What Is the Best Protein Powder for Leaky Gut?

Are you looking for the best protein powder for leaky gut? Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake with leaky gut.

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Protein Powder for Leaky Gut

Can Protein Powder Cause Leaky Gut? 

Leaky gut syndrome, also known as increased intestinal permeability, is a condition where your intestinal lining becomes damaged or compromised.

This makes it easier for bacteria, toxins, and undigested food particles to pass into your bloodstream.

Several studies have also associated leaky gut syndrome with chronic and autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. 

It is also thought to cause symptoms like chronic bloating and diarrhea.

What exactly causes someone to have a leaky gut is somewhat of a mystery, and there is no recommended treatment.

There are several ways to improve symptoms, however, one of which is making changes to your diet.

Many people find that avoiding certain foods, like refined carbohydrates, dairy, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners, helps reduce leaky gut symptoms.

They also find that eating a diet rich in foods known to promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria, such as fermented foods, makes a difference.

This is probably because a healthy gut microbiome modulates the production and secretion of mucins and stratification of the mucus layers that make up your intestinal mucosal barrier.

It follows that because you consume protein powder regularly, if not every day, you have to be very careful when adding a new protein powder to your diet.

Protein powders that alter the composition of your gut microbiome could also alter the function of your intestinal barrier. 

This is not to say that protein powder causes leaky gut, but it could certainly have an outsized impact on symptoms given how often you consume it.

Is Protein Powder Good for Leaky Gut? 

Leaky gut, because it involves damage to your intestinal lining, can affect your ability to absorb nutrients from food.

Over time, this can lead to nutritional deficiencies and even weight loss.

To counteract this, it is important to be mindful of your nutrient intake, especially your protein intake. 

Dietary proteins are essential for the growth and repair of your mucosal intestinal barrier.

Although more research into the role of proteins in intestinal barrier regulation is needed, it is known that some dietary peptides produced by the enzymatic digestion of dietary proteins enhance or protect your intestinal barrier. 

Exactly how much protein you need will depend on a number of factors, but you should certainly eat at least 0.36 grams per pound of bodyweight per day.

For some, especially those with dietary restrictions, eating this much protein can be hard, which is where protein powder can help.

Incorporating a protein powder into your diet is an easy way to fill in nutritional gaps and ensure you meet your daily protein requirements.

Not all protein powders are created equal, however. 

What Is the Best Protein Powder for Leaky Gut?

Despite their benefits for someone who needs extra protein, many protein powders are made with ingredients that can cause painful side effects and even long term complications for someone with a leaky gut.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates. 

Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, sugar substitutes, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your gut microbiome.

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which is associated with the development of leaky gut.

Remember, an unhealthy, or dysbiotic, gut microbiome can result in the weakening of your intestinal barrier, thereby allowing bacteria and other pathogens to enter your bloodstream.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

Basically, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it should not be in your protein powder. 

Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

You should also avoid dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, which contain lactose, a sugar most adults cannot fully digest.

Keep in mind that you may be sensitive to dairy-based proteins, even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

The protein source itself (not the type of protein, but the form) might be a factor worth considering too.

Most protein supplements are made from protein concentrates and isolates, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that it does whole foods, which can affect everything from satiety to gut health.

In fact, studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates can disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut.

So, pending further research, it is recommended that you stick to leaky gut protein powders made from whole food protein sources.

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Drink Wholesome Is the Best Protein Powder for Leaky Gut

Finding a protein powder free from food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates is hard.

In fact, 99% of protein supplements contain one or more of these problematic ingredients, which is why we created Drink Wholesome.

We make the best protein powder for leaky gut because we use a short list of simple ingredients.

Our Ingredients

egg whites

coconut

vanilla

monk fruit

NOT Our Ingredients

• acacia gum

• acesulfame potassium

• artificial flavors

• carrageenan

• erythritol

• guar gum

• inulin

• maltodextrin

• 'natural' flavors

• silica

• soy lecithin

• sucralose

• xanthan gum

• xylitol

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we use whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that our customers experience fewer digestive issues with our Protein Powder than with any other type of protein supplement.

Order samples to see for yourself.