Feeling the Winter Blues? Why You Should Consider Your Gut’s Influence
“Your gut -“the second brain” has more control over your mental health than you realize…”
By Karla Hardin, MS LPC
By Karla Hardin, MS LPC
So often after the holidays have passed us by, we can find ourselves in a slump. The children have gone back to school or back to their homes and the fun activities that were shared are a distant memory.
People can start to feel depressed and unmotivated and decide it might be time for a chat with a counselor. A lot of times looking at our relationships, our fears, and unmet longings are exactly where people need to start.
But not always.
Sometimes, we need to take inventory of our gut health.
Why Gut Health?
Because there is a direct correlation between your mood and your gut.
The enteric nervous system (controls gastrointestinal behavior) actually relies on the same type of neurons and neurotransmitters that are found in the central nervous system, so many medical experts call the stomach our “second brain.” The “second brain” in our gut, is in constant communication with the brain in our head, and this plays a key role in certain diseases in our bodies and in our overall mental health.
The gut-brain connection works in both directions too.
Emotions, feelings of excitement, or nervousness can cause the familiar churning in the stomach –the so-called “butterflies in your stomach” feeling. But also, GI problems can create anxiety, stress, reactivity, and exhaustion. One can clearly affect the other.
Another reason you should look at your gut health if you struggle with depression is that 90% of our serotonin is created in the gut. Serotonin is our “happy hormone” and neurotransmitter. If you have poor gut health, there is a good chance you could hover around a “melancholy” mood all the time.
Too often we play down the role that our overall health has on our mental health.
We need to begin seeing our body and mind as one integrated system that can be both the cause and effect of the other. If we did this, we would start to notice things like a lack of sleep affecting our irritability, four cups of coffee -our constant anxiety, and our large intake of carbs contributing to sluggishness and lower resilience.
I personally have known about the importance of overall health on mental health for years and have shared this with my clients. I have taken steps to better my gut health through nutrition. But there was one thing holding me back from living my best life… my refusal to deal the negative effects of sugar on my body.
The Truth About Sugar
Let’s be honest. Sugar is addictive. Researchers now say that sugar 8 times more addictive than cocaine and inside the brain, it works in the same areas that react to morphine.
Like any addict, I told myself I didn’t have a problem! I ate less of it than most people I reassured myself. I simply wasn’t ready to see sugar as a major culprit of my lethargy and dullness.
I attributed sitting more in my favorite spot on the couch to the fact that I was “older”. Mind you I was in my 50’s when I was telling myself this! I was on the road to just saying this is the reality of aging and there is nothing you can really do about it.
But thanks to the Amen Clinic and other health gurus I followed, I finally started getting honest with myself that sugar was a daily part of my diet and my intake was more than I would admit.
You may be wondering why I am targeting sugar when I could be saying drink more water or hit the gym! The reason is that sugar is highly inflammatory. All disease is born or maintained by inflammation. Read more on this here.
This reality should scare us all, but it doesn’t. Why? Because sugar tastes good and we don’t see the negative consequences immediately upon eating it. And we cannot forget it is addictive, so our body sends us persuasive cravings.
When I got honest about sugar is when things began to change. It didn’t happen overnight, but I began the process –first quantity reduction and then elimination.
The Result?
I am 63 years old (soon to be 64), and I have as much energy as I did in my 40’s! My mind is never sluggish, and I feel mentally sharper than ever. Also, in a recent blood workup my doctor said I had less than one percent inflammation in my body –something he had never seen in someone my age. And the final kicker –I am on no medication, which apparently is really rare these days!
Finally, though I know there are other factors that contribute, my mood is consistently joyful and optimistic –even in this pandemic!
So, if you are ready to tackle your mood and overall health –start simply with these three steps.
3 STEPS TO ELIMINATE SUGAR
1. Educate Yourself
You need to recognize sugar can be hidden in almost anything! I have friends who say they don’t eat sugar. Then I find out they have a cocktail and two glasses of wine every night – BUSTED: Sugar loaded!
There are foods that quickly convert to sugar during digestion that aren’t known as overt sugars.
Examples of these foods are:
White Potatoes
Rice
Bread/Pasta
Corn
Dairy
*They can also be addictive too because they convert to sugar so fast!
Read every label for sugar content. You will be amazed when you start looking at the labels. For example, a Big Mac has 95 grams of sugar more than a milkshake!
2. Start by Reducing
Habits are hard to break Addictions even harder!
Start small. I didn’t go “cold turkey” but I determined to eat between 25-28 grams of sugar a day.
*But don’t think jumping to artificial sweetener is the solution, because it destroys get flora as well. There are a history of studies that reveal that artificial sweeteners found in sports drinks and diet sodas (specifically aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, neotame, advantame and acesulfame potassium-k) make the bacteria in the digestive system toxic when exposed to tiny concentrations of the sweeteners.
Toxic gut = toxic brain. Try Stevia by Sweet Leaf instead!
*Consider these 10 Tips to Eliminating Sugar Cravings to set you up for long term success
3. Time to Say Goodbye
After one month of the reduction strategy, I was ready to say goodbye to sugar being in my everyday life. It resulted in a lifestyle change that affected much more than my calorie intake …it affected my mood, energy, and disease prevention.
Again, the process wasn’t overnight but now it is rare that I eat sugar, and I am very intentional when I do.
A FINAL MOTIVATION:
Beyond wanting to feel my best physically and mentally, as a Christian, I know I have a responsibility to be a good caretaker of my body, His temple, as a way honoring my Creator.
For me, this desire to honor Him has helped me be willing to say no to my flesh and yes to the Spirit!
”Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?
You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.
So you must honor God with your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Karla Hardin is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Trauma Specialist for Hardin Life Resources
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