Why digestive health is key for your mental health.

May 8

Not feeling so great emotionally? Your GUT bugs probably have something to do with it…..

Our digestive health is influenced by the microflora living within it. Our microbiome is made up of trillions of commensal micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and archaea. These micro-organisms live happily within us and provide us with many substances which we use to stay healthy. The beneficial bacteria within our microbiome produce vitamins and other nutrients, creates our neurotransmitters, communicates with our nervous system and brain to maintain mental and emotional health and they support our immune system – plus much more.

The best way we can support these micro-organisms and have a happy microbiome is to eat foods which they love to feed off. Especially the different types of Bacteria. These bacteria provide us ‘their host’ with beneficial substances which we use within our biological processes to keep up healthy. One of the keyways bacteria provide these beneficial substances is by eating the foods we consume, and the by-product of their activity are a number of beneficial nutrients.

Happy gut bugs = happy you!

Our neurotransmitters are chemical messengers which communicate throughout the body signalling different responses which work to influence our mood, regulate emotion, concentration, energy, alertness and sleep.

Serotonin is known as our happy neurotransmitter, it helps to regulate your mood, stay calm, happy, be more focused, reduces anxiety and depression. 70%-90% of Serotonin which is actually made in our gut, which also houses 90% of our serotonin receptors. If we do not have enough Serotonin being produced, we may be more susceptible to low mood, depression and anxiety. Serotonin is also the pre-cursor to Melatonin, which is the neurotransmitter that promotes sleep that also aids in promoting healthful rest and rejuvenation of our body’s and emotional balance.

To ensure we are able to produce enough Serotonin (and Melatonin) we need to support our gut health.

Firstly, we need to be eating the foods which the bacteria like to eat – and this is FIBRE!

Get friendly with FIBRE for improved mood

Fibre is found in all plant foods which include whole grains and fruit and vegetables. These are known as act ‘pre-biotic’ to feed the friendly bacteria in the gut. We need approximately 30g of fibre per day but on average most people eating a typical western diet are struggling to eat half of that figure.

Tips to increase your fibre intake:

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables; consider adding fruit to your breakfast.
Add two-three portions of vegetables to every lunch and dinner
Make an overnight chia, oat and seeds pot for breakfast + add some berries!
Add pulses like beans, lentils or chickpeas to stews, curries and salads.
Choose chopped up vegetables, fruit, dried fruits or nuts and seeds for snacks between meals.
Making your own hummus with chickpeas or butterbeans for example – which you can have as a snack with chopped veggies or to accompany other meals
Add toasted seeds and raw vegetables to salads.
Sprinkle linseeds (also known as flaxseeds) on to foods or soak 2 tablespoons in a small amount of water overnight and drink first thing in the morning.