Mental Health - Part 1
The Gut / Brain Connection
The gut is home to our “second brain”, a.k.a. the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). This is a collection of brain cells (neurons) that is HUGE; larger and more complex than our spine. Calling it a second brain is the most accurate description we’ve found.
We need all of these neurons around our gut because digestion is really complex. Our main brain needs to outsource all of this work, otherwise it may not have had enough bandwidth for language, the arts, and other intrinsically human activities.
The ENS works completely independently from our brain and even makes many of the neurotransmitters in our body (brain chemicals). 90% of our serotonin and 50% of our dopamine are made in the brain, along with GABA (reduces anxiety) and other important neurotransmitters. Research is finding a significant connection between a happy gut & a happy brain.
Specifically, if the gut is inflamed and/or out of balance, then we have a much higher risk for depression (another cause of the inflammation/depression connection we talked about in the intro).
It’s believed that our gut bacteria play a significant role in our serotonin & dopamine balance, and this neurotransmitter balance has been connected to depression and anxiety. What we eat feeds our gut bacteria and helps to create balance…or imbalance. Our gut bacteria also can trigger or calm down inflammation.
This means feeding our gut bacteria is important – and they love a healthy whole food anti-inflammatory diet :). Incorporating lots and lots of plant-based fibre is key. Fibre from; fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains.
If you’d like to learn more about this connection, check out my Gut/Brain Connection webinar.
What’s important about the gut/brain connection:
How the gut and brain interact is very complex and we barely understand it…but there’s a lot of stuff we can glean from this early research that we can use in our everyday life.
1. Digestive issues can trigger or be triggered by mental health issues –
Imbalances of neurotransmitters can affect both our brain and our gut. Sometimes together…sometimes not.
Low levels of serotonin are believed to trigger low mood and feelings of depression. It can also cause constipation and a slow and sluggish gut.
High levels of serotonin are believed to trigger feelings of anxiety, and it the gut can trigger diarrhea and urgency.
Some people only feel their mental health issues in their gut. In my experience with clients, this is a common issue in children (anxiety feels like a sore tummy) and people who regularly handle large amounts of stress. For them, they feel very capable of enormous stress, barely feeling the effect…but in their gut they can have really difficult issues. Some of the worst digestive issues I’ve seen have been with people dealing with high amounts of stress on a day to day basis.
2. Healing the gut can calm down the brain –
The inflammation/depression connection seems to be connected to gut inflammation, so gut healing can help with mood issues. It’ll also help to increase your nutrient absorption, balance the immune system, and may help with your metabolism…so it’s a worthwhile adventure :).
If you’re concerned that your gut could use some healing, hop over to the 3 Steps to a Gut Reset Masterclass.
3. A Healthy Plant-filled Diet is All Ya Need –
Trying to eat a healthy diet can feel confusing when you’re trying to manage multiple issues. I.e., how do I keep my blood sugar down, reduce inflammation, AND feed my gut properly.
Happily, the same healthy diet will cover all of your bases. Your gut bacteria need lots of plant-based fibre…so it’s just a high whole food/veggie diet that’s needed. Nothing special, other than maybe adding in a serving of fermented foods :).
I’m going to go into this in more detail in Part 2…I just wanted to highlight the simplicity of a gut bacteria supportive diet just to make sure this section didn’t cause any additional stress <3.
If you have any questions, jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)