There's a lot of talks these days about the gut-brain connection – the idea that what's going on in our bellies can affect our moods and even our thinking. It's an important topic and one that more people need to be aware of. After all, if we can learn how to take care of our gut health, we might be able to improve our overall physical and mental well-being. So what do we need to know about the gut-brain connection? Keep reading to find out!
What is the Gut-Brain Connection?
For a lot of people, depression seems to come out of nowhere – one day you feel fine, and then for seemingly no reason, out of nowhere you're feeling irritable, anxious, and just plain sad. However, there are actually several reasons behind this so-called 'mystery' depression – including the fact that what's going on in your gut could be affecting your moods!
How there's a link between our gut health and our mood
The relationship between our gut health and our moods has been a hot topic recently, with psychologist Giulia Enders even going so far as to say ' The second brain' in her book of the same name. From here, the nervous system can send signals to all parts of your body. The gut has its own set of neurons. The vagus is connected with other organs and systems in our bodies. Making this an important area for research on how we function as humans! The two brains then communicate with each other via a number of different pathways – including the immune system and hormones.
- ways readers can improve their mental health by making changes to their diets.
How is There a Link between Our Gut Health and Our Mood?
So how does this impact our moods? It turns out that these gut neurons communicate directly with our central nervous system – so whatever happens in your gut can actually affect your brain.
More and more research is linking gut problems to mood changes.
What you eat can affect your mood. In fact, more research is linking gut problems to changes in the brain. This may be one reason why some people experience increased depression risk. When the restroom routines are frequently impacted by symptoms. Such as chronic pain or other major medical conditions. Like high cholesterol levels.
This connection isn't completely understood. Yet there's an idea that seems reasonable enough based on what we know today regarding how our bowels function (and don’t).
What Can We Do to Improve Our Mental Health by Making Changes to Our Diets?
There are several ways in which we can improve our mental health by making changes to our diets. These include:
- eating more whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables
- cutting back on junk food
- eating traditionally fermented foods, such as sauerkraut
What are fermented foods?
• cultured milk and yogurt
• wine
• beer
• cider
• tempeh
• miso
• kimchi
• sauerkraut
- taking a probiotic supplement.
Although there's no guaranteed fix for depression, improving gut health is certainly one option that might be worth exploring. After all, it's much cheaper and easier than going to therapy or taking antidepressants!
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