I believe getting in control of your gut bacteria is paramount to great health, when working with clients I find this regularly, the body is craving good bacteria to help fight off ill health, anxiety, cravings and weakened immune systems.
I picked up these little books the other day in my local health store and the information is fab, so I had to share some of it with you all..
How your bacteria will influence your mood and food choices.
The gut and brain are connected by the Vagus nerve, which works like a telephone line, sending masses of messages back and forth between the brain and the gut. The bacteria in the gut are responsible for producing a number of important brain chemicals - including dopamine (important in feelings of motivation and reward) and GABA (which helps to keep us calm).
This means that low levels of good bacteria will lead to low mood and anxiety. Indeed, studies have shown that supplementing with good bacteria can significantly improve mood and reduce anxiety levels. This information is naturally important for individuals suffering with anxiety disorders, but is also significant for anyone trying to stick to a weight loss regime.
Increasing your good bacteria will help boost our motivation, and could also help to prevent comfort eating.
Increasing our good bacteria will also have an impact on food cravings! If the microbiome is over-populated with bacteria which feed on sugar or fat, these bacteria will send messages to the brain to eat those foods and provide reward signals for doing so.
The more diverse and healthy our microbiome is, the fewer food cravings we will have and the slimmer and healthier we will be.
Did you know?
Up to 80% of the immune system is influenced by the gut.
A reduction in our good bacteria can lead to impaired immune response, increasing the number and severity of infections.
Couple this with antibiotic treatments - which attack the good bacteria as well as the harmful - and it becomes easy to see why people can get stuck in a cycle of constant infections.
Imbalances in the immune system can also result in increased inflammation and increased allergic reactions.
Rebuilding and reinforcing our good bacteria is vital to rebuilding the integrity of the gut and supporting a healthy immune system. This will in turn reduce infections, food intolerance's, allergic reactions and inflammation.
Foods to support your microbiome
Certain foods help to support and strengthen your gut, and the good bacteria which live there. Trying to incorporate these into your diet will help to improve the health of your microbiome and your body.
- Olive oil
- Oily fish - such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackrel, and trout
- Fresh vegetables
- Turmeric
- Prebiotic fibres - such as inulin
- Onions, garlic and leeks
- Oats
- Flaxseeds
- Apple cider Vinegar
- Live yoghurt - on the condition it does not contain lots of sugar
- Fermented foods - such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi
For both adults and children it is super important to support you gut bacteria, especially after antibiotics, operations and when the body/digestive system is not feeling its best.
Niamh Roche
Systematic Kinesiologist,
Nutrition, Health and Lifestyle Consultant
