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How a Healthy Gut Affects Your Mood?

Muneeza Jamal
What we eat determines our health. Ultra processed and foods rich in chemical additives enhances are risk of diseases. Ultra processed foods mostly include fast foods which are made extra tasty by adding special additives and ingredients. Other examples include canned food, soda, packaged snacks, buns, bread, fish, nuggets and instant noodle soups.

Fixing the Food

Research analysts suggest “fixing the food” in order to improve how you feel about yourself. They recommend eating whole foods and avoiding ultra and processed foods at all costs.

What does it mean for your gut and How does it affect your mood?

The brain is connected to the gut. 90% of serotonin are present in the gut. In nutritional psychiatry, psychiatrists help patients in learning how gut health and diet contributes towards their mood. Most antidepressants have gut related side effects. Patients on antidepressants also go through nausea, diarrhea or gastrointestinal issues on temporary basis.

Diet and Depression

Avoiding inflammation producing food in diet prevents depression from occurring. Another research shares 12 antidepressant nutrients to prevent and treat depression. Some of these nutrients are present in oysters, salmon, spinach, lettuce, strawberries, cauliflower and mussels.

What If you Maintain a Better Diet?

Better diet certainly helps however, it only makes one part of treatment. You need to be careful about using food as the only medication against your mood. It can improve mild and moderate forms of anxiety and depression but for tackling serious depression forms such as suicidal thoughts, you must consult a doctor.

Dietary Suggestions for a Healthy Gut and Better Mood

Eat Whole Foods

Add whole foods to your diet. Avoid processed and packaged foods high in food additives and preservatives as they are the main cause of disruption in the healthy bacteria.

Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Try adding as many colorful fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet as possible instead of vegetables and fruit juice. However, only choose organic products. Frozen fruits without sugar are also a good option.

Eat Probiotic-Rich Foods

Probiotic rich foods keep your gut healthy. Plain yogurt without sugar is an excellent example of a probiotic-rich food. Also, fiber in your diet is very important. Do not forget to add Whole grains and legumes in your diet.

Reduce Sugar Intake

Decrease your sugar intake at breakfast. Replace it by cinnamon in a plain yogurt with berries, oatmeal and chia pudding.

Fermented Foods

Focus on fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkaut, kimchi etc for maintaining a healthy gut. Also, you need to maintain a healthy balance of seafood, poultry and red meat on a weekly basis.
All these suggestions if followed correctly will lead to a healthy gut and a better mood for you.