Your body’s “second brain” is your gut. What goes on in your gut can have a great effect on your mood, believe it or not!
The Gut-Brain Connection
For years, the medical world has been trying to figure out what causes our moods to change and what causes common problems like overwhelming stress, anxiety, and even depression. The neurotransmitter Serotonin can help, but did you know that the gut produces 90% of the body’s Serotonin? And, the cells that make the Serotonin seem to be highly dependent on intestinal microbes for its production.1
The best way to make sure you have enough microbes for healthy mood is to include foods in your diet that contain the healthy bacteria. More about that a little later.
A Balancing Act
Our emotional health can be directly related to what we eat. What we eat can affect the healthy balance of our gut bacteria or microbes. Have you ever been stressed out and had an upset stomach at the same time? There have been many scientific studies that have linked mood problems to gut problems and vice versa. Unfortunately, these important microbes can be destroyed all too easily by stress, pollution, and overexposure to toxins. Some symptoms of an unhealthy gut include gas, bloating, nausea, and sugar cravings, etc.
How to Prevent Imbalance
To prevent these symptoms from happening, you want to nourish and replenish your body with probiotics. Probiotics come in supplement form, or you can get them right through your diet. Excellent dietary sources of probiotics include kefir and fermented or cultured foods and beverages. You can make these at home or buy them at most health food and grocery stores.
Maintaining a healthy, balanced gut will help you digest food properly and absorb vital nutrients. This translates into a healthy state of mind. I would love to know what you think about the gut connection to mood; please leave your comment below, I’ll be sure to read it!
