What does this even mean? I did not know about this connection until I learned about it for the first time a few years ago at a scientific conference and it has been an area of interest for me ever since. The gist of this concept: stress (emotional, physical, psychological or environmental) leads to elevated cortisol hormone levels, which actually worsen your digestive health by changing the cells and the types of bacteria (microbiome) in your digestive tract.

This is because when gut health becomes jeopardized, the immune cells in our digestive tract become all fired up and start an inflammatory response that in turn impacts our brain health. This means that those who already have depression, anxiety and other issues with mood find it more difficult to control both their digestive symptoms and their mental health symptoms. Those with digestive health issues may also develop mental health symptoms as a result of the disturbances to their microbiome.

So, how can we help establish a happy gut? The scientific evidence points to high fibre diets, so diets that are rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, pulses and legumes - fibre from these foods helps to provide the proper environment in the digestive tract for the “good bacteria” to proliferate (or thrive). This leads me to the second component of healing the gut, which is the inclusion of fermented foods in your diet (these actually include strains of good bacteria), such as probiotic yogurt, kefir (which originated in Eastern Europe and the Middle East), sauerkraut (which actually originated in China), Korean kimchi, and kombucha (which also originated in China, as well as Russia).

So, here’s the pattern I hope we can all come to an agreement on: if you choose foods that have been around for more than 1,000 years, you are probably on the right track! It appears that whole foods, and fermented foods that have long been part of many cultural traditions around the world are also those that help us achieve better gut health. It is likely that the processed foods we often enjoy are more likely to cause a disruption in our gut microbiota. If you are interested in learning more about how nutrition, fibre, and food probiotics can help you achieve better gut and mental health, consider working with a registered dietitian, who can provide you with individualized recommendations.

If you would like more information on this topic, I suggest visiting The Canadian Digestive Health Foundation.