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It is no surprise that we are struggling with a global mental health crisis. Feelings of anxiety, fear, depression and mental exhaustion are at an all time high, affecting billions of people around the world. The collective is struggling and common mental health approaches just aren't cutting it.

 

How is my gut related to my mental health?

New research proves that the quality of our gut microbiome can significantly affect our brain function, mental health and cognitive behaviour. This is due to our Brain-Gut connection. Our body is a single unit that encompasses many different systems, however we commonly make the mistake of viewing these systems as individual, therefore neglecting their affects on each other.

In the past, experts used to think that anxiety and depression were causing gut issues such as IBS, bloating, leaky gut syndrome, etc. Though this is true, new research has been able to show that, the same way our mental health can affect our gut health, it also works reversed. 

When your gut is lacking the support it needs to perform at its best, your enteric nervous system (located in your gut) sends signals to your central nervous system (connected to your brain) letting it know that something is wrong. These signals can then trigger a shift in your mental health that can be felt through symptoms such as negative emotions, lack of energy, and sleeping issues.

At first glance, these symptoms can all be tied to mental health issues, while ignoring the underlying issue at hand - your declining gut health.

Our guts are also home to our happy hormones, responsible for creating the majority of our serotonin - which is a hormone that affects our mood, emotions, appetite and digestion. Serotonin is needed to regulate the body and keep us at our homeostasis. You can imagine how a decline in this production due an imbalanced gut can affect your body's ability regulate your mood and energy - linking to poor mental health.

 

How do I know if I have poor gut health?

Though other health issues can result in similar symptoms listed below, it's important to know how impactful your gut is on the rest of your body. Poor gut health can manifest into the following:

  • Bloating
  • Constipation 
  • Diarrhea 
  • Skin irritations (eczema, psoriasis, etc)
  • Acne
  • Uneasy stomach
  • Food sensitivity
  • Exhaustion 
  • Insomnia 
  • Extreme food cravings (ex. sugar)
  • Migraines
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Frequent mood changes
  • Anxiety
  • Depression 
  • Brain fog / memory loss
  • etc.

These can all be linked back to imbalanced gut microbiome, overproduction of bad gut bacteria and a damaged intestinal lining (causing leaky gut). The main cause of the following is poor diet: eating too many foods high in sugar, processed foods, refined vegetable oils, excessive alcohol consumption and little to no water intake.

Not only are these foods causing leaky gut syndrome which allows toxins and undigested food particles to enter your body resulting in inflammation, but they are also creating and feeding more of the bad bacteria living in your gut causing an imbalance. 

When this imbalance occurs, our gut then desperately sends signals to the brain that can result in a decline of our mental health, brain function, energy levels, etc.

 

How can I heal my gut?

In order to gain stability in our lives and finally take control of our mental health, we must give our guts the love and care it deserves.

A great place to start would be looking into your 80% diet (meaning what you consume 80% of the time). This can help you to identify what repeating foods are feeding the bad bacteria in your gut and what foods are helping to feed and produce the good bacteria in your gut.

Moderation is key when it comes to your health, especially if you're someone who struggles to opt for the healthier choice. Cutting all damaging foods at once can work for some, but usually leads to inconsistency and the crash and burn affect of most strict diets. This is why we believe in the 80% diet, allowing you to enjoy food while consistently heading towards long-term results.

A list of foods that not only help to heal your gut lining but actually aid in the production of healthy gut microbiota include:

  • Non-starchy vegetables high in vitamins (ex. leafy greens, broccoli, green peas)
  • Whole fruits (eating fruits whole or in a smoothie helps to keep the fiber rather than fruit juice)
  • Kefir
  • Kimchi
  • Sauerkraut 
  • Nuts
  • Natural olive oil
  • Kombucha 
  • Green tea

Adding a few of these ingredients to your grocery list can help ensure you have the proper power foods to help heal your gut throughout the week. 

Another essential component that your gut needs to thrive is WATER and lots of it. Drinking enough water helps to break down foods, especially before and after meals. It also helps with healthy bowel movements to prevent constipation.

A shift in diet should be at the top of your priority list when it comes to healing your gut, but in a world of quick, prepackaged foods as well as the significant drop in quality of our food due to excessive use of chemicals, supplementing your daily probiotics has never been more important.

This is why we are so passionate about our high-quality probiotics that guarantee 10 billion CFU's (colony forming units) per capsule. Biotix Care's Flora promotes a healthy intestinal gut flora, helps to restore gut microbial balance disrupted by environmental factors and poor diet as well as helps to support immune function. 

Taking care of your gut health through proper diet and supplements can not only help to relieve the symptoms listed above, but over time, will help to significantly improve your mental health by healing from the root cause rather than simply treating your mental health as a individual problem and slapping a bandaid on top of it.



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