My body is shouting a lot right now
You may wonder where I’m going with this
But
It’s shouting by allowing me to feel the inflammation in my body, the tiredness and anxiety, and depression.
So 2023 is the year to do something about it.
They say our gut is our second brain and how right they are.
They even look very similar in appearance if you look at the pic I’ve supplied.
So what things do they share?
Food
The gut digests these but what about the feel-good factor in foods we love such as chocolate
The central nervous system is what sends messages from one to the other to release the right chemicals to help us feel good or low
Irritable bowel syndrome is more likely to develop anxiety and depression.
Serotonin level help to keep our mood in check. Where are most of it secreted from?
You guessed it from the digestive tract
An imbalance in the gut can also affect how we digest food which in turn can affect the rest of our body causing vitamin deficiencies which can then cause things like chronic inflammation and severe tiredness to name a few.
What causes imbalances in the first place
Lots of external and internal factors can affect our gut balance
Most commonly contraception, antibiotics, junk food, chemicals, environmental pollution, stress bugs and viruses, and many more
So how can we make sure we keep our gut in balance?
Well
Prebiotics would be a good start. These are available as tablets or powders and obviously foods such as garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, underripe bananas, bran, and apples.
Fermented foods can also help such as kefir, sauerkraut
Keep stress to a minimum too.
Eat properly.
Many of us are guilty of not chewing our food enough before swallowing it.
Drink plenty of fluids to help flush out any toxins and to help your intestines to work well.
If you have any intolerances then avoid those foods for a while and give your gut time to heal
Exercise to help your gut to move better too.
This is what my main focus is for this year. Having suffered from digestive problems from an early age and ignoring them
So
Over to you
Do you look after your second brain?