Ever wondered why nausea is related to exams or travelling? What stimulates butterflies in the stomach when on a roller coaster or perhaps through a rough patch in life? Well, gut issues and indeed related to the mind and so is true vice-versa. Inflammation and deficiencies can trigger mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and excessive negative thoughts. A recent study, while establishing the link, further proves that eating healthy might be the answer to warding off mental woes.
“One of the reasons people struggle with negative thoughts could be their gut health. Instead of blaming their mindset or those around them for all the negative thinking, the answer could be in figuring out what’s wrong with their gut,” shares nutritionist Smriti Kochar.
“People who start thinking negatively without consciously wanting to, are most likely deficient in neurotransmitters like Serotonin, Gaba, the B vitamins and possibly have some hormonal imbalance going on,” she cautions.
Foods such as salmon, tofu, milk, cheeses, nuts and seeds, pineapple and poultry are best bets for serotonin.
“Automatic negative thoughts are a clear symptom of anxiety that no one talks about, because no one thinks it’s a symptom. People who deal with this often end up blaming themselves, that I have become this negative person who just can’t think better! But that’s not true. It’s not your personality that has altered, but most likely your gut!” elaborates Kochar.
The nutritionist adds that in case of gut inflammation, and severe acidity, gas and/or constipation, one’s mind bears the brunt. “You get anxious, sometimes you get panic attacks, you forget things easily. This is not a co-incidence,” she says.
The medic adds that inflammation and deficiencies can trigger mental health issues which can be corrected. “We must stop thinking of these mental issues as something that just happens on its own. Everything in our body is linked to inflammation and deficiencies and can be corrected naturally to a large, large extent with no use of medication at all,” says the gut health expert.
