I went to the GNC in town today to buy some more L-glutamine for my trip. Two young guys were working the store- one of them particularly hot as sin, and the other cute as a button and very helpful. One of them was helping me find what I needed, as I was trying to figure out how many capsules I would need for the duration of my trip. He asked me how many capsules I take daily. I told him that I take 6 500mg capsules each day, so I would need a bottle with at least 100 capsules in it. He seemed surprised to hear that I took as much as I did. He asked me what I take it for. When I said, "digestion," he looked at me strangely and said, "I've never heard of anyone taking L-glutamine for digestion. People usually take it for its healing properties." My impulsive, defensive reaction and only way I could politely say, "I know what I'm fucking talking about and I'm taking it for the right reasons," was to utter the sexiest words that will ever come out of my mouth- "I HAVE LEAKY GUT." For a hot second I had an outer body experience where I envisioned me bitch slapping myself across the face and saying, "did you really just say that?" Oh, but I did just say that. I could have said that I take it because it stabilizes my blood sugar or because that's what my nutritionist recommends, or ANYTHING ELSE. I could have jokingly said, "well I'm going to be in a bodybuilding competition, can't you tell?" Just to show them how fabulous my sense of humor is. But instead I sabotaged myself and I knew it instantly after I saw the look of sheer horror painted all over both of their faces.
So, what is leaky gut?
Leaky gut occurs when the lining of the intestinal walls has become porous, causing undigested food and all kinds of bad toxins seep into the bloodstream. Most absorption occurs in the small intestine. The walls of the small intestine are covered with Villi, hair-like protrusions that have a very important job. We absorb all useful nutrients through the Villi, which are then passed into the blood stream. Anything that is not useful continues on (or it should at least) to the large intestine. However, with food and food chemical sensitivities, the Villi become damaged, brittle, and weak overtime. What results here is leaky gut or an absorption issue (as many of my fellow Celiac Disease people understand) - the inability to absorb nutrients from the food we are eating (Reasoner, Leaky Gut Syndrome in Plain English- And How To Fix it).
* Major energy source
* Improves brain functioning
* Stabilizes blood sugar
* Reduces alcohol cravings
* Maintains the health and functioning of lining of the gut
* Supports muscle function
* Boosts metabolism
* Enhances exercise performance
* Helps with wound healing
* Helps maintain acid alkaline balance
* Protects normal cells from chemotherapy in cancer patients
* Some studies have even shown that it helps to prevent kidney stones
Additionally, L-Glutamine helps with the following health conditions:
* Anxiety
* Crohn's Disease
* Insomnia
* Depression
* Ulcerative Colitis
* ADHD
(Slagle, The Way Up Newsletter)
Reasoner, Jordan. "Leaky Gut Syndrome In Plain English – And How To Fix It." SCD Lifestyle. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://scdlifestyle.com/2010/03/the-scd-diet-and-leaky-gut-syndrome/>.
Slagle, Priscilla. "Benefits of the Amino Acid L-Glutamine." The Way Up Newsletter. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/041501.htm>.