Happier Gut with the 5Rs of Gut Healing

Ever since I learned about Functional Medicine and the 5R Approach, I noticed how common digestive issues are and how several of the symptoms and illnesses are greatly connected to the gut. The 5R protocol is a basic framework for addressing a wide range of GI problems with the purpose of bringing the gut back into balance.

In school, I was taught that the digestive system is responsible for digestion, absorption and excretion. But the gut does so much more than that. It houses a large community of microbiome that offers a lot of health benefits. It is a major component of our immune system, protecting us from pathogens like bacteria, virus and parasites) and it helps regulate our mood.

In Functional Medicine, we use a process called the “5Rs of Gut Healing,” an easy to memorize acronym as a guide to support the gut and heal up. The focus is improving the structure of the gut lining (due to leaky gut and other problems) and the environment (such as the microbiome, digestive enzymes, and stomach acid), supporting its function leading to decreased symptoms. The 5Rs are Remove, Replace, Re-inoculate, Repair and Rebalance.

The 5Rs

1 Remove

Personally, for me, this is the hardest step among the rest. Here you will need to remove things that negatively affect your gut. This may include:

• Inflammatory foods such as dairy, gluten, sugar, and alcohol. If you have any food allergy, food sensitivity and food intolerance, from past experiences, you may want to start there. Removing also includes food sources with toxic chemicals such as heavy metals, junk foods, and processed foods.

• “Bad bugs” like bacteria and parasites. You can support your body to remove this by taking herbs.

• You may also want to reflect and consider if there are any toxic relationships & toxic lifestyles that result in stress leading to gut discomfort.

2 Replace

Now, this is adding the good stuffs in. Replace any essential elements that might have been lacking or depleted. This includes digestive enzymes, bile support and hydrochloric acid for better digestion and absorption of food. You can do this by eating the right kinds of food and supplementing.

• Digestive enzymes- Kiwi, papaya and pineapple

• Herbal bitters- Ginger, turmeric and dandelion root

3 Re-inoculate

The third step is to re-inoculate your gut with beneficial bacteria. You can do this by introducing:

• Prebiotics- Prebiotic foods are non-digestible food ingredients that feed the good bugs such as garlic, leeks, apples, bananas, oats, barley to name a few. Eating fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha and yogurt will also help.

• Probiotics- Probiotics are live microorganisms that when consumed will benefit the gut and overall health.

4 Repair

Here, we’ll be repairing the gut lining, reducing inflammation and further improving the gut microbiome. This is done by supplying key nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids and there’s no better source than wholefoods that is rich in:

• Vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc

• Amino acids like bone broths, chicken, eggs

You can also consider supplementing with collagen, L-glutamine, slippery elm, turmeric and aloe vera.

5 Rebalance

Lastly, after all the effort you have done to get your gut happier, it’s time to focus on maintaining it. Keep your gut healthy and happy by prioritizing:

• Proper eating

• Sleep

• Stress management

• Movement

Your lifestyle choices will have a profound effect on your gut health. Any alterations, for example sleeping late will affect your biological clock and disrupt your gut microbiome. Increasing stress can increase cortisol levels, affecting digestive function. Exercise also influences gut health. More is not necessarily better if it leads you to feel stressed out. Sometimes more intensity can lead to more inflammation. So find the right amount and intensity for you. Nevertheless, research does show that exercise does promote healthier gut.