sold outside of the U.S. so it’s hard for people abroad to buy.

I was inspired to make my own DIY leaky gut powder using polyphenol powders like dragon fruit powder, blueberry powder and cranberry powder to add biome-feeding nutrients and vitamins/minerals AND delicious flavors.

You can also use pomegranate juice powder instead of the cranberry powder to make it sweeter. The red powders are good for feeding a key bacterial strain called Akkermansia, which has a symbiotic relationship with inflammation, and the mucosal lining of the gut. Feeding Akkermansia helps improve gut lining health and vice versa.

If you’re too overwhelmed to make your own powder because it requires ordering all the ingredients online or finding them in a store, that’s ok.

The intention of this blog post is to teach about what foods and supplements are natural medicine for the gut lining. I suggest including more of them in your diet for optimal gut health and I think that the powdered forms are an easy way because of their long shelf life and concentration.

There’s no harm in taking l-glutamine or any of these herbs or foods for the long term. Buying the ingredients in bulk will insure that you have gut support for many months without breaking the bank. It can take up to 6 months to repair a leaky gut depending on the damage.

AND you can customize it based on your taste, preference and sensitivities.

Last year, I also made a homemade, food-based powder to fight h. pylori. You can find it here. And check out my h. pylori rescue guide for more recipes and info on how to beat h. pylori naturally.

It is always VERY IMPORTANT to go slow with any new supplements. Start with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon and work your way up to 1 to 2 teaspoons daily. Going slow can help prevent any kind of reaction from a shocked body (going into repair mode too quickly).

DIY Leaky gut powder

Ingredients

The most important ingredient is l-glutamine powder. You could just keep it simple and add 5 grams of glutamine powder to your juice, water or smoothie daily. I added the other ingredients for flavor and extra support. Glutamine is not that tasty.

How much of each ingredient should you put in?

I encourage you to play with the proportions that taste best to you but the rule of thumb is a ratio of 2 to 1 of glutamine to the other ingredients. For example, if you use 10 tablespoons of l-glutamine powder you can add 5 tablespoons of polyphenol powders (blueberry, cranberry, pomegranate and pink dragon fruit)

Also for every 5 tablespoons of glutamine powder, I would add 1 tablespoon of prebiotic powder to feed beneficial bacterial (acacia fiber or sun fiber). Both of these prebiotic powders are well tolerated for SIBO and IBS. I picked them because they were the safest.

While the berry powders feed Akkermansia, the prebiotic powder feeds another key beneficial bacteria called faecalibacterium prausnitizii. It helps lower inflammation in the large intestine and colon.

DIY leaky gut powder recipe

Main ingredient

10 tablespoons of L-glutamine

Prebiotic powders (add just one or both)

2 Tablespoons of Acacia fiber and/or Sun Fiber (also called partially hydrolyzed guar gum)

Polyphenol powders (choose 2 or 3)

5 tablespoons of powdered blueberries

5 tablespoons of powdered cranberries

5 tablespoons of powdered pink dragon fruit or pomegranate juice powder (yum)

Optional ingredients

1 tablespoon of DGL licorice powder. This also heals and seals the gut and stomach lining while fighting h pylori.

5 tablespoons of collagen powder (adds protein and supports the healing of the gut lining)

2 tablespoons of MSM powder. This is a sulfur compound that powerfully lowers inflammation. Especially good for joint pain, allergies and balancing the stress response. Avoid with sulfide SIBO.

2 tablespoons of powdered coconut water (For added sweetness and electrolytes) This is a great way to sweeten without adding sugar.

How to make

Put ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a whisk or a fork. Store in a glass jar with an airtight lid on the counter.

How to take

Mix 1.5 to 2 teaspoons (8 to 10 grams) daily into water, a smoothie or yogurt. Or just put on your tongue and drink a glass of water.

Mixing it with yogurt is probably the best way to consume it because it also adds probiotics to the mix.

Other foods that support gut lining health

Bone broth is extremely soothing and healing for the gut. I have a very easy recipe in my Treats That Heal ebook.

Marshmallow and slippery elm tea are also great for leaky gut, as it aloe vera juice.

Immunoglobulins (like those in colostrum) are supplements that support the immune system and are particularly healing for the gut lining.

MegaIgG2000 is a favorite supplement that is dairy free, but avoid it if you have a beef allergy. You take 4 capsules per day with or without food. You can find MegaIgG2000 here (create a user ID and password and search for it).

Your leaky gut plan

Start the morning with a leaky gut powder mixed into yogurt or a smoothie

Sip on bone broth as a snack or make a comforting soup with it.

End the day by sipping on a marshmallow tea (1 tsp of leaves) in 1 cup of hot water.

You can also sneak bone broth into your smoothies. Try it, you can’t taste it.

Fermented foods are good for leaky gut is you can tolerate them. Non dairy yogurt is a good source as are sauerkraut and kimchee.

Sprinkle turmeric on your food and eat oily fish like salmon or take a fish oil supplement.

If you are a DIY type and love using food as medicine like I do, get more innovative recipes AND treats that actually heal the gut here.