How To Increase Serotonin And Dopamine Naturally
What does dopamine and serotonin do in the brain? More specifically, what does serotonin do as it relates to our sleep, hunger, and happiness levels?
Serotonin is a neurochemical that helps regulate sleep, hunger levels, mediate moods, and actually controls your ability to feel pain. Roughly 95% of the serotonin is created and your gut. Your gut is lined with 100 million nerve cells called neurons, so it seems plausible that your gut not only helps digestion, but guides emotion.
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What is the best way to explain the connection between gut bacteria and mental health? Does it have to do with sugar and why sugar is bad for your brain?
I think it's important to address what I believe is common sense when it comes to looking at how your nutrition affects your brain. Now, if your brain is lacking of good-quality nutrition, or free radicals or damaging inflammatory cells are floating around there in that cranial space of yours, can't you see how there might be an increase in brain tissue that's degrading? That seems like common sense, right? And what's fascinating is that for several years, there has been very little research that attempts to look at the ways foods affect moods and vice versa. 
Are There New Nutritional Guidelines?
The old food pyramid was wrong. In fact it still is wrong. What was wrong with the old food guide pyramid? For decades people have tried to follow it, but as a society, we've only becoming unhealthier. So, I'm going to be giving you part one of Jared's top 10 nutritional guidelines that you could use going forward.
Now, before you decide not to listen to my podcast, I want you to throw everything that you've ever thought about nutrition out the window; food pyramid, low-fat, low-sugar, throw it all out the windows. We're going to look at things differently. Number one, eat well for tomorrow, not specifically just for today. What do I mean by that? Is that what you eat today is going to effect not only you, but your future generations to come, think about that. 
Good Digestion Means Less Stress
Can stress cause digestive disorders? There has to be a significant relationship between stress and our digestive system, but what is it?
When our bodies are under constant stress, it seems completely plausible that this can lead to digestive disorders. So on the opposite end of the spectrum, we could probably conclude good digestion means less stress, right? Regardless of where you fall, we all want to know what does stress and anxiety do to the digestive system, 
Mental Power Digestion
Is there a connection between your gut and your brain? Is the brain or the gut more powerful? Knowing which has the power to control what you eat is the key to resolving any health or digestion related issues you may have.
What part of your body is more powerful in determining what you eat, you brain or your gut? I'm going to use an illustration to prove my point. But let's say you've got that 3:00 pm crashing and you start to feel lethargic and your mind's saying, "Hey we need some food, food, food," and you start thinking about all those specific foods. But let's say you go pick out some potato chips, some sour cream and onion. You take that back to your desk, all the sudden you eat it. You feel, "Oh, that's great. And then about 10 minutes later you feel like you're hungry again. 
Different Digestive Properties
How does the digestive system work in the human body? Is digestion and gut health the same for everyone or do people each have different issues and potential problems and benefits? I've had my own experience of both good and bad digestion, and I believe it's important for me to share why should gut health and digestion be important to you.
Brain Cells In The Gut
This is the second part of the 10 most amazing things that you probably didn't know about your digestive health. Today we're gonna be talking about number six, is that there is a correlation between gut health and bone density. It was mentioned about how serotonin was produced in your gut. If your body doesn't have enough serotonin, there has been shown to be a decrease in bone density.
Number seven, there's a link between autism and fewer strains of good bacteria in your gut. People with autism generally have digestive related issues, whether it's leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome, or as I mentioned, fewer bacteria strains. 
Digestion Immune System
I'm gonna be giving you 10 amazing facts you probably didn't know about your digestive system. Number one, that the gut is the only organ in the body that can actually function without regulatory oversight from the brain. Even your heart can't do that. Number two, there are over a hundred million brain cells located in your gut. That's actually more that's than found in the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system.
Empathy, How To Improve
One of the topics of conversation I seem to be having most often with my children is how to be a more compassionate and understanding human being. My biggest challenge when discussing the state of the world is to show them that they have to take an active role in life. My belief is that we are put on this earth to create a better space for those around us. Before we create a better space out of our circle, however, we should create a better space within our circle. And that starts with having empathy. ⠀
Empathy is different that sympathy. Sympathy takes no action on your part, whereas empathy requires you to take an active role in understanding the other party; your goal is to understand them better. When discussing a difficult situation, my kids have a habit of saying things like, "that's sad" or "I can't believe that happened to him/her". That's sympathy. Empathy would require them to ask different questions. (If you want to continue reading, listen to or download this podcast, follow the link). |