Think about it. You are what you eat, That’s why it’s always about the Gut-Brain connection.
This means your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. That “fuel” comes from the foods you eat and what’s in that fuel makes all the difference.
Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood.
Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel.
If substances from “low-premium” fuel get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them.
Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body’s regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress.
Studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars, impaired brain function and symptoms of mood disorders.
The burgeoning field of nutritional psychiatry is finding there are many consequences between not only what you eat, how you ultimately behave, but also the kinds of bacteria that live in your gut.
How the foods you eat affect how you feel?
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain.
Your gastrointestinal tract is lined with a hundred million nerve cells, or neurons, it makes sense that the inner workings of your digestive system don’t just help you digest food, but also guide your emotions.
What’s more, the function of these neurons and the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin is highly influenced by the billions of “good” bacteria that make up your intestinal microbiome.
Bacteria
These bacteria play an essential role in your health. They protect the lining of your intestines and ensure they provide a strong barrier against toxins and “bad” bacteria, limit inflammations, improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food as well as activating neural pathways that travel directly between the gut and the brain.
Studies have shown that when people take probiotics, their anxiety levels, perception of stress, and mental outlook improve, compared with people who did not take probiotics.
All about diets
Other studies have compared “traditional” diets, like the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet, to a typical “Western” diet and have shown that the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in those who eat a traditional diet.
Scientists account for this difference because these traditional diets tend to be high in vegetables to contain only modest amounts of lean meats.
They are also void of processed and refined foods and sugars, which are staples of the “Western” dietary pattern.
but that they also affect the degree of inflammation throughout your body is gaining traction among researchers. The results so far have been quite amazing.
What does this mean for you?
Start paying attention to how eating different foods makes you feel not just in the moment, but the next day.
Try eating a “clean” diet for two to three weeks that means cutting out all processed foods and sugar.
See how you feel. That’s why it’s called a Gut-Brain connection.
