09/14/2026
Inflammation May Start Where You Least Expect It: Your Gut
If you’re struggling with chronic inflammation, joint pain, an autoimmune condition, digestive issues, or a condition that ends in “-itis,” you may be looking at the wrong place for answers.
We often think of inflammation as something happening in a specific part of the body—like our joints. But there is a fascinating connection between gut health and inflammation throughout the body.
That means supporting your gut may be an important part of supporting your body’s ability to manage inflammation.
Let’s start with the foods that may be contributing to the problem.
Some foods can be particularly inflammatory or difficult to tolerate, especially when your digestive system is already struggling:
• Grains
• Alcohol
• Sugar
• Junk food and ultra-processed foods
• Corn
• Soy
• Seed oils
• Dairy
• Certain fiber and functional-fiber products
• Highly processed plant-protein products
And surprisingly, even foods we normally consider healthy—like beans, legumes, and certain vegetables—can cause digestive symptoms for some people.
When your gut is irritated, sometimes simplifying your diet for a period of time can help you figure out what your body is and isn’t tolerating. For some people, this may mean temporarily following a very simple, animal-based or carnivore-style diet under appropriate guidance.
Now let’s talk about supporting the gut.
One of the terms you may have heard is intestinal permeability, often referred to as “leaky gut.”
Your intestinal lining is an incredibly important barrier. It helps control what passes from your digestive tract into the rest of your body.
This is where Glutamine comes in
Glutamine is an amino acid that serves as an important fuel source for cells lining the digestive tract. Your body makes glutamine, but you also get it naturally from food.
Foods that provide glutamine include:
🥩 Beef
🥚 Eggs
🐟 Fish
🥛 Kefir
🐐 Sheep and goat cheese
🦴 Bone broth
And for those following a vegetarian or vegan diet, cabbage—especially red cabbage—is another food that provides glutamine. It also contains a variety of other beneficial plant compounds.
So when we talk about fighting inflammation, I don’t think we should be looking for one magical food.
We need to look at the bigger picture.
What are you eating every day?
How is your digestion?
Are certain foods making your symptoms worse?
And are you giving your gut the nutrients it needs to function properly?
Because sometimes, supporting your health means starting where the problem may actually begin—inside the gut. ❤️
