Why do so many people with IBS and IBD also struggle with mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety and even depression? This can be for several reasons which I will outline below:
The Gut Brain Axis
The gut brain axis is a two-way communication centre between the gut and your brain. They constantly talk to each other through:
- Nerves – especially the vagus nerve
- Hormones and neurotransmitters – chemical messengers like serotonin.
- Immune signals and gut bacteria – the gut microbiome
What This Means:
Our enteric nervous system – our so-called ‘second brain’ is located in the gut. It’s full of nerves that constantly talk to our brain, helping shape how we feel, process stress, and make decisions. The gut also houses most of our immune cells and is the root of our famous ‘gut instinct.’
When our gut isn’t functioning well, our mental health often suffers too. Our compass in life can feel off, leading to self-doubt, low confidence, and anxiety around food or choices
Malnourishment:
Malnourishment of the brain occurs through a poorly functioning digestive system – such as someone with IBS or IBD issues – and means that the brain is unable to utilise nutrients effectively.
The brain, like every organ in our body needs specific nutrients to function well. Most of us are aware that omegas, in particular omega 3 fatty acids, are essential for brain health and that including fish three times a week should help our brains to grow strong. However, not everyone can effectively digest fish, and not everyone even likes fish.
Malnourishment of the brain can also be caused by poor nutrient intake, caused by symptomatic food choices and self-restricted dieting of perceived ‘safe’, processed or junk foods.
What To Do If You Are Struggling With Gut And Mental Health Issues:
If your brain is not receiving these essential nutrients, thoughts can become muddled, you can start to feel more stressed than usual, anxiety can increase, depression can start – or worsen. Brain fog, confusion and lack of focus can easily become the norm.
To function at optimum level on a physical basis, our brains need:
- Omega 3
- B-Vitamins
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Choline
- Antioxidants
TIP: Check to see if your diet contains the above ingredients on a regular basis, feeding your brain with the nutrients it deserves? If not, maybe it is time to start including more foods that contain these vital mood-boosting brain health nutrients.
Case Study:
Around 60% of my IBS and IBD clients struggle with anxiety, stress or depression – or a combination of all three, whether they have IBS or IBD, the mental and gut health link is very strong.
Poor gut health can affect our hormones, particularly from the age of 40, when our levels naturally start to decline, and if we don’t actively make the decision to feed our brain, it can start to degenerate even further…
Let me share with you my client journey of a lady who came to see me in floods of tears, feeling so emotionally wrung out and fed up with life, her body, and her gut health. Her mental health had overtaken her IBS symptoms in terms of ‘which thing to sort out first’ on her priority list.
Firstly, we worked through her IBS symptoms, unpicking the trauma that had started her IBS symptoms in her early teens, we then went through her dietary health, checking her micro (vitamins and minerals) and macro (fats, proteins and carbohydrates) nutrient intake.
We discovered that she had inadvertently been avoiding fish as her partner didn’t like fish, therefore her diet was severely lacking in omegas. Also she was lacking in B-Vitamins and living in the UK her Vitamin D levels were too low.
So, alongside a change of diet to actively start healing her gut, I suggested that she start to take some short-term supplements to ensure that we had covered all bases as quickly as possible.
By our first Accountability Coaching session, her whole outlook had changed so dramatically that it was like talking to a different person. Gone were the tears, her mood had improved – and in turn had her relationship with her partner. But more than that, she was energised, she had found her inner self and although she wasn’t initially overjoyed at the change of diet, she had embraced it and found that she enjoyed cooking again.
This was after 14 days… And it is not an isolated case. Most people I work with, either on The IBS Freedom Method for women or the Total Gut Reset for men get significant results within the first 2 – 4 weeks of implementing the change of diet.
Brain Health Nutrition Boost
If your diet is lacking, are you taking any supplements specifically related to brain health?
I have sourced effective and affordable, well-balanced omegas, vitamin D and B-complex – which has been my own lifeline over the years in battling depression naturally, without the need for medication.
Check them out HERE https://www.youribsfreedom.com/products/
Your Free Gut Health Strategy Call
If you are struggling with your gut health, whether you have been diagnosed with IBS, IBD or as yet are waiting for a diagnosis but you know something doesn’t feel ‘quite right’ with your tummy, then why not book your free call with me today?
I have been working with people for the past decade helping them reduce their painful symptoms, gain more energy and reduce mental health issues at the same time. I can’t promise a magic wand, but I can promise I will provide you with useful, actionable advice, whether ew decide to work together or not.
Book your free Gut Health Strategy Call with me using this link https://helenwaddington.as.me/guthealthstrategycall