Is there any connection between my gut health and my mental health? If you’ve visited my site before, you may know I’ve spent most of my life plagued by bizarre and conflicting health issues, both physical and emotional. I also live with autism. In 2010 I discovered that most of my health issues were created by, or exacerbated by, my gut. I’ve spent more than a decade searching for ways to improve my digestion and ease my symptoms, with amazing results.
Disclaimer: This post features my personal experience and opinion. I do not provide medical advice, this is my experience for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice or avoid seeking treatment because of something you have read on mygratefulgut.com.
Gut health and mental health
One fascinating connection I discovered is the intricate link between my gut and brain. Interestingly, it was my GP (family doctor) who first pointed this out to me. It instantly made sense since my whole family suffer from what we like to call “stress belly”. After speaking to my GP, I began a journey that led me to understand just how much my stress levels and mental health are influenced by my digestive system, and vice versa.
Nausea, bloating, and “the runs” are just some of the symptoms I’ve experienced when under stress. Likewise, I’ve found that what I eat, and the condition of my stomach, can seriously mess with my emotions. When I researched the subject, I discovered that the gut and brain communicate through a bidirectional highway known as the vagus nerve, plus a complex network of chemicals and hormones. This means that the state of my gut could be sending signals to my brain, affecting how I feel emotionally. Likewise, my brain’s stress signals could be wreaking havoc on my digestive system.
Specific foods affecting my mood
For me, one of the biggest issues that affects my emotions, is when I eat dairy or sugar. This was an unfortunate discovery for me since chocolate is my favourite comforter when I’m feeling stressed or anxious. But it turns out that eating things like chocolate was causing me to become more stressed, more emotional, and leading to more meltdowns. Everyone is different, but after cutting various things out of my diet and re-introducing them, dairy and sugar were the biggest culprits for my autistic meltdowns and depression. I made the hard decision to cut them out.
Starting a whole food diet
This personal transformation led me to appreciate the importance of diet in mental health. I cut down on processed foods and sugars, and started introducing a diet that focused more on whole foods. Fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, these have become the staple in my diet. Check out some of the recipes I developed while changing to a whole food diet.
When I’m experiencing a chocolate craving, I make myself some almond milk and a homemade hot chocolate, since natural sweeteners, like honey, don’t seem to affect me so much. This hasn’t been an easy road for me, and of course it hasn’t given me perfect mental health – does anyone have perfect mental health? But it’s made a huge difference to my emotional balance, and has significantly reduced my meltdowns.
Listening to my body
During the past decade, I’ve learned the value of listening to my body. Paying attention to how different foods affect my digestion and mood has opened up a new dimension of self-awareness. It’s not just about eating the right things; it’s also about observing and adjusting based on my body’s responses.
When I started on this journey, little did I realise that sometimes the solution to certain health puzzles lies within us, literally. My experience has taught me that there are changes within reach, changes that make a positive impact on my mental health. After fourteen years, I still feel confident that my diet is one of the more important factors in keeping my autism under control, along with sleep, getting enough UV, and setting healthy limits for myself. As anyone with autism knows, this is a lifelong journey, so I keep working on improving my lifestyle to reduce stress and meltdowns and keep happiness at the forefront.
If you’ve never considered your gut and it’s role in your mental wellness, maybe do some research or talk to your family doctor to see if there’s any tips that might help. You might be surprised how much your gut can affect your emotional balance.
