Gut Health and Mental Health Connection
All disease begins in the gut, says Hippocrates. And it's true — gut health is central to our overall health. The state of our gut is linked to every other function in our body, including sleep, immunity, weight, hormones, energy, and yes, even our mental state and mood.
What Is The Gut-Brain Axis?
The gut-brain axis is responsible for connecting our digestive and nervous systems. A great way to feel that connection is to think back on a time when you were nervous and got "butterflies" or had a "gut feeling" about someone.
Of course, this link goes much deeper than butterflies. The gut-brain axis is a network of connections and communication between three pathways: the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), the enteric nervous system of the gut, and our gut microbes — aka our microbiome.
When we say the microbiome, we're referring to the 100 trillion microorganisms that live in our gastrointestinal tract. The microbiome is an extensive communication network that signals the body in millions of different ways.
The location of the microbiome is right up against the intestines, putting them in direct contact with nerve and immune cells, which are the major information-gathering systems of our bodies. This close connection allows the microbes to "listen" as the brain signals stress, anxiety, or even happiness through many routes, including the vagus nerve and the bloodstream.
Another fantastic fact about the gut-brain link is that communication is bidirectional. Meaning, messages are sent from the gut to the brain and from the brain to the intestinal lining. For example, if you eat a food your body doesn't love (for me, that might be a gallon of ice cream), your body responds with mental stress. On the flip side, having a stressful day could affect how well you digest your dinner.
The Microbiome & Mental Health
Some psychological conditions don't originate from gut imbalances alone; there are genetic and environmental components to consider. Still, fixing the gut is one step towards improving your mental balance. And many psychological complaints actually do begin in the gut. Brain fog, anxiety, depression, mood swings, and concentration issues are rooted in neurotransmitter imbalances, which are directly connected to our gut health.
These imbalances can often be linked to two causes: food sensitivities that cause inflammation and gut infections.
There's good news though! We have a powerful tool available for reducing inflammation, balancing gut health, and bettering our mental health: nutrition!
The first step here is to eat the right foods for your body. We're all unique snowflakes when it comes to which foods our bodies love. An excellent place to start is paying attention to what you put on your plate, eating foods that nourish your body and practicing mindful eating. Working to eliminate inflammatory and processed foods and adding in whole and plant-based foods can also be really helpful.
GUT HAPPY FOODS
Bone broth
Fermented foods (kimchee, sauerkraut, kombucha, pickled vegetables)
Yogurt
Bitter foods and herbs (dandelion greens, beet greens, broccoli rabe, mustard greens, green tea, and unsweetened cacao)
Fiber-rich foods
Red wine
Prebiotic foods (root vegetables, garlic, asparagus, leeks)
A pre+probiotic supplement (I like Seed and The Nue, but there are definitely more accessible ones on the market)
GUT BENEFICIAL ACTIONS
Eat mindfully
Chew a lot, and slowly
Breath deeply
Eat with people you like
Eat food you love
Try to meditate at least 2 minutes a day
Similarly, working on reducing anxiety and stress helps us improve our digestion. Working with a team of health care providers to cover all your bases is vital. If you'd like to dig into your gut health and really feel in balance with your body-mind connection — let's chat! There is a solution, and I bet your food is a big part of the answer.
About Jessica: Jessica Gilbreath a Holistic Nutritionist, Herbalist, and the Head Witch In Charge at Rune Haus. Her practice is rooted in flexibility and without dogma, combining food-medicine with lifestyle habit reshaping to help people find balanced, lasting health. She believes health is a deeply personal journey and so your food relationship and nutritional needs are as well. Jessica works with her clients to navigate their unique path to wellness utilizing food, herbal medicine, and applicable education to build practical templates of well-being that they can access anytime throughout their lives.