Have you ever had butterflies in your stomach or a gut feeling?

These sensations from your belly suggest that your brain and gut are connected.

 

Well, trust me THIS IS so true.

Because If your stomach is healthy, your heart is and if your heart is, so is your brain- Which means our gut has to be our primary focus.

What we eat, especially foods that contain chemical additives and ultra-processed foods affects our gut environment and increases our risk of diseases: physical and mental

BUT HOW?

When we understand the connection between our brain and our gut, it’s important to know that 90% of serotonin (The happy hormones) receptors are located in the gut.

So the food we eat has a great impact on your moods. And there is anatomical and physiologic two-way communication between the gut and brain happening. So it offers us a greater understanding of the connection between diet and disease, including depression and anxiety.

For example, when I was prescribed anti-depressants such as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) last year, the first side effect was gut-related, and many people temporarily experience nausea, diarrhoea, or gastrointestinal problems.

When we don’t balance between good and bad bacteria is disrupted, diseases may occur. 

A study suggests that if you eat a healthy & balanced diet such as the Mediterranean diet and avoiding inflammation-producing foods can help us stay away from depression.

And some of the foods containing these nutrients are oysters, mussels, salmon, watercress, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, and strawberries.

A better diet can help, but hey! don’t just get dependent only on diet. It’s only one part of the treatment. It’s important to note that just like you cannot exercise out of a bad diet, you also cannot eat your way out of feeling depressed or anxious. We should be careful about using food as the only treatment for mood, and when we talk about mood problems we are referring to mild and moderate forms of depression and anxiety.

In simple and other words, food is not going to impact serious forms of depression and thoughts of suicide, and it is important to seek help when required or contact your doctor if you are experiencing thoughts about harming yourself.

Some wise suggestions from this wise woman:

Avoid packaged or processed foods, these things just disrupt the healthy bacteria in the gut.

Instead of vegetable or fruit juice, consider increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Eat lots and lots of fibre like Pandas and include whole grains and legumes in your diet.

Include probiotic-rich foods such as plain yoghurt without added sugars.

To reduce sugar intake at breakfast, add cinnamon to plain yoghurt with berries, or to oatmeal or chia pudding.

Eat balanced seafood and lean poultry, and less red meat.

Add a range of colourful fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet.

 

The last article was about exercises and mental health and this one is food and mental health and you all are aware of the connection of exercises and food on our physical health. So wise people, make sure you exercise physically and eat good food and take care of yourself. 

 

Love, 

Arouba 

Life and Us- Life stories Positivity Tips & Tricks for CF #gutandbrain #foodandmood #health #physicalandmentalhealth #life #lifestories #importanceoflife #humanbeings