June 15, 2021
For years, the medical world has been exploring the connection between our mood and our health. You see, we have learned that there is a direct correlation between our gut health and problems such as stress, anxiety, and even depression. These all-too-common problems are linked to serotonin.
So we may think that our cravings for foods such as cookies, candy, breads, and pasta is a will-power issue when in fact, it is a reflection of an imbalance. Unfortunately, there are many side effects to eating those processed carbs, one of which is more moodiness.
You may think that your mood issues all have to do with your brain, but oftentimes, that moodiness can be resolved with a gut reset and dietary change. That is in part because 95 percent of serotonin is actually produced in the gut.
You see, what we put inside of our bellies is directly related to our emotional health.
Our gut consists of bacteria, and we need that bacteria to have a healthy balance or it will affect the rest of our body including our mood.
In other words, your gut and your brain work together, so if one is out of balance the other will be also.
Have you ever had an upset stomach because your mind was stressed? Well, think about it, if it works one way it works both ways. There have been many scientific studies that have linked mood problems to gut problems, and vice versa.
Is your gut balanced with 85% good bacteria and 15% bad bacteria? That is the recipe for a healthy gut and a healthy mood. Some symptoms of an unhealthy gut include gas, bloating, nausea, sugar cravings, and more. The best way to make sure your body has healthy bacteria for your gut is to feed your gut the healthy bacteria it needs, known as probiotics.
Probiotics can be in pill form, or you can get them right through your diet. Excellent sources of probiotics include kefir and fermented or cultured foods and beverages. Traditional diets around the world include many cultured foods such as traditionally made soy sauce (shoyu), miso, fermented fish, sauerkraut or kimchee, pickled vegetables, yogurt and kefir.
Keeping a healthy gut in check will help you to digest food properly, absorb vital nutrients, and maintain a healthy state of mind aka your mood.
For a week’s worth of delicious, gut healing recipes, click the button below.
