Gut Health & Mental Health

DID YOU KNOW?

The health of your gut can be connected to anxiety. Your gut produces around 90% of your serotonin, your happy hormone. 80% of your immune system is in your gut. The creation of the hormone melatonin is also created in your gut. When there is excess bad bacteria and inflammation, it can throw your whole microbiome off. This can cause you to not digest your foods properly and cause a plethora of issues with your health and mood. As the gut determines overall nutritional status, if nutrients are not being absorbed correctly, the other issues causing chaos in your body, including anxiety, cannot be rectified. The microbes that live in your gut can influence your thoughts and behavior. It can affect

• Your mood
• Your pain tolerance
• Your cognitive performance
• Your behavior
• Your mental health

Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria and other microbes that directly communicate with your brain along the gut-brain axis, also known as the vagus nerve. We initially thought the brain was doing most of the talking in this relationship, but new gut microbiome research indicates that your microbes are quite talkative. Your gut microbes actually communicate with your brain – and they have a lot to say.

When it comes to improving brain health, a great way to start is by paying attention to the health of your gut.

Healthy Gut, Healthy Brain

What you eat is one of the most important factors influencing your health. The foods you eat are broken down and transformed by your gut microbiome to nourish the rest of your body – it’s your gut microbiome that’s digesting a majority of your food.

For example, neurotransmitter production in the brain is dependent on specific proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Your brain needs a balanced intake of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins to keep you at your best. Folic acid, for instance, is critical for brain function and cognition. Your microbes are responsible for metabolizing your food to keep a steady supply of folic acid flowing to the brain. If microbes aren’t fed properly, their ability to create specific vitamins, like folate, decreases, and impacts neurotransmitter synthesis. This leaves your brain struggling to communicate and “brain fog” settles in.

You literally are what you eat – and if you aren’t eating the right foods for a healthy brain (and your second brain, the gut) then you’re going to feel it. Depending on what microbes are inhabiting your gut right now, they can take the food you eat and metabolize it into beneficial nutrients or harmful metabolites. When your gut isn’t at its best, your emotional and mental health aren’t either, so it’s important to give your gut the nourishment it needs for you to thrive. When you unlock the secrets of your gut, you are empowered.

The rewards you’ll reap are a thriving mind, a well-functioning body, and uplifted mood.

To learn more about gut health and mental health please follow my Instagram journey @guthealth.mentalwealth or www.hopegatekeepers.com