Do You Feel That? It’s a Gut Feeling.
Do you ever feel a sinking sensation in your stomach when it comes to making a big decision, taking a leap of faith, or deciding on whether to pursue a relationship? Some people might call this feeling a sixth sense, while others might call it their intuition. Whatever you would like to name it, these gut feelings are real and tell us a lot about our gastrointestinal tract’s sensitivity to emotion and feelings. In fact, feelings such as anger, joy, and fear can often be felt in our gut before we have consciously had a chance to fully process them ourselves!
It’s true: your gut can basically bypass your higher-order knowledge or perception of a situation, and send a physiological signal to you. Said another way, your body often knows about something before you do.
The gut is our “second brain,” and is connected to the brain in our heads through the vagus nerve and neurotransmitters. It communicates tastes and feelings to the brain, carries signals between the gut and the brain with neurotransmitters, and sends us those gut instincts that tell us if we are on the right or wrong path. By keeping the vagus nerve healthy and strong, we
Support our motility, which allows food to move through the digestive tract quicker
Regulate our appetite, which includes insulin and glucose regulation
Regulate blood sugar modulation
In addition to the brain and gut being connected, we must also consider the role of my favorite forgotten organ, the microbiome. The microbiome produces neurotransmitters (such as serotonin!), which are partially responsible for aspects of health and disease. We want to keep the connection between or gut, brain, and microbiome strong; there is a positive relationship between having mental health problems, like anxiety and depression, and having gastrointestinal symptoms that mirror IBS-symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea.
Here’s some ways that you can support a healthy gut-brain-microbiome axis through diet.
Omega- 3
Omega-3 can be considered the building block for the brain. It has been researched as increasing memory, improving mood, and reducing inflammation. While western diets tend to be high in Omega-6, they are typically lacking in Omega-3. Sources include salmon, tuna, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and eggs that come from chickens fed with a diet high in Omega-3.
Fermented Foods
Traditionally, people ate many fermented and pickled foods. For centuries, people have been fermenting plants and vegetables to prevent food spoilage and add a tangy flavor to their meals. Probiotic and delicious options include miso, sauerkraut, kimchi, root and ginger beers, sourdough bread, and wine. There are also child-friendly options such as yogurt and kefir with live active cultures. For these, you can serve them alone, in fruit-flavored smoothies, or even as an alternative to milk in their favorite cereal. Fermented foods can naturally contain many strains of beneficial microbes, which allows you to get live bacteria without having to take a probiotic pill.
Fiber
Interestingly enough, we cannot break down and process our own fiber. Instead, our helpful gut microbiota contains tens of thousands of enzymes to help break it down for us. So, fiber can help feed good bacteria which in turn reduces our stress hormones and supports healthy bowel function. Fiber gives you the ability to have fantastic bowel movements by essentially correcting the weight and size of your stool. High fiber foods that act as a prebiotic include bananas, whole grain corn, and whole grain wheat. Fiber isn’t the only prebiotic available to us, though. We also have resistant starch, found in foods like potatoes and oats, that acts similarly to soluble fiber, and there is inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides, and other oligosaccharides that function like soluble fiber.
Polyphenols
While fiber is an amazing way to get prebiotics into your system, there are also polyphenols. These plant-based chemicals are also digested by gut bacteria and increase healthy gut microbes. Some plants to consider including in your diet include cocoa, blueberries, apples, and green tea. For more information on polyphenols, you can check out my post on them here.
Heal Your Gut, Heal Your Life!
With Love,
Katherine
Is your gut causing you issues? Do you need help losing weight, or maintaining weight loss? Book an appointment with me to see if the Ahimsa Signature Plan can help you.
Sources:
Slavin, Joanne. “Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits .” National Library of Medicine, 22 Apr. 2013, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23609775/.
Bulsiewicz, Will. Fiber Fueled. Avery, 2020.
Dr. Bill Harris on the Omega-3 Index: Increasing Omega-3 to Promote Longevity & Transform Health, YouTube, 7 Dec. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4. Accessed 10 Feb. 2022.