My body literally rusted in the aftermath of stress from the unfortunate events of 2010. The continuous adrenaline cocktail, lack of sleep and relentless monkey mind all had their wicked way with me on a cellular level, leaving me bereft of vitality. I won’t bore you with the laundry list of issues, but one thing I do have is Leaky Gut, which seems a fitting consequence of my previously leaky life, and strangely metaphorical: unseen entities doing things behind my back.

To unearth this health factoid, I endured a litany of blood-work, even though I hate needles. Thank goodness I did or I would be none the wiser, just stuck in the endless loop of feeling really awful. Now that I know what is happening, at organ and tissue level, it all makes sense.

If you feel terrible all the time, get thee to a lab — you will exponentially catapult your ability to heal by understanding what is happening in the underbelly of your body.

Leaky Gut is rather sinister because the intestinal wall becomes compromised and acts like a sieve, instead of doing its job as an Immune System Sentry. (Don’t take my word for it — I failed Chemistry 101 in college. You can find an in-depth and understandable description in the book Practical Paleo.) Of course, the Paleo Diet is not the only way to address this issue, but it is a place to start. Nutritionist Chris Kresser has some great ideas, or you might want to read Gut and Psychology Syndrome, a remarkable book I discovered that delves deep into nutrition and digestive disorders.

Leaky Gut is widely believed to be the root of many health issues, particularly the auto-immune variety.

Why am I sharing this? Two reasons: First, as my gut heals through a combination of diet and supplements, my intuition has deepened, which makes me think that perhaps the gut truly is our second brain.

Is it possible that our gut instinct suffers when we continuously subject our bodies to inflammatory foods and allergens, causing our intuition to leak as well? Now that my body is free of defending itself against daily dietary enemies, I definitely feel a stronger connection to my inner wisdom.

Even my meditation practice has been dramatically altered.

Second, in just a few weeks of adopting the Paleo Diet, I have noticed positive changes in my body. I sleep well and wake up rested and energized — truly miraculous! My skin is clearing up, a work in progress. I have energy throughout the day and, although I did not do this to lose weight, my body seems less bloated and, quite frankly, happier.

I am so amazed I could become evangelical about it. In fact, I was sitting in Bloom Natural Health in Encinitas, CA talking about this and I had to restrain myself because I love sharing resources that have worked for me.

I won’t lie. Eating this way requires a BIG shift in your mindset. Baked Kobucha squash and salmon for breakfast is a far cry from the traditional diet we have been raised on, but the benefits of a healthy gut and deeper intuition are worth the sacrifice.

All this to say: if you have stress in your life, your body is most likely suffering, particularly if you are eating an inflammatory diet. It might be time to dig a little deeper to understand what ails you. The path to healing often requires a recalibration of habits, but reducing the burden on our physical being invites bigger possibilities for whole body health.

Have you made a connection between the way you feel and what you eat? I would love to hear from you!

-db

Who is Dianna Bonny?

Hi, my name is Dianna Bonny. It’s my mission to candidly share my journey with you. For me, it’s all about the healing: to create a radiant healing energy for others who have befallen a similar fate. Together, we can forge beautiful lives of belonging and connection. Thanks for joining me today! I look forward to hearing from you.