What You Need To Know About Your Second Brain

Did you know that your gut is your second brain? Some researchers even think that your gut is more important than your brain. 

Fact: 65% of your immune system is housed in your gut. There’s more serotonin in your gut than your brain. If your gut bacteria is out of balance, the rest of your body will also be out of balance and you may find yourself getting sick more often. 

What gets your gut out of whack? 

The #1 suspects are poor food choices. Especially highly processed foods, fried foods, and sugar. They feed the bad bacteria and drown out the good bacteria living in your gut microbiome.

 You may find your mood is affected if you’re ingesting a lot of processed sugars. If you're getting moody highs and lows look at your diet. It's a vicious circle because stress also has a huge impact on your gut health.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed out that things don’t feel right in your gut? That feeling can totally throw off digestion and elimination.

Antibiotics also destroy the good bacteria in your gut and compromise your immune system. That’s why it’s so important to focus on restoring the good bacteria in your gut after a round of antibiotics. 

Chemicals and GMO-heavy foods have a profoundly negative impact your gut microbiome. Eating foods that have alot of additives or preservatives can overwhelm your body because it isn’t able to digest chemicals the same way it can digest macro- and micronutrients. Over time chemical toxins can build up in your body, being stored in cells and tissues.

The result? Many of the chemicals in our food supply are either cancer causing, endocrine disruptors or neurotoxins or some combination of the three. 

One particular chemical herbicide has been getting a ton of press is glyphosate. It’s a water-soluble toxin that’s used in farming. And because it’s water soluble it’s in the ground water, the air, and in food. The worst is that it can’t be washed off of produce. It’s linked to cancer, the rise in autoimmune conditions, as well as leaky gut syndrome. 

Many people think that if they take a probiotic that it’s enough to heal their gut. Truth: The  majority of these products don’t work because they don’t have the same strains of bacteria that are in your gut. Each person has a unique gut microbiome determined partially by their mother’s gut microbiome and by their own food and lifestyle. There are anywhere from 300-500 different strains of bacteria in your gut. 

What's the fix?

The best way back to optimal gut health is to follow these steps:

• Eliminate processed foods, added sugars, alcohol and fried foods.
• Manage stress levels with yoga, meditation and daily mindfulness. Download my free guidebook for tips!
• I have been using, and highly recommend, a supplement called Biome Medic. It's proven to help support good bacteria in your gut, pulls toxins out of your body (the only independently tested product to do so), repairs your gut lining and reduces the immune response in your body. To learn more about Biome Medic click here.

The healthier your gut is, the healthier the rest of your body will be! If you have any specific issues related to your gut health, please feel free to contact me directly.

Avocado image by Joshua Coleman/Unsplash