Let’s talk about our 2nd brain- the gut.
The brain isn’t the only organ that contains neurons, our gut does too.
In fact almost 90% of serotonin is made in the gut.
We are coming across overwhelming evidence showing that the gut and the brain are more linked than we ever imagined- there is nonstop communication between the two.
Poor brain function is closely tied with poor gut health.
And consequently, an improvement in microbiome health correlates with improved cognitive performance.
Microbiome (fecal) transplants are not only a real thing being used in hospitals, but they’re curing people who have suffered from lifelong obesity, depression, and many other mental disorders and metabolic diseases.
At any given moment, there is an all-out-war in our gut and it's up to us which side we choose to fight for.
A poor gut means the person is feeding more of the harmful bacteria which cause leaky gut, mental fogginess, chronic fatigue, and depression just to name a few.
A healthy gut means the person is feeding more of the beneficial bacteria which do things like break down toxic substances for us and produce short chain fatty acids that our brains love to use as free energy.
So what are some effective ways we can shift the balance of power?
Rotating different type of fibers each day- fibers are only found in plants so making sure you have a nice rotation of various fruits and veggies is the single best way to repopulate a healthy microbiome
PRObiotics (bacteria ONLY), PREbiotics (fibers to feed bacteria), and SYNbiotics (a product containing both the prebiotic AND probiotic together) can provide useful reinforcements to the beneficial bacteria already present
Avoiding false sugars, specifically sugar alcohols (anything that ends in ’ol’ i.e. erithrytol)
Prolonged water fasting can clear out the battleground- a clean slate for a fresh start
Elimination diets similar to 'The Whole 30' may be effective in reseting microbiome by removing the main fuel sources of the bad guys
So if you haven’t already, start paying real close attention to the little guys down there: it’s important for whole-body health. Regain control of your gut, give one of these interventions a shot and see how you feel!
Comments