How Gut Health Affects Mental Health

It’s Mental Illness Awareness Week, and it’s the perfect time to talk about the relationship between your gut and your mental health. Researchers are continuing to reveal the mental health benefits of a healthy gut population of beneficial bacteria. This is because healthy gut bacteria elevate blood levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which increases levels of the mood-boosting chemical serotonin. In people with a mental illness, like depression, serotonin levels are normally low.  

Anxiety and depression can cause changes in the gut microbiome, according to Mental Health America (MHA). This is why people struggling with mental illness often experience gastrointestinal woes like heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux, bloating, pain, constipation and/or diarrhea. Sound familiar?

The best thing you can do to keep your gut healthy is to eat a balanced and nutritious daily diet. In addition, regular exercise, ample sleep and relaxation techniques should be part of your recovery plan to help keep your mind and body functioning at its best. 

Here are a few gut-friendly diet tips from MHA to consider:

• Do your best to eat a diet full whole grains, lean meats, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Skip or limit sugary, fried, or processed foods and soft drinks.
• Load up on prebiotic foods like asparagus, bananas (especially if they aren’t quite ripe), garlic, onions, jicama, tomatoes, apples, berries and mangos.
• Add probiotic foods to your diet. This includes yogurt (live or active cultures), unpasteurized sauerkraut and kimchi, miso soup, kefir, kombucha (fermented black tea), tempeh (made of soy beans) and apple cider vinegar.

Relapse Prevention at Haus Recovery

A big part of staying on the sober path is paying attention to your emotional well-being and realizing when it needs a little extra TLC. Keeping relapse at bay is about cementing new healthy habits and remaining accountable to the recovery support system – and we’re here to help. To learn more about our recovery residences, call today: 888-551-4725.