So, by now you’ve probably heard of it—the syndrome that Dr. Robynne Chutkan, assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University, describes as “likely to emerge as one of the most significant medical concepts of our time”—Leaky Gut. But what exactly is leaky gut? Abnormal Intestinal Permeability, or Leaky Gut Syndrome, is defined by Nutritionist Willie Victor as “a condition in which the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, causing undigested food particles, toxic waste products, and bacteria to ‘leak’ through the intestines and flood the blood stream.” Nothing like stimulating an autoimmune system response after indulging in our favorite holiday meal, am I right?
How exactly would we know if we—or even worse, if our pets—have Leaky Gut Syndrome? According to Dr. Lea Galland, Director of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine, signs of an autoimmune system response, aka your body attacking foreign invaders, due to leaky gut include skin irritations, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS and other digestion issues such as diarrhea or constipation, migraines and even long-term chronic symptoms like fatigue and allergies. On another note, the damaged cells in the intestines are not able to produce the enzymes needed for proper digestion, affecting the absorption of nutrients in the body (call for probiotics and digestive enzymes, anyone?) which can also lead to hormone imbalances and a weakened immune system (or was that a cue for Solid Gold® SeaMeal™?).
Diet is a key player in preventing and addressing Leaky Gut Syndrome. Unfortunately, there are some sneaky foods such as lower quality grains, gluten, dairy, corn and soy that can cause sensitivities. To help determine if you have Leaky Gut, you can try eliminating foods to see how your pet feels.
You can also supplement your pet’s diet with foods that have been noted to be beneficial for Leaky Gut, such as healthy fats like coconut oil (Tropical Blendz) salmon(Leaping Waters and Let’s Stay In), and other types of fish. Probiotics and glutamine (found in grass-fed beef/bison and leafy vegetables) can also help support digestive function as well as the immune system and increase the bioavailability of foods.
Several of our i ngredients and Superfoods can be beneficial to supporting a healthy digestion:
- Grass-fed beef and lamb, chicken and other lean proteins may help reduce inflammation
- Coconut oil has been noted as a wonderful anti-inflammatory fat
- Broccoli, spinach, watercress and celery are easy on digestion and also have anti-inflammatory characteristics
- Pro Tip: high fiber levels also help to feed healthy gut bacteria
Finally, all of our dry cat and dog foods contain protected probiotics! Probiotics can be very fragile and die off quickly. We source our probiotics from a company that has developed a patented process that enables the probiotics to remain alive and viable through the manufacturing process until they are consumed by your pet. To learn more about our process, click here.
Key takeaways here: most importantly and downright awesome is that our founder, Sissy Harrington McGill, was already including (and NOT including corn, wheat or soy!) these Superfoods and other important ingredients over 40 years ago before Leaky Gut Syndrome was even highly known or talked about! And, secondly, if you believe your fur baby is uncomfortable, Solid Gold is here to help you find the right holistic diet to help your fur baby live life to the fullest!
