It’s a bit weird to think that our gut and our brains are so closely connected, but scientists have started taking this notion very seriously. It started with an experiment involving two mice. One mouse had the bacteria in its gut removed and the other didn’t. They are then exposed to a stressful situation, in this case something they would be scared of. A cat!
Unsurprisingly both showed signs of stress but the one that had the bacteria removed from its gut showed a much bigger response.
This sparked interest in what is now known as the gut brain axis. This is the idea that the microbes in your intestines, known as your microbiome, affect the way your brain functions.
There is a war going on in your gut between the good and bad bacteria. These bacteria affect everything from mood to obesity levels.
Too many bad guys can cause an imbalance that is related to lots of challenges that affect our mental wellbeing, for example, depression and anxiety.
Lots of good guys help us protect our wellbeing, they keep us relaxed. they live inside us and need to be looked after, they need to be fed, just like you. The kind of food you put in can help either the good guys or the bad guys.
The food that helps the good guys are called Probiotics, and include foods like yogurt and pickled foods like kimchi. Scientists think this could have an effect on our mental wellbeing. The nervous system is highly influenced by what you eat. When you feed yourself you are feeding your gut biome, it’s almost like a second brain!
So what we put in really does matter.
