How to Fix Leaky Gut: 4 Steps to Rebalance and Support Your Gut

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If you’re wondering how to fix leaky gut, you may be tempted to start with probiotics, fermented foods, or a long list of supplements. But I think one of the most important questions to ask first is not, “What should I add?” but, “What may need to be removed?”

Your gut lining does more than help digest food. It also acts as a barrier, helping control what moves from your digestive tract into your bloodstream.

When that barrier becomes more permeable, particles that should stay inside the intestines may pass through and trigger an inflammatory response. This is commonly referred to as leaky gut.

In this post, we’ll look at what leaky gut means, what may contribute to it, and four steps to identify potential causes, remove unwanted factors, replenish the gut, and support the intestinal lining.

👉 Before we get started:
Be sure to access my free Ultimate Gut Health Starter Kit. It’s an evidence-based guide to help you build a strong foundation for gut health, support digestion, and nourish your microbiome naturally.

Table of Contents Show

What Is Leaky Gut?

Leaky gut refers to an intestinal lining that has become more permeable.

Your intestinal tract is approximately 25 to 26 feet long. Surrounding it is immune tissue known as gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT).

Inside the intestines are finger-like structures called villi (kind of like a shag rug). These villi help absorb nutrients. They also work with the good bacteria and good yeast living inside the digestive tract.

The cells of the intestinal lining are connected by tight junctions. These junctions help control which substances can move from the intestines into the bloodstream.

When the gut lining is healthy, nutrients can pass through the tight junctions and enter the bloodstream.

Bacteria, fungi, viral particles, and other unwanted substances remain contained inside the digestive tract. They continue through the intestines until they leave the body through a bowel movement (aka, your poop).

Over time, processed foods, alcohol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil or ibuprofen, birth control, and other factors may create inflammation in the gut.

As inflammation continues, gaps may begin to form in the intestinal lining. The lining then becomes more permeable, or “leaky.”

As the lining becomes more permeable, substances that would normally remain inside the digestive tract may enter the bloodstream.

These may include:

Longer strands of amino acids from proteins
Bacteria
Fungi
Viral particles
Other unwanted substances

Once these substances enter the bloodstream, they may create an inflammatory response.

Health Concerns Connected With Leaky Gut

Leaky gut may affect more than digestion. When unwanted particles pass through the intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream, they may trigger inflammation in other areas of the body.

This inflammation may affect:

The thyroid, as seen with Hashimoto’s
The joints, as seen with rheumatoid arthritis
The myelin sheath, as seen with multiple sclerosis
Other areas involved in lupus

Brain fog, headaches, and skin conditions may be signs that it is worth taking a closer look at the gut. And candida overgrowth may also contribute to inflammation and concerns such as skin rashes, headaches, and brain fog.

What May Contribute to Leaky Gut?

Several factors may contribute to inflammation in the gut and increased intestinal permeability.

These include:

Processed foods
Alcohol
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil or ibuprofen
Birth control
Delayed food sensitivities
Candida or yeast overgrowth
Excess bacterial growth
H. pylori
Parasites

These problems may develop gradually over weeks, months, or even years.

The first step is to identify which factors may be present. Once you know whether the problem involves food reactions, yeast, bacteria, H. pylori, or parasites, you can begin addressing those factors.

How to Fix Leaky Gut in 4 Steps

The process follows four main steps:

Identify what may be causing the problem.
Remove what should not be there.
Replenish beneficial microorganisms.
Support and seal the intestinal lining.

I think one of the most helpful ideas in this process is that what you remove may be just as important as what you add.

Step 1: Identify What May Be Causing Leaky Gut

The first step is to use testing to identify possible contributors. This is where I highly recommend my top three tests for gut health.

Food-Sensitivity Testing
Delayed food-sensitivity testing looks for IgG reactions. This is different from an immediate reaction that may cause hives or a headache soon after eating. A delayed IgG reaction may occur two or three days after eating a particular food. These delayed reactions may contribute to inflammation in the blood.
Candida Metabolic & Vitamins Test
The Candida Metabolic & Vitamins Test looks for candida or yeast overgrowth, potential mold exposure, bacteria that should not be present, clostridia or clostridium difficile, and more.
Comprehensive Stool Testing
A stool test may look for parasites, salmonella, e. coli, yeast, and bacterial overgrowth.

The purpose of testing is to determine whether the main contributor may be foods, Candida, H. pylori, parasites, or bacteria. If you can do all three, you get what is called the Big 3 Gut Health Test.

Once these factors have been identified, they can be addressed more directly.

Step 2: Remove What Should Not Be There

The second step focuses on removing the possible causes of the imbalance.

For many of my clients with digestive and gut-related concerns, I recommend the CBO Protocol, which stands for Candida & Bacterial Optimizer Protocol.

This comprehensive 12-week program is designed to gradually rebalance the gut microbiome by removing unwanted microbes, supporting the gut barrier, and reintroducing beneficial probiotic strains in a specific order.

Once the removal phase is complete, beneficial microorganisms are gradually added back to help repopulate the gut.

Why Probiotics Do Not Come First

Many people believe they should immediately begin taking probiotics or eating fermented foods when trying to address leaky gut.

However, I do not recommend beginning with probiotics when bacterial or yeast overgrowth may be present.

The gut may already be experiencing dysbiosis, which means that the digestive environment is imbalanced. Adding more microorganisms may not be the right first step.

Step 3: Replenish the Gut Gradually

After the removal stage, beneficial microorganisms are added back in a specific order.

First Month: Saccharomyces Boulardii

The first microorganism introduced is Saccharomyces boulardii. It is a non-pathogenic yeast and it helps push out pathogenic yeast and bacteria.

Next: Lactobacillus Acidophilus

The next step is to introduce a lower-dose strain for the small intestine.

Lactobacillus acidophilus helps acidify the small intestine. This is intended to keep a new population of bacteria from beginning to overgrow.

Finally: A Multi-Strain Probiotic

The final step is to introduce a multi-strain probiotic like the Daily Probiotic Support. This helps repopulate the gut after the removal stage.

Step 4: Support and Seal the Intestinal Lining

After unwanted organisms have been addressed and beneficial microorganisms are being added back, the final step focuses on the intestinal lining.

The intestinal lining is only a single cell thick. The goal of this stage is to help close the gaps, calm inflammation, nourish the villi, and rebuild the intestinal wall.

Several nutrients and herbs may be used during this stage.

Zinc Carnosine: Zinc carnosine is a form of zinc attached to carnosine. It helps heal and seal the gut wall.
L-Glutamine: L-glutamine is used at approximately 5 grams to help seal the gut wall.
Aloe Vera: Aloe vera helps calm inflammation inside the intestines.
Marshmallow Root: Marshmallow root creates a temporary coating along the digestive tract and has anti-inflammatory properties. It may be taken as a supplement or prepared as a tea.
N-Acetyl Glucosamine: N-acetyl glucosamine provides food for the villi. It may help calm inflammation, nourish the villi, and rebuild the intestinal wall. These ingredients may be used with daily probiotic support to give the intestines the nutrients they need during the rebuilding stage.

👉 To sum it up, this 4-step gut healing process starts with the CBO protocol for 12 weeks, then going straight into the CBO Finisher protocol for 8 weeks.

Quick Recap

✅ Leaky gut occurs when the intestinal lining becomes more permeable and allows unwanted substances to enter the bloodstream.
✅ Brain fog, headaches, and skin conditions may be reasons to take a closer look at the gut.
✅ Processed foods, alcohol, NSAIDs, birth control, food sensitivities, Candida, bacteria, H. pylori, and parasites may contribute to the problem.
✅ The process begins with testing and removal before probiotics are introduced.
✅ Zinc carnosine, L-glutamine, aloe vera, marshmallow root, and N-acetyl glucosamine may help support the intestinal lining.

💢 Still dealing with bloating, fatigue, or inflammation, no matter what you try?

If you’ve been chasing symptoms and nothing seems to stick, it’s time to look deeper. I’d love to help you uncover the root cause of your digestive + hormone issues so you can finally get the answers you’ve been looking for.

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Final Thoughts

This four-step approach begins by identifying what may be creating the imbalance and removing what should not be there.

Once the removal stage has been completed, beneficial microorganisms are gradually introduced. The final step is to provide the intestinal lining with nutrients and herbs that help calm inflammation, nourish the villi, and rebuild the gut wall.

I find this framework helpful for my clients because it assigns a clear purpose to each stage, rather than trying to accomplish everything at once.

Now I’d love to hear from you! Which part of this four-step gut process would you like to learn more about? Let me know in the comments below.

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