The Gut Brain Connection
I’m sure you have heard the term gut health! It’s something that more and more people are talking about and researching
Gut health isn’t a fad, it’s a very critical factor to our wellness. However, not many people know how crucial it is or how to heal their gut!
So, what is gut health?
It’s the function and balance of bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract. Each person has a unique gut microbiome filled with good and bad bacteria.
Our gut contains healthy bacteria and immune cells that ward off infectious agents. Did you know that 70% of your immune system is in your gut! That's HUGE!
It also communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones, to maintain our health.
Our Gut is our second brain (some even argue that it’s more important than our actual brain!)
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Our gut health impacts how our body feels, but did you know that it also affects our mental health?
The Gut is often referred to as the Second Brain, why is that?
Serotonin is our "feel-good" neurotransmitter, and 95% of Serotonin is produced in the gut! Doesn't it make sense that you would feel sad or depressed if your gut health was off and affecting the majority of your "feel-good" neurotransmitter?
Your Brain also communicates with your gut through the Vagus Nerve which is involved in digestion, absorption, and metabolizing nutrients as well as gut permeability. If your gut is dysfunctional, so is your brain.
Inflammation... the key to the majority of our health problems. This goes for your brain too, when your gut is inflamed, so is your brain.
So think of things like Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, Dementia, Alzheimer's, OCD, Insomnia, & Fatigue. All of these conditions are greatly influenced by your gut health. Think of how many people's lives would change drastically if they knew this!
Dr. Uma Naidoo has a great book called "This is your brain on food". She shared a study of a group of people that for 4 weeks were treated with a probiotic. The study showed that these people had similar results to those treated with Prozac. That is mind blowing! If someone had the choice of taking Prozac vs. a probiotic, of course they would want the probiotic. HERE is a video of Dr. Uma Naidoo called the Mood Food connection.
How to Improve Your Gut Bacteria
1. Eat a diverse range of foods. Skip the sugar, processed fats and GMO's when possible! Choose whole foods that are rich in nutrients.
2. Eat more vegetables, legumes, beans, and fruits. Those that are high in fiber, promotes the growth of good bacteria.
3. Fermented foods can enhance the function of the microbiota and reduce the number of disease causing bacteria in the intestines. Yogurt (plain), kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha are some options!
4. Avoid artificial sweeteners. Aspartame and artificial sugars may help reduce weight gain, but they also increase blood sugar due to their effects on the gut bacteria.
5. Eat prebiotic foods. (Garlic, Onion, Asparagus, Bananas, Oats, Apples, Flax Seed) These are what your gut microbe eat and promotes the growth of beneficial microbes in the gut! Here are a few of my fav supplements with prebiotics.
6. Take a probiotic. Probiotics help restore the microbiota to a healthy state and support your metabolism. This is for Kids and adults! Your kiddo's need probiotics just as much as you do! We take ours at bed time.
7. Take a Digestive Enzyme before meals - this will help you digest your food and absorb nutrition from your food.
8. Stay hydrated! Drinking an adequate amount of water will not only improve your gut health, but has many other benefits on the body. And just saying, digestion doesn't keep moving very well unless it is well hydrated! So keep things moving and drink your water!
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If you want to learn more about your gut health, and how to heal your gut, join my free Gut Health Email Course. You will get a daily email for 20 days with info and tips about what affects your gut health and how to heal it.
And if you really want to notice a difference, fast! HERE is my 3 week supplement jump start! A little jump start on your gut health journey.
- Bailey Lowe
Functional Nutrition Coach
(989) 245-5358
Most people grab coffee first thing in the morning which is actually really acidic and dehydrating to our body and organs. And after going all night without hydration, your body needs some love!
I started keeping a glass of water by my bed and make sure to drink it quick before I even get out of bed. Give your body that quick hydration.
Another one of my favorite ways to show my digestion, liver, and overall body some love in the morning is to have this warm drink. I call it my Lemon tea. Here is what is in it and why they are so beneficial.
Lemons - So what does lemon do for us? Get ready! This little citrus fruit is full of good stuff!
- A lemon is an acidic fruit, but it actually helps alkalize your body. Have you ever heard of PH? Keeping your body's PH balanced is crucial, and most of us are WAY too acidic.
- Help stimulate digestion and wake up the liver (Which is a big detoxifying organ, so it needs all the help it can get to keep getting rid of toxins for you)
- Packed with Vitamin C! So let's give our immune system a boost first thing in the morning so it is ready for the day!
- High in potassium which is great for your heart health
- Because of it's powerful detoxing power, lemon is great for your skin! Remember you can put on all the topical creams, but focusing on gut health is the true way to clear skin.
Honey - Local Raw Honey is the good stuff!
- Local raw Honey has been shown to support seasonal allergies
- Minerals found in Honey - zinc, potassium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, selenium, and magnesium! So instead of grabbing sugar, reach for Honey or Pure maple syrup to sweeten something.
- High in antioxidants (oxidative stress on our body is what ages us; bring on all the antioxidants!)
Cayenne Pepper - A powerful little spice
- Stimulates your circulatory system by opening your capillaries
- Aids in digestion
- Helps regulate blood sugar
- Can speed up your metabolism
Minced Ginger (optional) - Fresh Ginger or Vitality Ginger Essential oil are both great!.
- Great for your digestion
- Immune support
- Helps Inflammation
- Antioxidants
So now that we know what these four things do for us and why they are helpful to start our day! Here is my recipe of how I put them together.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Lemon
- Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
- Honey to taste
- 1/2 inch peeled, minced fresh ginger (i use my garlic press to squeeze it)oooooooo,,,, or 1 drop Ginger Vitality Oil
Add all ingredients to your favorite mug and fill with warm to hot water. Stir and drink before breakfast.
Tip: If you are going to make this regularly, drink it with a stainless steel or glass straw to protect the enamel on your teeth.
Give it a try and notice how you start feeling! And you may even start feeling so good and energized from starting your day off this way, that you can kick that need for coffee in the mornings.
Tag me if you try it!
- Bailey Lowe
(989) 245-5358
Headaches! The worst, am I right?
A headache is a signal from our body that something needs attention. Our body works as a whole, so when an alert like a headache happens, it is our job to find out what our body is trying to tell us. Treating symptoms is temporary, finding the root cause is what we really want.
Our body could be trying to tell us that it needs something like nutrients or hydration; or it could be something that our body doesn't like... stress, ingredients in food we eat, things in our environment like cleaning products, laundry soap, or personal care products.
And don't forget about hormones! They are a common headache/migraine trigger. But ironically, alot of the ingredients in the everyday cleaning and personal care products that we use have a big impact on our hormones. So choosing clean options for those can help your hormones which may in turn help with recurrent hormonal headaches. (My fav toxic free cleaning products and fav clean skincare)
Here are a few things I do when I feel a headache coming on
- Salt
I know what you are thinking. "Isn't salt bad for you" We are often told, not to use too much salt, but I'm here to tell you that you need salt in your life. That being said, white table salt is garbage... it has been stripped of most of the minerals. So basically white table salt isn't doing you any favors, toss that stuff.
But! Himalayan or Celtic sea salt are both full of minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium! So good for you! Ditch that white table salt and start using this in your food! Your body will love it!
When that first little bit of headache starts I grab my Redmond's Sea salt Shaker and shake a little bit in my mouth. I do this every 15 minutes for about an hour or longer if needed. Giving your body that little boost of minerals could be that little bit of love your body needs to turn that headache off.
-Water
I notice that my headaches pop up on days that I haven't been good about drinking my water. So when you feel that first little bit come on, drink a big glass of water right away. And that salt you just had will help your body absorb that water.
-Essential Oils
We want to stop a headache and we need something to stop the hurt. Essential Oils are my personal go to for that. That cooling feeling of Peppermint on my temple and neck feel so good! (Be careful with Peppermint, it is a hot oil so you may need to dilute it a little bit with coconut, almond, or avocado oil.)
Here are some of my favorite go toos! Deep relief is my absolute favorite because it has peppermint in it and comes with a roller top so easy to apply.
After those three things if you can manage it in your schedule, lay down for a few minutes to help your body kick that headache out!
I hope these tips help you, and would love to hear how they work for you!
If you would love to talk more one on one about headache struggles, schedule a 15 minute health chat with me! I would love to help you get to the bottom of your headaches.
- Bailey Lowe
(989) 245-5358
Everyone needs a sweet treat every now and then. And this chocolate goodness is full of super foods!
First up! Let's talk Avocados! They are full of healthy fats. Yes... I said fats.
For everyone that went through the 90's when we were told fats were bad, let's stop right there...
Fat is one of the body’s most basic building blocks, especially for your brain and heart health. So instead of focusing on low fat, focus on using good fats like olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, grass fed butter, and ghee. And ditch unhealthy fats like soybean oil, hydrogenated oils, corn oil, canola oil, margarine, and shortening.
And next! up for super foods.... Cacao! Yes! Chocolate is good for you, it's all about having the right kind of chocolate. Organic Cacao Powder is full of antioxidants, vitamins, emails, and minerals, and is great for your brain, heart, skin, and even aids in weight loss. On the other hand... Cocoa Powder is a processed form of Cacao making it less beneficial for us. Cocoa Powder is heated and refined, stripped of its nutrients, and often contains sugar, & hydrogenated oils (bad fats)
And bonus ingredient! Pure Maple Syrup! It is packed with minerals and a great replacement to sugar in your recipes.
Here is the recipe! Give it a try and let me know how you like it!
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- 2 Avocado
- 4 Tablespoons Cacao Powder
- 4-6 Tablespoons of pure Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- Pinch of redmonds sea salt
- 1/3 cup plant based milk
Put all in blender, blend, and enjoy
And if chocolate isn't your thing, you can switch out the Cacao Powder for the juice of a fresh lime, cut the plant milk back to 1/4 cup, and add 5 drops of Lime vitality essential oil to make a Key Lime Pudding. It's delicious with coconut sprinkled on top!
- Bailey Lowe
(989) 245-5358
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What do you have to lose???!!!!
- Bailey Lowe
(989) 245-5358