You know that feeling in your stomach when you are about to do something and something in your gut tells you to take a moment. Or when you just have a deep hunch on something, but you don’t have a logical explanation on it - but you just know in your guts it is the appropriate approach.
This concept is all about the idea of your gut intelligence. Did you know that 95% of serotonin, the hormonal neurotransmitter that regulates mood - is created in the gut? It only stands to reason that getting your gut health in order would result in improved mood and happiness. In fact, the majority of anti-depressants (in the form of SSRIs) work by blocking receptors of serotonin; resulting in more free floating serotonin in the body. However, perhaps a more natural way of elevating mood is by taking care of your gut health via food choices.
The Gut-Brain Axis
The conversation between your brain and gut is known as the Gut-Brain Axis. This connection is part of the concept of mind-body connection. Relating this back to mushrooms; many mushrooms have an active mechanism of rebalancing the biome in your guts. This is why when you take magic mushies especially; you can get butterflies or feel your stomach start to react as it processes everything. Essentially mushrooms can assist in strengthening the connection between your guts and your brain.
Serotonin, the Gut and Happiness
Serotonin is one of four “happy hormones” your body produces - I wrote about this on my main blog, which you can read about here. Serotonin acts as both a hormone and neurotransmitter. It is produced in the body, however your body synthesizes this hormone from the amino acid tryptophan. Depression can result when the body does not produce enough serotonin.
While medications can boost serotonin, one must take care, because too much serotonin can likewise cause issues. (Such as Serotonin syndrome.) There are natural ways to boost your serotonin with food - aside from supplementing with mushrooms.
Tryptophan rich foods such as:
Turkey
Fish
Chicken
Bananas
Apples
Prunes
Ginger
Another way to naturally boost your serotonin levels is to move and exercise. When you exercise, your gut-brain axis communicates for your body to release tryptophan into your bloodstream and decrease the amount of other amino acids. This makes it easier for this tryptophan to reach the brain and put you in a better mood.
If you would like more intel on how to craft a supplementation practice to feel happier, less anxious and more in tune - we are going to be offering weekly virtual fitness coaching - we open up registrations every Friday for the following week.
We also have a supplement checklist for 3.33 off our site to see what supplements we recommend on a daily basis. And as per usual, we are all unique human beings, our levels of hormones and everything are unique. Just because a therapeutic works on one person, or even in a study, doesn’t mean that it will work for you.
Take care, and pay attention to the signals your body is sending you.