With the mental health crisis at an all-time high. The system our country has in place to support mental health is overwhelmed & outdated. The waiting list to see a mental health professional is currently around 2 years in the UK!

2 years !!

 So what can someone do to support their self while waiting to see an NHS professional?  The growing common forms of mental health issues, such as anxiety & depression are usually the byproduct of the Gut-brain axis being out of whack creating a cascade effect throughout the body. This can send the body into fight or flight mode.  Within this mode, the nervous system goes into overdrive. When we experience this for a lengthened amount of time the toll on the human body can be huge!  

Have you ever had a late take-out & felt sluggish, foggy-minded & even a little hung over the next morning?

With 90% of serotonin & 60% of dopamine made in the gut, it seems almost obvious that if we have a happy gut we have a happy mind!

After all, serotonin is well known as the happy hormone, did you know it also contributes to regulating sleep & supporting our ability to learn, as well as the function of our memory?  And Dopamine is responsible for our level of motivation, pleasure & satisfaction. 

 So it seems reasonable to assume if our gut is unbalanced it would lead to these hormones not producing at their optimum level. And therefore our levels of happiness, cognitive function & motivation are also not at their optimum level. Low levels of happiness cognitive function & motivation are all symptoms of anxiety & depression.

Can you recall the last time you ate a beautifully balanced meal packed with nutrients? How did you feel afterward? 

I hear regularly from my clients that they eat to regulate their nerves, it makes them feel better ( for the period they are eating at least) Unfortunately the go-to snacks are very rarely fresh organic fruit, or veg they tend to be sugary or high carb, high saturated fat, this creates more chaos in the gut & reduces the dopamine & serotonin levels further, and the cycle begins again. 

Our food intake can play a vital role in gut health & our mental health, and a structured food routine can help. 

Fun fact~ The brain uptakes sugar to power up and function for the day, within 1-1.5 hrs of us waking. If our stomach is empty the body will make cortisol & adrenaline to fuel the brain! As you can imagine this isn’t ideal for any human, least of all those experiencing anxiety & depression. 

Adding a healthy breakfast such as organic fruits could be the first simple step to reducing stress hormones As well as supporting the gut biome. 

You can find tips & information on how to support your gut & work towards improving your mental wellness in the free download below. 

FREE Gut health guide