No matter what situation we are in, our health always comes first. Our emotional well-being is just as important as our physical well-being. Whether it's increased stress at work or in the family, isolation and existential fears caused by a pandemic, or worries about family and friends - stress keeps us awake at night or gives us restless sleep. But what is stress anyway? How does stress form in the body and how does it spread? And what does our gut feeling and our digestive tract have to do with it?
Whether we have butterflies in our stomach or something is upsetting us: we all know situations in which our gut feeling, or rather our gut brain, determines where we go. For several years now, the connection between our brain and our gastrointestinal tract - the so-called gut-brain axis - has been the subject of intensive scientific research. It is becoming increasingly clear what influence our digestive system has on how we think, feel and act. The gastrointestinal tract and our brain communicate with each other, very intensively and, above all, reciprocally! This means that the intestines not only receive instructions from the brain, but also send signals to it themselves. This is why the intestines are also known as our second brain.
In this blog post, we explain how stress affects the body, what exactly this gut-brain axis is, and how you can support your mental health through your diet.
Stress - what exactly is it?
In our fast-paced times, stress is part of everyday life for most people. What is interesting is that the individual, personal assessment plays a key role in whether a situation is experienced as stressful or not. Early stress research already distinguished between eustress, i.e. positive stress, and distress, the negative form. Eustress is associated with a predominantly pleasant feeling of being able to master certain challenges, of achieving something. This form of stress can even have an inspiring effect and increase performance! Distress, on the other hand, damages people in the long term through permanent overexertion - both psychologically and physically.
Often it is one's own personal thought patterns and attitudes that act as stress accelerators, e.g. one's own expectations that can only be satisfied by achieving the best results, or even the desire to be error-free. In a social context, the desire for widespread popularity and recognition can become a stress accelerator. Likewise, the attitude of having to do everything yourself and not being "allowed" to delegate anything can increase the experience of stress immensely.
The Gut-Brain Axis - Listen to your gut feeling
"Butterflies in your stomach," "listen to your gut," or "stomach upset" - all of these phrases are commonly used to describe the physical feeling of emotions as they manifest in our bodies, and they are perfect examples of the power of the gut-brain axis. Also known as the GBA , the gut-brain axis is the connection between your brain and the gut microorganisms. Its job is to make sure that both the gut and the brain are kept informed of what's going on inside each of us, from emotions to digestive issues.
Gut-brain communication takes place via the gut-brain axis, which runs in both directions via nerve pathways, hormones or metabolic products of our gut bacteria. In particular, via the so-called vagus nerve, a kind of nerve highway that extends from the brain stem to the large intestine and sends signals back and forth between the central nervous system and the microorganisms in the gut. Amazingly, 90% of the communication comes from the gut and only 10% of the signals come from our brain. Due to the high number of nerve cells and the lively exchange between the gut and the brain, the gut is also called the “abdominal brain” or “second brain”.
It's so easy to manipulate your gut-brain axis
The topic may sound very complicated, but there are simple ways to improve the health of both your gut and your brain. To do this, you need to target your microbiome and keep your cortisol levels in balance. Find out exactly how to do this now:
The unique formulation of our Dailybacs® brings the 60 billion probiotic bacteria directly to where they are needed. The use of acid-resistant probiotic bacterial strains ensures that the bacteria survive the journey through the gastrointestinal tract and arrive in the small intestine undamaged. The Dailybacs also contain prebiotic inulin from natural chicory root, which acts as a "fertilizer" for the probiotics and ensures that they can grow and thrive when activated in the intestine. In combination with vitamins, minerals and the superfood pomegranate, they help to keep your microbiome in balance.
Happy Gut, Happy You - What to do?
It is important to eat a healthy and balanced diet, because it is not just your intestinal flora that benefits from it! When the intestines are healthy, they send a positive signal to the brain, which benefits your psyche and general well-being. You can also do your intestines and psyche good by avoiding or reducing excessive stress through meditation or physical exercise, for example. Since it can often be difficult to integrate these measures into everyday life, probiotics are also an excellent supplement that we can use to support our microbiome.
nerve food for your body
In this blog post, we have already explained to you that there is an important connection between our intestinal function and our perception of stress. There are some foods that can support your body particularly well in stressful situations. Here are our top 7 foods that will arm you against stress in everyday life:
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Nuts, kernels and seeds : Put a bowl of walnuts, hazelnuts and pistachios on your desk. Nuts are real stress killers and in particular help balance your blood pressure. This is made possible by the many components of vitamin E and B.
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Green vegetables: Spinach, kale, broccoli and chard not only provide a lot of magnesium, but also numerous B vitamins, as well as calcium, potassium, vitamin C and iron. Iron supports memory performance, which means you can work more concentratedly, for example, without showing signs of fatigue.
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Bananas : This is a real happy food because they contain not only nerve-strengthening nutrients such as vitamin B6, magnesium and potassium, but also tryptophan. This amino acid is essential for the production of the happiness hormone serotonin.
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Cocoa or dark chocolate : Cocoa = chocolate? Not quite. Only dark chocolate with a high cocoa content or cocoa nibs are considered healthy nerve food. Why? Cocoa also contains a certain amount of tryptophan, which is needed for the production of serotonin.
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Oatmeal : With a portion of oatmeal for breakfast, you are perfectly prepared for a stressful day. The reason: The healthy flakes contain lots of vitamin B1 and B3, as well as tryptophan, which is needed to produce serotonin. In addition, the long-chain carbs keep you full for a long time, so you are not additionally stressed by hunger.
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Salmon : Your brain and nervous system are made up of almost half fat. (Healthy) fats are therefore important for strong nerves. Fish such as salmon, tuna or herring are known to contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids. These suppress the hormone adrenaline, which is released during stress, and thus have a calming effect.
- Legumes : A meal with plenty of legumes makes you resistant to stress. Lentils, chickpeas or peas not only contain a large amount of potassium, but also have a high content of magnesium, iron and zinc.
These 7 foods not only taste delicious, but are also good for your gut and your mood! So, enjoy them!
Happy Gut, Happy You!
