Who has ever experienced the butterflies feeling in your belly when anticipating a fearful situation? Think of those times prior to a major exam or before a major decent from the peak of a roller coaster.
These anxious feelings typically exhibit symptoms in our guts which speaks to the interconnection of our brain-gut axis.... The vagus nerve connects these two organs and transmits several messages back and forth. Having said this, beyond guarding our thoughts and emotions, there is a strong interconnection with the foods we choose to consume. Currently, there is a vast array of medical evidence and importance linking poor mental and physical health to the health of our microbiome.
Our microbiomes are the network of microorganisms that make up our gut flora or bacteria environment in our stomach. This bacteria consists of both friendly or bad bacteria and is designed naturally to maintain a healthy environment in our digestive track. However, due to poor lifestyle choices, i.e., over consumption of inflammatory foods and high stress levels the integrity of our microbiome becomes compromised.
Overtime, if not corrected, this can cause a spike in cortisol levels causing conditions such as IBS( irritable bowel syndrome), anxiety, stomach ulcers etc.... Knowing this, we must all take inventory of maintaining this important delicate network and strive to make better dietary and lifestyle choices.