Mind Gut Connection
“You are what you eat.” This is a phrase we’ve all heard before. It’s most definitely true and has more validity than most realize. It goes way beyond physical appearance and organ health. It influences our mental health and mood as well.
Our minds and guts are connected by constantly sending signals back and forth through our vagus nerve. As a vital part of our parasympathetic system, the vagus nerve takes signals from our gut, pushes it through the nervous system and then to the brain for a response.
We have about five hundred different species of nonhuman cells in our gut referred to as our microbe. What we eat feeds these microbes while simultaneously allowing us to “consume” the nutrients. Each type of microbe has a specific function and nutritional need.
This is why eating a variety of healthy foods is important.
Known as the ‘mind gut connection,’ what you consume directly influences this connection. When certain microbes are fed, they signal to the brain to produce and release certain chemicals. Majority of our serotonin and dopamine is made in the gut which highlights the importance of a healthy microbiota.
When you consistently eat healthy foods and feed the associated microbes, those microbes are the ones constantly firing signals and vice versa. If you’re eating processed, sugary foods and feeding those microbes, those will be the ones taking over sending signals. In turn, you’ll crave more and more of those foods.
Eating pre and probiotic-rich foods containing highly beneficial bacteria will have good microbiota thriving. Prebiotics feed “friendly” bacteria and create favorable conditions for said bacteria. Probiotics are the actual bacteria that introduces beneficial flora to the intestines.
Incorporating these kinds of foods into your daily diet is transformative.
Examples of prebiotic-rich foods:
Apples
Bananas
Broccoli
Oats
Quinoa
Walnuts
Examples of probiotic-rich foods:
Sauerkraut
Kimchi
Kombucha
Olives
Plain traditional yogurt
The key to accomplishing any new goal is to start small and find what you enjoy. Aim to consume one or two types of prebiotic or probiotic foods a day. As that becomes easier, slowly include more.
Resources
Bonaz, Bruno, et al. “The Vagus Nerve at the Interface of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis.” Frontiers in Neuroscience, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 Feb. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5808284/.
Breit, Sigrid, et al. “Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Feb. 2018, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044/full.
Olien, Darin. Superlife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome. Harper Wave, 2017.