Probiotics, Gut Health and the Connection to Inner Calm

Our gastrointestinal (GI) tract serves as both a doorway and a barrier to everything we eat. Our throat, stomach and intestines are made up of a long, intricate cascade of connected cells called the mucus membrane. Interspersed on and in our mucus membrane is another living organism called the gut flora, or microbiome. This living organism has approximately 10 times the number of cells as we have in our own body and is influenced by everything we choose to eat. A happy healthy microbiome aids in digestion and our immunity, or our ability to fight off illness. An unhealthy microbiome leads to poor digestion and a predisposition to illness. An unhealthy digestion, or dysbiosis, leads to inflammation, fatigue, poor mood and weight gain.

The microbiome has been called the “second brain” due to its ability to communicate with the human brain. The microbiome produces metabolites which can reach the brain in a bidirectional way both positively and negatively. The food we eat becomes the building blocks to both the microbiome and the metabolites that influence our mood.

Eating unhealthy foods such as sugar, preservatives and additives harm our microbiome, leading to inflammation, a leaky gut, brain fog, and weight gain.

Healthy food choices nourish and make the microbiome flourish, stimulating a healthy brain and body. Food choices influence our microbiome to produce metabolites while others increase the bacteria that make up the microbiome.