When you really go Paleo, you get lasting positive consequences, and the magic unfolds. The backbone of a Paleo lifestyle is really about getting you healthy. Everything in life rises and falls on your health, so when you get healthy, everything else falls into place. What you see on your face is a mirror image of what’s happening on the inside, and when your intestines are damaged, it shows.
What causes this damage is typical modern-day lifestyle patterns. Many modern foods lack nutrients and fiber, are filled with toxins, and don’t have the healthy bacteria you need to create healthy intestinal cells. If you have acne, rashes, eczema, psoriasis, poor skin tone, and so on, leaky gut (where the cells of your small intestine lose their integrity and become porous, creating inflammation and havoc in your body) may be the problem.
Here are some of the offenders in this typical scenario of leaky gut:
Grains, including whole grains and grain-like seeds such as wheat, barley, oats, spelt, brown rice, quinoa, and corn
Beans and legumes
Anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS)
Refined foods
Alcohol
Sugar
Dairy
Poor-quality fats and oils
If you’ve consumed any of these items over the years, you may be facing a problem of leaky gut.
The good news is that this condition can be reversed fairly easily. Paleo creates healthier intestinal cells. Eating the nutrient-rich Paleo foods helps heal your intestinal lining, which makes your skin look beautiful and keeps you well. Avoiding the offenders and sticking to Paleo foods infuses your body with good nutrients and bacteria to heal your gut.
For additional healing nutrients for your gut, make sure you eat foods such as raw sauerkraut and kimchi, which provide good bacteria, and foods such as sweet potatoes and butternut squash, which contain good soluble fiber. If you have an illness you’re trying to reverse or a stubborn skin condition that you suspect stems from leaky gut, you may want to remove eggs, coffee, nuts, and seeds as well until your gut has time to heal. You may even want to consider supplementing with a probiotic in a pill or powder form.