Before you sign up for that food sensitivity test, read on.
Digestive issues have become more and more common. It seems like everyone is experiencing gut-related symptoms more often than not. Of course, food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances exist and could be triggering discomfort.
However, more often than not, it’s something else. (plus… those food sensitivity tests are total money traps)
Your gut is your second brain
Have you noticed a correlation between your stress level and your discomfort? Or perhaps higher-than-usual anxiety, depression, emotional stress?
The gut plays the role of a second brain. In fact, your colon actually has its own micro-environment with billions of bacteria that snack on different nutrients. Not only is the gut responsible for the digestive transit, but it is also connected to the rest of the body, including the brain.
A classic game of “what came first? The chicken or the egg?”
Our bodies react to strong emotions mentally and physically. It often makes our body feel like it’s under attack and tries to help us by triggering a fight or flight response (thanks, Cortisol.) And the first body system to take the hit is usually the digestive tract. On the other hand, if our gut is dealing with inflammation, bloating, and discomfort, it directly affects our brain and hormones – even causing cortisol to surge.
This means that our gut can directly impact our mental health, but also that our mental health can impact our gut health.
Meet the Vagus nerve, the most powerful and important nerve in our body.
It is the main nerve in our parasympathetic nervous system that runs down our back and the strongest cranial nerve we have! It connects our brain (more precisely, your hypothalamus) to our stomach and gut and sends the status of our organs to our brain, and vice versa.
That means our gut is responsible for our:
- Immune functions
- Hormonal system
- Metabolism
- Mental health
- Mood
See, that Vagus nerve connects two of the strongest systems in your body: brain #1 and brain #2— that’s why we say that what you eat can influence how you feel.
Now here’s why it’s such an important aspect of our gut health—the Vagus nerve can either create healthy harmony in the body, or it can cause distress.
So how can we keep our Vagus nerve happy?
You can improve and maintain the health of your Vagus nerve with regular exercise, meditation, humming, breathing exercises, getting massages, and other de-stressing techniques— A.K.A, keeping stress at bay! Just like how stress and anxiety can affect your gut, your gut can affect your stress and anxiety in return! Focusing on your gut health is KEY to breaking that cycle.
A healthy gut means stable hormones and optimized metabolism and supports overall health. You can keep your gut healthy by:
- Consuming probiotic & prebiotic-rich foods
- Including movement into your days (gentle movements, such as stretching, yoga, or a walk totally count!!)
- Practicing Meditation or doing breathing exercises
- Consuming a variety of foods, including lots of leafy greens, vegetables, and legumes
Remember that all foods can fit. Adding those in doesn’t mean you have to remove your favorite foods (unless of course, they cause any kind of discomfort)
Mindful, intuitive eating is key to a healthy gut
Eating things that are good for your gut is important, just as it’s important to eat things that please your emotional needs too! Finding the right balance is crucial between the foods you love and the foods your gut needs to function properly. And that’s exactly what food freedom is.
Food freedom is such a powerful tool to get your gut back on track, especially if you’ve experienced a restricting diet that has stressed your body out. And it’s a lot easier than you think. Let’s hop on a call or just DM me on Instagram! I’m so excited to start this journey with you.
If you find it difficult to navigate all of that by yourself or feel like your digestive discomfort could be due to a food sensitivity or intolerance, send me an email or book a call. We can look at personalized strategies to help you manage those symptoms or even get rid of them.
So before you spend hundreds or thousands on ineffective sensitivity & intolerance tests, bet on yourself and a laser-focused approach.