You start to worry that maybe you forgot to pay an important bill, and you are going to be hit with a late-fee. Your stomach starts to churn…
We are all familiar with those feelings of worry and anxiety hitting us in the gut. The mind-body connection is a very real thing, with thoughts in your head being felt elsewhere in your body.
The stress response itself can make your heart race, your hands and feet to get cold, your breathing forced and shallow.
Those messages don’t just go out from your brain to your body – your body sends messages back to your brain too.
You consciously realize that you are feeling stressed out, so that you can take some action to help diffuse it – go for a run, do some meditation, take a bath.
Get out the speed bag!
So the results of a recent study on Probiotics are not too surprising.
What they found was that eating yogurt containing probiotics (which are active cultures of “friendly” bacteria that help our digestive systems) impacted brain function too.
What do Probiotics do?
In the United States, Probiotics are associated mostly with yogurt, and it is true that many brands of yogurt do contain live strains of these healthy bacteria.
There are a whole host of positive benefits associated with Probiotics, some of which include:
- healthy bowel activity
- reduced cholesterol
- enhanced nutrient absorption
- help maintain a strong immune system
How do Probiotics help our Brains?
The study showed lower brain activity in areas of the brain that are linked with emotion and pain, and higher levels where decision making happens. This means they COULD help relieve anxiety, stress and other mood-related symptoms.
How can you incorporate more Probiotics into your diet?
Along with Yogurt, you can get Probiotics by eating kefir, tempeh, miso, Kombucha tea, kimchi and sauerkraut
Find out more on Renegade Health.