If I run an intolerance test and we see that your gut is permeable, the first thing I want you to understand is this: it does not mean you can never eat those foods again.
It means that you are currently in a situation where your intestine is allowing foods to pass through that should not pass through. And that is where the symptoms appear.
For that reason, for a period of time we stop consuming the foods you are intolerant to. And during that time we focus on what really matters: preparing the gut with an intestinal plan from the Manniello Method, fully restoring the intestinal flora, and then gradually reintroducing the foods that previously caused discomfort.
(Intestinal permeability is a real and studied phenomenon in medicine; it is described as an alteration of the intestinal barrier and can be measured with different methods.)
IT’S NOT THE CALORIES, IT’S THE COMBINATION
Within my method, the number of calories is not the most important factor.
What matters is combining foods correctly. Because when you do not, fermentation is created… and that is where the chain reaction begins.
THE CHAIN: ENZYMES, FERMENTATION AND DAMAGE
When foods are combined incorrectly, they cannot be digested properly because the enzymes cancel each other out. The food remains in your stomach at around 38°C, and fermentation begins.
From this fermentation, substances are released that should not dominate the environment:
Acids
Ammonia
Alcohols
Hydrogen
and more
These compounds are described as metabolites that can appear when intestinal fermentation and nutrient degradation processes occur due to microbiota activity.
Over time, this damages membranes and destroys cells. This is when leaky gut appears, allowing small fragments of “spoiled” or altered food to pass into the bloodstream.
THE FIRST PHENOMENON: FLUID RETENTION AND FATIGUE
That fragment comes into contact with the cell membrane and causes irritation. The cell then fills with water as a protective response.
This is the first phenomenon of food intolerance: fluid retention.
While the cell is filled with water, it cannot produce oxygen properly, and chronic fatigue caused by hypoxia begins to appear.
When oxygen levels in the body decrease, different types of metabolic disorders start to emerge: pain, sleep problems, hormonal imbalances… and many others.
CONCLUSION
Food intolerance is not a life sentence. It is a signal.
And often, the root of the problem is not the food itself… but how you are combining it.
If you want to explore this approach more deeply and understand how I work with the intestinal plan within the Manniello Method, explore my educational resources, where I explain it in much greater detail.
Dr. Donato Alberto Manniello
Dr. Donato Alberto Manniello has spent more than 30 years researching food and nutrition, experimenting with and analyzing different nutritional approaches in order to develop his own practical criteria that can be applied in everyday life.
His vision is holistic, which has led him to explore different disciplines related to health and lifestyle habits. He holds a Doctorate in Osteopathy and has training in Physiotherapy. He also specialized in Traditional Chinese Medicine, holds a Master’s degree in Ayurvedic Medicine, and is a University Expert in Nutrition and Obesity. In addition, he is an Expert in Integrative Medicine and Preventive Health.
As a researcher, he structured his own approach into a protocol and shared it through his method and publications. Together with his team, he has also developed an app designed to create personalized weekly meal plans and help combine foods in a practical way to improve digestion and nutrient absorption.
