5R approach
The 5 Steps to Gut Healing:
Remove
Replace
Repair
Reinoculate
Rebalance/Relax
1) Remove
The first step ‘Remove’ is focused on eliminating foods that may be contributing to gut irritation and inflammation.
Food sensitivities and intolerances are not easily tested via blood work. Instead, systematic removal over a 21-28 day period is the easiest way to discover specific food sensitivities and intolerances. Common food allergens are dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, and corn.
Low FODMAPs is another type of elimination diet that is used for the treatment of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). It is focused on the removal of fermentable short-chain carbohydrates commonly found in certain food products. The reason for its removal relates to lowering the bacterial burden (overgrowth) that thrives on FODMAP carbohydrates.
In addition, caffeine and refined sugar can also be disturbing gut healing. Caffeine can disrupt sleep and alter mood. Refined sugar can abnormally raise blood sugars along with promoting generalized inflammation in the body.
An important point in regard to the ‘Remove’ step is that elimination or removal is healing in itself and should be temporary. Being stuck in a very restrictive diet can lead to other nutritional deficiencies and imbalances of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) intake. Instead, there may be a couple of items that may not necessarily return to your regular diet but it shouldn’t be a laundry list of foods.
Sometimes just the ‘Remove’ step alone will lead to gut healing. However, at times it may be frustrating because you will only get an incomplete response to only do this step by itself. Keep an eye on upcoming blog posts to learn about the other 5 R’s of gut healing.
