Let’s talk about the GUT-BRAIN connection…
The health of our digestive tract influences our everyday mood and the feel-good hormones that are produced. For example, 90% of our body’s serotonin is produced in the digestive tract. If the intestines are hosting the wrong bacteria and nutrients are lacking in our diet, our brain is not working at its best and we feel it.
Many of the mental health related diagnoses all have inflammation in common. Inflammation transfers messages to the nervous system, typically stimulating the vagus nerve, which stimulates the gut and the brain. Inflammation is the primary driver of chronic illness.
This is the good news! We can address our MOOD by treating the inflammation & healing the gut.
Here are some ways to start healing your gut & your depression, anxiety, etc.
- Eliminate processed foods (anything in a package) and food toxins from your diet
- *The dirty dozen & clean 15
- If you do eat something packaged, avoid anything with more than 5 ingredients.
- Eat a diet rich in a variety of whole foods and herbs
- Swap out sugary beverages with:
- Soda water & citrus
- Kombucha
- Hot or cold unsweetened tea (green tea can even lessen anxiety)
- MORE WATER! Drink at least half your body weight in ounces each day & more when you sweat.
- Consider *FAT + FIBER + PROTEIN at every meal to balance blood sugar and mood
- Fats: avocado, ghee, grass fed butter, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and nuts
- Protein: grass fed beef, organic chicken, pasture raised eggs, wild caught seafood
- Fiber: fruits, vegetables, greens & whole grains
- Add fermented foods to support a diverse microbiome
- Sauerkraut (found in the cold isle or homemade), miso, plain whole fat yogurt, kefir, kimchi, tempeh
- Talk to a nutritionist about adding a probiotic with a diversity of bacterial strains
- Limiting inflammation
- Exercising, meditating, take deep breaths, get quality sleep, limit toxins in your environment and products (home & beauty), address vitamin deficiencies and food sensitivities with a nutritionist.
MADISON MUHLHAUSER
HOLISTIC NUTRITIONIST
For more information and personal guidance toward your individual needs contact me Madison@vancouverwellnessstudio.com.
Madison is a Holistic Nutritionist from the National University of Natural Medicine. She helps people find a flow that works best for them and their family’s lifestyle so they feel good overall and are able to follow the cycle of good health. She believes when you make cooking, meal prepping and shopping enjoyable we can all begin to come back to the idea that food is supposed to bring us pleasure and nourishment, not something quick and forced.
