Mental Wellness / By Jess Janda
In this post I will teach you how to reduce anxiety and depression naturally through the gut.
Did you know that anxiety and depression originate from the 2nd brain, the gut?
AND THAT ITS POSSIBLE TO REDUCE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION NATURALLY THROUGH REBALANCING THE GUT.
This was new information to me 3 years ago and when I finally stopped to understand it, it completely changed my life.
Up until that point, I had always associated anxiety and depression with chemical imbalances in the brain (the brain sitting atop my neck that is).
I will never forget that fateful day back in July of 2017 when my anxiety and depression finally reached its tipping point.
I found myself back in the doctor’s office for what seemed like the bazillion-th time.
I will never forget what he said to me that day: “I will go ahead and run another round of metabolic blood work and if the results come back in normal ranges “again” then you need to prepare yourself to go down the psychiatric route.” I said to him: “No I refuse to believe that is the answer. Something’s off with in my body and I just need to figure it out.”
Two days later the information that I am about to share with you on the gut-brain connection crossed my path.
It completely changed the course of my life and it can do the same for you too.
IN THIS VIDEO INTERVIEW YOU WILL LEARN YOU HOW TO REDUCE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION NATURALLY IN ADDITION TO:
- Choose the correct and very specific probiotic strains that have recently been shown to reduce anxiety and depression naturally (SO EXCITING)
- Repair gut imbalances and improve gut integrity
- Optimize the neurotransmitter signaling from your gut to your brain
- Reduce stress, balance cortisol levels and combat adrenal fatigue naturally
AND HOW DOING SO WILL REDUCE YOUR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION NATURALLY WHILE INCREASING YOUR STRESS RESILIENCE.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD My TOP 5 HACKS That Will FINALLY Get You “IN THE ZONE” ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS CAUSING YOUR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION? TO DETERMINE THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE IMBALANCES IN YOUR GUT TOGETHER WITH THE CASCADE OF SIGNALING STEMMING FROM YOUR GUT MICROBIOME.
GUT BACTERIA IMBALANCES (DYSBIOSIS) & GUT PERMEABILITY (LEAKY GUT)
It feels like something is off in your brain but the signals that your brain receives and interprets are actually coming from someplace else in the body. Some of the signals could be coming from your out of balance gut bacteria (dysbiosis).
Others could be stemming from the permeability in your gut tissue & lining (leaky gut).
The first signs of dysbiosis and leaky gut are digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, increased sugar and processed food cravings, anxiety and depression.
OVER/UNDER ACTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Another source of signals causing you to feel off could be originating from your immune system. 80% of your immune system lives in your gastrointestinal tract otherwise known as the gut.
Gut bacteria imbalances and gut permeability hinders your body’s immune system from communicating from your gut to your brain efficiently.
That is when you might start experiencing over or underactive immune system issues, food intolerance’s or other mystery health symptoms.
HIGH INFLAMMATION LEVELS
Chronic stress, sugar and processed foods, antibiotics and environmental toxins cause inflammation in the gut, making it difficult for your body to absorb nutrients.
The signals produced by inflammation could also be triggering the cascade of negative health symptoms throughout your body.
NEUROTRANSMITTER IMBALANCES
Did you know that 60-90% of your neurotransmitters are produced in your gut? In a healthy, diverse and balanced gut microbiome that is. And then communicated 90% one way from your gut to your brain?
These are the neurotransmitters responsible for:
- Reducing anxiety and depression naturally through rebalancing the gut
- Repairing gut microbiome imbalances and improve gut integrity
- Repairing the neurotransmitter signaling from your gut to your brain
- Reducing stress, balancing cortisol levels and combatting adrenal fatigue naturally
- And all the new neuroscience about neurotransmitters and the Gut-Brain Axis (GBX) now allows us to choose the correct and specific probiotic strains that have recently been linked to improvements in anxiety and depression (SO EXCITING) [1]
When I finally stopped to understand this, I truly felt like it was the missing link I was searching for within my own recovery/health puzzle.
When your gut is out of balance, the production and communication of neurotransmitters is greatly impaired – anxiety and depression become prevalent. Makes total sense now, right?
SO…. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REDUCE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION NATURALLY? OPTIMIZE THE SIGNALING ACROSS YOUR ENTIRE GUT-BRAIN AXIS. MY FRAMEWORK FOR GUT-BRAIN CONNECTION OPTIMIZATION:
STEP 1: RE-BOOT
Do a targeted intervention to get the bad gut bacteria to die off by following a grain/sugar free, vegan eating plan for 3 days. Don’t think of this as a diet but simply Rebooting your microbiome because your body deserves your full and undivided attention after weeks, months or even years of ignoring it’s needs. It’s a gift to your body from you as form of gratitude for all it does for you. And remember, it’s only 3 days! I treated myself like I was at an exotic nutritional spa during my Reboot. Felt fabulous doing this for ME.
STEP 2: RE-BALANCE
Help the good gut bacteria flourish by supplementing with the targeted probiotic strains (good bacteria) that have been shown to positively impact mental wellness (e.g. depression, anxiety and stress/cortisol response). It’s imperative that these targeted probiotic strains be matched with their preferred food source, commonly referred to as prebiotics, to encourage the growth of bacteria once they are there. Phytobiotics are also essential to include in your diet to protect the good bacteria once it’s there.
STEP 3: RE-CALIBRATE
The production of your “feel good” neurotransmitters in your gut and improve signaling between the gut and brain by giving your body the key nutrients needed to repair gut lining that can often be in short supply in a compromised gut. These nutrients include zinc, alpha and beta glucans, antioxidants (e.g. vitamins A, C, and E), fish oil, and the amino acid glutamine.
STEP 4: RE-CHARGE
Your brain by giving it targeted nutrients for enhanced mental focus, stamina and cognitive function. These nutrients include pomegranate, green tea, omega 3 fatty acids, guayusa and healthy fats like olive oil, avocado and coconut oil. Coconut oil contains many gut nourishing properties.
STEP 5: RE-ALIGN
It is important to pay attention to lifestyle choices. Sleep, exercise, and stress can all affect the GI tract. Balancing those activities is important to an optimal digestive tract. Make sleep a priority. Start to incorporate a short 5-10 minute meditation/gratitude journal/prayer or other mindfulness strategy in the morning right when you get up and before you touch technology.
I would like to empower you with a simple but life-changing FREE resource that you can download and incorporate into your life right away. I’ve put together a resource calledCLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD My TOP 5 HACKS That Will FINALLY Get You “IN THE ZONE” ALL DAY, EVERY DAY! In it, I outline my step by step process to zap brain fog and fatigue and get your brain and body firing on all cylinders again so can show up fully for the people that depend on you. I’ve coupled it with detailed dietary and products recommendations which takes the guesswork out it every step of the way – no more countless hours spent on Google, elimination diets or wandering aimlessly through the supplement isles – it’s like having an EASY BUTTON. Click the link below to download it!
Love & Light, Jess
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD My TOP 5 HACKS That Will FINALLY Get You “IN THE ZONE” ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!
[1] KEY STUDIES The growth and vitality of healthy beneficial bacteria in the gut is a key component to overall well-being. Improves overall mood by increasing positive mood and decreasing negative mood*‡ 70% Increase in “good” bacteria*‡ Messaoudi M, Lalonde R, Violle N, Javelot H, Desor D, Nejdi A, Bisson JF, Rougeot C, Pichelin M, Cazaubiel M, Cazaubiel JM. Assessment of psychotropic-like properties of a probiotic formulation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) in rats and human subjects. Br J Nutr. 2011 Mar;105(5):755-64.
Vulevic J, Drakoularakou A, Yaqoob P, Tzortzis G, Gibson GR. Modulation of the fecal microflora profile and immune function by a novel trans-galactooligosaccharide mixture (B-GOS) in healthy elderly volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:1438-46.
Vulevic J, Juric A, Walton GE, Claus SP, Tzortzis G,Toward RE, Gibson GR. Influence of galacto-oligosaccharides mixture (B-GOS) on gut microbiota, immune parameters and metabonomics in elderly subjects. Brit J Nutr 2015;114:586-95.
Schmidt K, Cowen PJ, Harmer CJ, Tzortzis G, Errington S, Burnet PWJ. Prebiotic intake reduces the waking cortisol response and alters emotional bias in healthy volunteers Psychopharmacology 2015;232:1793-1801.
