Are your emotions affecting your gut health?

“Butterflies in the stomach” is a popular saying which beautifully describes the brain and gut connection. Every feeling that we go through has a connection to our gut health, it may seem so convenient to blame your mood swings on your emotional health or blame your stomach for all your digestive issues, but you will be amazed to know that both the things are so intermingled that it has been a matter of debate for years to decide what influences your emotions- your mental health or your gut health? Read on to find out!

Experts believe that our gut is our second brain, which is scientifically known as the Enteric Nervous system (ENS). The ENS is further divided into two layers that have more than a 100 million nerve cells lining starting from the esophagus to the gastrointestinal tract to the rectum, which governs the vital decisions related to the proper functioning of the body.

Apart from that, the presence of millions of bacteria in the gut flora can also affect our digestion as well as our overall health. These gut bacteria are also known as microbiota that can impact our physical as well as emotional well being.

According to a new study, it has been observed that the gut microbiota affect your emotional well-being and emotional responses. It was also found that these gut microbiota influences emotions and the bacterial composition may have an impact on the behaviour and responses.

The ENS system manges your responses and body functions like controlling digestion, releasing enzymes to controlling digestion. Moreover, the ENS system can trigger shifts in mood and behaviour. The impact of this gut-brain connection can easily trigger emotional shifts in people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional bowel problems such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating and stomach upset.

According to Jay Pasricha, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, “The enteric nervous system doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain—with profound results.”

Interestingly, it was believed that mood shift, anxiety and depression affected the digestive system, but recent research shows that your gut health and digestion issues send signals to your central nervous system that can trigger mood changes and influence your emotions.

So, if you too have felt these mood changes every now and then, it’s time to tweak your diet with some gut healthy foods.

Foods that are rich in lactobacillus, a type of healthy bacteria can help in improving your digestive issues by accelerating the process of fermentation(breaking up of food molecules). According to experts, people who consume probiotic foods like yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi have very less Enterobacteriaceae, which is a type of bacteria that leads to digestive ailments and causes bloating, discomfort and upset stomach.

Eating fiber rich cereals, fruits and vegetables can reduce the presence of bad bacteria in the gut. Eating a good amount of fiber often develops another healthy bacteria known as Bifidobacteria, which is great for gut health. In fact, studies have shown that adding ample fiber to the daily diet can improve metabolism and immunity in the long run.

Artificial sweeteners may help in weight loss, but you will be shocked to know that these sweeteners can mess up your insulin levels and can affect your sugar level, which in the long run affect your gut microbiota.

Whole grains are rich in beta glucans that help in reducing the cholesterol level as well as help in improving the digestive system. Whole grains are rich in non-digestible carbs that accelerate the growth of good bacteria in the gut microbiota. This further improves gut health and improves metabolic rate too.