5 minute read
Probiotics, Your Gut, and Your Brain: It's All Connected!
Probiotics for Gut Health and Mental Health
By Belinda McCall, Founder of WomanBeeWell.com
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Let’s get right to it… do you poop everyday? How about twice a day? Until about 5 years ago, my answers to both of those questions were “no”. Nobody told me that I was supposed to “go” everyday, up to three times a day. The last time a doc asked me how often I had a bowel movement was when I was a kid. And even then, my answer was “I usually go every other day”.
Years later when my doc asked me and I gave her the same answer, she said, “So how long have you experienced constipation?”
My jaw dropped and I said, “Wait… WHAT? I’m constipated?! I’ve been going like this for as long as I can remember!” She made it clear that I needed to get my gut back in order.
Now there’s growing evidence that your gut health can even have a direct effect on your immune system and mental health too!
All important reasons to keep reading and to get moving!
Probiotics Don't Just Make Your Gut Happy
The health of your gut can have an extreme impact on your overall digestive health and yes, your mental health. Connections between the gut and the rest of the body are being studied now more than ever.
Let’s take a look at what probiotics are, how they impact your overall health and mental health in particular. We’ll also take a look at which foods naturally contain probiotics.
What Are Probiotics?
Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum are just two of the over 500 species of bacteria that can benefit your gut.
To put it simply, probiotics are bacteria that have a positive effect on the body. You’ll often hear them called gut flora, intestinal flora, or good bacteria but to be honest, they’re better than good, they are powerful, beneficial, and amazing!
Everyone has a particular gut constitution unique to them, but it is evident that probiotics play a serious role in overall health and wellness.
What Can They Do For Your Gut Health?
The topic of poo can be a bit taboo, but if you’ve ever experienced any of these unpleasant conditions, you know first-hand how it can impact your mood and quality of life.
Prevent or Reduce Diarrhea
Having such a sudden and inconvenient issue like diarrhea can not only put a damper on your day, but also cause embarrassment and stress.
If you’re dealing with chronic bouts of diarrhea, it can really have a negative effect on your quality of life. Probiotics have the power to get you relief. Studies have shown that probiotics can reduce the duration of symptoms by one day. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26447963/)
Stop Constipation
So you may be wondering how probiotics can stop the runs AND get you moving… counter-intuitive, right? Maybe not! Constipation and diarrhea can stem from a variety of factors. For example, hydration issues coupled with the overpopulation of non-beneficial bacteria in your gut can cause either one of these unpleasant symptoms.
Reduce the Symptoms of IBS
Positive results have been discovered in connection with probiotics and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Many studies have resulted in participants with IBS experiencing a significant decrease in abdominal pain/discomfort.
They also had improvement in symptoms of bloating, the passage of gas, less straining to go, and better bowel emptying. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2886445/)
The Beautiful Gut- Brain Connection
I’ve never met a person suffering from diarrhea, constipation, or other intestinal issues to be particularly happy, but it’s so much more than just being cranky about these symptoms. There is a real connection between your gut and your brain. Let me introduce you to the vagus nerve.
What Happens In Vagus...
Actually, the vagus nerve is just one of the connections between your GI tract and brain, but it’s a big one! It is the main part of the parasympathetic nervous system, the one you don’t purposefully control. This means it affects things like your immune response, digestion, and heart rate. Now here’s where it gets really interesting.
The vagus nerve is not a one-way street, it is bi-directional. So it can give signals and receive them too. Studies have shown that stimulating your vagus nerve in the gut with good bacteria can have a beneficial effect on mood and anxiety.
It can help reduce the risk and levels of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Increased activity of the vagus nerve can also have a beneficial effect on other mood and anxiety disorders. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859128/)
And why is that? Because it’s all connected! If you keep your gut happy, your vagus nerve is happy. And if your vagus nerve is happy, then so are you!
Get Those Probiotics, Pronto!
With its increasing popularity over the past few years, many probiotic supplements are now on the market. It is important to take a look at the contents of each one because there are different strains of beneficial bacteria that may be in each particular supplement.
Tips from Dr. Christine Bishara of From Within Medical
Natural Sources of Probiotics
Probiotics don’t have to come from a supplement. They exist naturally in food. Here are common foods that contain beneficial probiotics.
• Yogurt: Stoneyfield Organic is a fave
• Kefir: we love Lifeway Kefir
• Kombucha: Health-Ade is our jam
• Kimchi: Mother-In-Laws Kimchi rocks
• Sauerkraut: we're crazy for Wildbrine
• Miso: Try Hikari Organic Miso
So get your prebiotics, probiotics, and GET GUT-HAPPY ALREADY!
Read More About Dr. Christine Bishara's Groundbreaking Study: Probiotics Reduce the Severity of COVID-19 Symptoms in this issue of WomanBeeWell Magazine
Written by Belinda McCall, Founder of WomanBeeWell.com
Belinda McCall is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and the Founder of WomanBeeWell.com and WomanBeeWell Magazine. She believes that wellness looks different for every woman and strives to help each woman uniquely shine her brightest. Subscribe to WomanBeeWell Magazine for free, get nutrition and mindset tips, plant-based recipes, and more at her website: http://womanbeewell.com/
