What You Need to Know About The Mind-Gut Connection
Did you know that your gut health and brain health are intrinsically connected? The relationship between the two is often overlooked, but the recent research on the gut microbiome reveal that many mental illness and other mental conditions begin in the gut itself. The positive thing about this information is that you can heal your gut and change your microbiome to a healthy and balanced environment, which means you can also heal the infinite illnesses that are linked straight to it. Mental illness and other mental conditions affect such a huge percentage of our population, from adolescents to adults and every age in between. My hope is that by sharing about the mind-gut connection, I can grow the reach of my knowledge and help to heal as many people as possible.
Keep reading to learn more about how the mind and gut are connected and how you can work to heal your gut microbiome and mental health!
So, how are the mind and gut connected?
An imbalance of bacteria in the gut microbiome, while incredibly common, is the root cause of so many of our illnesses, both physically and mentally. An unhealthy microbiome wreaks havoc on your gastrointestinal health, causing illnesses such as Chron’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), SIBO and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and so many more. But the serious consequences of an unhealthy gut environment go far beyond the stomach itself.
An unhealthy gut weakens your immune system leading to most of the autoimmune disorders and other serious illnesses, causes skin issues, creates hormonal imbalances, leads to sleep issues, and so many other negative side effects. But how does this impact your mental health, you ask?
Your gut is home to tons of bacteria, viruses and microorganisms, both negative and positive. When the balance between the good and bad bacteria is out of whack, many things can and do go wrong. The gut and brain communicate closely with one another, so when there is trouble in your gut there is often trouble in your brain. Thus, why the gut is often referred to as the “second brain.” In fact, it is proven in research that those with gastrointestinal illnesses very commonly experience symptoms of depression and anxiety as well. These comorbidities are among the most common of all.
It has been proven in research that over 90% of your body’s serotonin is produced in your gut. So, while depression, anxiety and other mood disorders are explained as a chemical imbalance of your brain, the imbalance actually occurs in your gut. This explains why those with leaky gut often experience depression – the serotonin created in the gut is lost through the weakened gut lining. And as we all know; we all need as much of that serotonin as we can get!
Professionals in the mental health world, and medical field in general, focus heavily on the brain itself when treating mental health conditions, but we are finding out more and more that there is a different and probably more effective approach.
What Conditions Begin in The Gut?
As I mentioned earlier, the most common (or most talked about) mental illnesses that are correlated with poor gut health are anxiety and depression. “The gut microbiota and the brain are interconnected in a bidirectional relationship, as research on the microbiome–gut–brain axis shows. Significant evidence links anxiety and depression disorders to the community of microbes that live in the gastrointestinal system,” states the National Library of Medicine. A mass majority of those with anxiety and depression seek the support of psychotherapy and other forms of therapy, self-care practices, and/or the support of a mental health medication. Most commonly, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s) are used to treat both anxiety and depression.
While all of those forms of treatment can be extremely effective in treating the symptoms of anxiety and depression, they are primarily methods to treat the symptoms of the illness, rather than to heal the root cause. The truly wonderful thing about the mind-gut connection, is the hope that you can heal your mental health through the healing of your gut.
In addition to anxiety and depression, there is research that supports the idea that many other mental health conditions are caused by poor gut health and vice versa.
Some of the other mental conditions that are linked to your gut include:
Alzheimer’s Disease
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Autism
Bipolar Disorder (and other mood disorders)
Dementia
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Schizophrenia
This is by no means an exhaustive list. In fact, the more research done on the mind-gut connection, the more conditions that are proven to be linked to the gut. If you suffer from any of the above mental conditions, this is your reminder to look deeper into your gut health and find out how you can heal from the inside out. There really is no limit of the healing potential and it is so worth exploring. Mental health medications and treatments absolutely have a time and place. As someone who needs the support of mental health medications myself, I fully advocate for seeking support in that area. But as a nutrition professional, I also advocate for finding the root cause and healing your gut. Who knows how healthy you could be!
Where to Begin in Healing your Mind and Gut
As a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I help my clients in healing their body and mind through their gut. I believe whole-heartedly, through my lived experience and extensive learning, that most, if not all, of our issues begin in our gut. I have seen such dramatic success through the nutritional and supplemental protocols I use with my clients that only solidify my passion for this field every day. With that said, everyone’s journey is unique to them, and healing is never a “one-size-fits-all” approach. There are general things we can all practice in our lives to begin a healthier lifestyle, but if you are truly wanting to get to the bottom of your symptoms or chronic issues, we should chat about what you’re experiencing so we can really know where to begin. Everyone’s gut microbiome is much like a snowflake; no two are exactly alike. So of course, each person’s needs and healing journey will look different as well.
1. Start with a healthier diet.
Like I said above, a healthy diet looks different for everyone. We all know generally what “clean-eating” looks like, but eating to heal your gut is a different story. The best place to begin is with a food sensitivity test, also known as a mediator release test, where you find out your body’s inflammation responses to certain foods. It will tell you a detailed list of what foods are not best for you and also what foods you should incorporate more into your diet. It’s so insightful!
Generally, however, some really gut-happy foods to have on hand are:
Apple cider vinegar
Beets
Flax and chia seeds
Bone broth
Apples
Oats
Nuts
Berries
Green tea
Fermented foods
Turmeric
Wild oily fish
Again, not all of these foods agree with everyone’s gut. Generally, however, all of these foods are good for bowel movement, creating digestive juices, reducing inflammation, healing and sealing the gut and adding natural probiotics to your diet.
2. Focus on eating foods that contain natural pre & probiotics.
You may have been told to take a daily probiotic supplement (which you definitely should), but there are also several dietary sources of natural probiotics that are so beneficial to your gut microbiome. Fermented foods are a heavy-hitter in the probiotic department, and I highly recommend integrating them into your regular diet.
Some examples of healthy fermented foods are:
Kimchi
Sauerkraut
Tempeh
Yogurt + Kefir
Soy
Miso
Kombucha
I wrote an entire blog post dedicated to fermented foods and their importance in your diet. You can find that here.
3. Find out what supplements are best suited for your needs, and incorporate them.
There are so many supplements on the shelves these days, it’s almost impossible to know where to begin without the guidance of a professional in natural medicine (hello, it’s me!) I now offer GI map testing, which is a test that gives an extremely accurate and detailed analysis of what’s going on in your gut microbiome. It is the best way to get to the bottom of your issues, all in one test. Once I get the results of this test and learn what overgrowths, deficiencies, bacteria and other viruses you have living in your gut, I can then know what supplemental support you need in your daily regimen. Luckily, there is a supplement for almost everything and I am here to help you access them.
4. Make healthier lifestyle choices.
I wrote a separate blog all about this, too. You can find that here. So much of our health is related to our lifestyle choices and environment. I focus a lot on what we put in our bodies, but what we put ON and AROUND our bodies is just as important. Additionally, the small choices we make each day can either make or break our health. Creating healthy habits is a fundamental key to gut health.
Focus on these areas in your life to optimize your gut health:
Get sufficient sleep
Avoid alcohol and other substances
Prioritize daily exercise or movement
Engage in self-care practices such as meditation, journaling or a hobby that fuels your soul
Eliminate stress where you can
Eat an intentional & healthy diet
All of these daily lifestyle choices play an important role in your physical and mental health. Without emphasis on these areas, your nutrition and supplement protocol will not be as successful. It’s important to prioritize all of these areas equally to live a truly healthy and balanced life and successfully heal your gut.
The Takeaway
Mental health conditions plague so very many people in our population, for many different reasons. While we can’t fully eliminate all the factors that contribute to those diagnoses, we can learn how to find the cause of it and treat thatproblem. I so encourage you all to think outside of the box, look beyond traditional mental health care options and dive deep into your whole system. Your mind and gut are so connected, as you now know, and the answer to your mental health struggles could very well be treatable and even curable with the right help and guidance. I feel passionately about the power of gut healing, not only because it’s the field I have pursued a career in, but also because I have seen and felt the immense ways that gut healing changed my own personal life and mental health.
I have walked through the path of gut healing with people of all different situations and challenges, and have seen so much triumph and success that has made my work so worthwhile. If you’re ready to walk that path with me by your side, I’m here and ready to work with you.
