The art of healthy living- mind,body and spirit.: Go with your gut.

Gut Health and the Brain

There is now evidence as to why we should listen to our ‘gut instinct’ and follow the advice that it provides us. Intelligence is not just allocated to our cerebrum, it is also attributed to our stomach - which can also be called our ‘second brain’. We now know that there is an inherent connection between our stomach and our brain, with the two organs working in unison as a biological command centre.

It is important to be mindful of what we eat not just for the obvious health benefits that correct nutrition provides us, but also because of the messages that are sent to our brain when the food we eat reaches our stomach. Our brain is working all the time, from when we are asleep to when we are awake, it is literally ‘switched on’ 24/7. Our brain is the control centre which tells our bodies when to move, how to move and why to move. All of these operations use up an immense amount of energy, and this energy is supplied via the food that we eat. The food we put into our body can be considered ‘fuel’ that propels our body forward and allows us to power on through the day. Just like the fuel we put in our cars, the fuel/food we put in our bodies differs greatly in quality. If we put a low-quality fuel in our car it will not perform at its best, but if we fill it with a high-grade fuel it will perform optimally. The same is true with our bodies: if we fill it with junk food, it will not perform at its best, but if we eat nutritionally sound foods which are found in a balanced diet, we will perform at our best.

So, when we eat well, both our brain and our body is performing at their best due to this direct line of communication from our stomach to our brain - Happy stomach, happy mind. This direct line of communication between the brain and the stomach is known as the microbiome axis, and communication is made via roughly 100 million nerve cells that line our gastrointestinal tract. The gut and the brain communicate via the nervous system, and the immune system. The microbiome (located in our gastrointestinal tract) releases neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) which communicate with the brain directly. This pathway from the stomach to the brain comes via a neural pathway known as the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system and connects our brain, gut, heart and liver as well as other organs in the body.

Due to this connection between the stomach and the brain where there is a line of communication, we can see that what we put into our bodies can also affect our mental health. Interestingly, the majority of the neurotransmitter Serotonin (roughly 95%) is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, and it is this which regulates sleep, appetite, and also our moods. So when we have high amounts of serotonin in our bodies, we are on a ‘natural high’, although when we are lacking sufficient amounts of serotonin in our brain and bodies we get depressed. Therefore it is in our best interest to eat the foods that will increase serotonin production and keep us in a positive state of mind.

The functioning of our gut health, depends greatly on the amount of ‘good’ bacteria that is found within our intestinal microbiome. These ‘good’ bacteria play an essential role in our overall health and they help protect us by creating a strong barrier against toxins as well as ‘bad’ bacteria present in our bodies. They also improve our bodies’ ability to absorb nutrients from our food, and most importantly they will activate the necessary neural pathways that travel directly between the gut and the brain.

With this knowledge, we know that what we eat affects our brain chemistry, our moods and the way our bodies perform, so it is important that we start taking note of how our bodies feel when eating certain foods. The ‘cleaner’ we eat, the better we feel, so it is best to cut out or at least cut down on the amount of processed foods eaten, and especially the amount of sugar consumed.

A great way to improve gut bacteria is by the addition of fermented foods into your diet such as kombucha, kimchi or probiotic yoghurt (just watch out for the sugar content in the yoghurt). Fermented foods are the best way to improve digestive health and create plenty of free-radical fighting good gut bacteria. Eat more fruit and vegetables and cut back on starchy foods like pasta, rice and bread which can cause bloating. Foods have a great impact on our overall body health and eating a diet high in good whole foods whist cutting out processed sugary foods is the best way to achieve this. By eating a cleaner diet people feel better physically and emotionally and feel ‘lighter’ in their person due to a lack of heavy foods present in their diet.