Then Cordain goes on and talks about what foods cause a leaky gut. I was amazed that my food intolerances fall in line with these foods almost exactly:
Lectin-containing foods: all commonly-consumed cereal grains; all beans and legumes; potatoes and tomatoes; all pseudo-grains (including amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and chia).
Saponin/glycoalkaloid-containing foods: all beans and legumes; potatoes and tomatoes; all pseudo-grains; alfalfa sprouts; and quillaja (makes root beer and other sodas foam and vaccinations more effective).
Nightshades: potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, chili peppers (capsaicin is a big offender), eggplants, and tomatillos. Cordain says that except for potatoes, these foods pose little or no danger for most healthy people not dealing with autoimmune disease.
Cordain says that other things that promote a leaky gut are: NSAIDS, oral contraceptives, and antacids that contain aluminum hydroxide.
In another place in the book, Cordain talks about dairy being a nutritional lightweight and how studies have shown that milk is basically just filtered cow’s blood. Blech.
That picture helps me when I am tempted to put a piece of cheese on my hamburger and just weather the intestinal upset. Also, putting cheese on one’s hamburger prevents absorption of much of the iron and zinc in the burger. So I finally figured out that healing the leaky gut by not eating foods that cause it is the first step. I’m not sure why I was focusing on the healing of the CC in the large intestine instead, and thinking that I would have to deal with a leaky gut all my life.
Cordain says that following the Paleo diet will help alleviate symptoms of autoimmune disease. He has a number of people’s personal stories about that.
I was already doing Paleo because my food intolerances basically forced me, but now I am becoming a proponent. Since I am in remission and can eat most of the foods recommended on the Paleo diet, of course. I know that a lot of people, even those in remission, cannot eat some of the foods, like leafy-green vegetables. I may also run smack into some high-histamine foods I cannot eat.
But on the whole, I am greatly encouraged. Instead of being buffeted by my food intolerances, considering remission and healing the CC damage to be my primary goals, now my goal is alleviating as much as possible the leaky gut. I anticipate all sorts of good things in my health from that.
I sympathize. Maybe this link that I ran across recently will help. It is an online Paleo Cookbook.