Healing Heart Nutrition
Healing Heart Nutrition

Is there a link between gut health, mood, and stress?

How does this link affect your eating habits?

There are millions of microbes that live happily in our gut. These friendly microbes do more than help us digest foods, make vitamins, and protect us from the not-so-friendly microbes but they have mood-boosting and stress-relieving functions as well.

These microbes that live in our gut are known as microbiota. The microbes that we can ingest are known as probiotics, which are live organisms that you can eat, drink, or take as a supplement. Probiotics can be found in yogurt, sauerkraut (and other fermented veggies), miso, tempeh, and kimchi. You can drink them in kefir or kombucha. Just be sure to choose unpasteurized ones that are refrigerated.

As far as supplements go, I look for ones that are refrigerated and have at least 10 billion active cultures. I also suggest you look for one that has been “third party tested,” which means someone outside the company has tested it and verifies it’s a quality product.

What you feed your intestinal microbiota determines how they populate. While probiotics provide a balance of bacteria in the gut by stimulating the growth of different strains of beneficial bacteria that are not already present in your gut, prebiotic foods stimulate the growth of the beneficial bacteria. These foods include onions, Jerusalem artichokes, and fruits and vegetables that are high in soluble fiber, such as sweet potato, potatoes, brussels sprouts, asparagus, turnips, mango, avocados, strawberries, and apricots.

So, get out there and try some of these tasty microbes to enhance your mood, or take a chance and try my simple brussels sprouts recipe idea below:

Brussels Sprouts Slaw

  • 6 cups Brussels Sprouts (shredded)
  • 4 cups Purple Cabbage (sliced thin)
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 Tsp Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tsp Coconut Aminos

Directions:

  • Add the brussels sprouts and cabbage to a bowl
  • In a separate bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, coconut aminos garlic, salt, and pepper
  • Whisk together and pour on top of brussels sprouts and cabbage
  • Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days

For additional resources and support and if you want more connection along with creation and soul satisfaction from the food you eat then. CLICK HERE so we can talk more and get you to where you want to go.

– Sheryl

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