Could bad gut bugs be causing MOOD SWINGS?
he idea that the gut microbiome, the bacteria that inhabit our gut, could affect your mood might sound unlikely — but there is a lot of new research showing that is exactly what is going on.
In fact the study of how the creatures in our gut affect our brains has its own name, ‘psychobiotics’.
But how do tiny microbes, who live in your colon, impact your brain? Simply put, they are brilliant chemists. Some of them can take the bits of food our body can’t digest (such as fibre) and convert this into hormones such as dopamine, serotonin and GABA (a chemical messenger that acts in a similar way to the anti-anxiety drug, Valium).
The microbes in our gut can also ‘talk’ to our brains via a network of nerve cells that line our gut walls and which connect to the brain via the vagus nerve.
We also know, thanks to revolutionary work by Professor Felice Jacka, the dynamic director of the Food & Mood Centre at deakin university in Melbourne, Australia, that changing your diet (and therefore your microbiome) can really impact your mood.
I first came across her work in 2017, when she published the results of the SMILeS trial, the first proper study looking at whether putting people on a healthier diet could improve depression.
For the study she randomly allocated people with moderate or severe depression to either a Mediterranean- style diet or standard fare.
Those eating the Mediterranean-style diet were also asked to eat fewer unhealthy foods, such as sweets, refined cereals, fast food, processed meats and sugary drinks.
The impact on those who changed their diet was profound, with many able to come off medication being no longer classified as ‘depressed’. The fact that it was those who made the biggest changes in their diet who saw the greatest improvements in their mental health strongly suggests that it was the change in diet that had made the difference.
As one of the participants, who had already tried talking therapies and medication, without success, later told the professor: ‘The programme was to me a last resort. With its success I am forever grateful.’
Other studies have since confirmed her findings and I am now convinced that one of the best ways to improve our mental health and make ourselves happier is by following a better diet — happy gut bugs, happy life!
BEWARE OF USING SWEETENERS
PeOPLe often ask if they can use sweeteners instead of sugar on the Fast 800 diet.
The trouble with sweeteners is that most of them damage the good microbes in your gut (the colony of bacteria that live in your large intestine). These good bacteria are important for digestive health and immunity — which is obviously a particular concern at this time.
Sweeteners are also many times sweeter than sugar, which means that regardless of their low-calorie content, they maintain your sweet tooth and can increase your sugar cravings. Luckily, while on the Fast 800 easy diet, you will find your sense of taste changes and you can enjoy treats with far less sugar as your palate adapts.
We use dried and fresh fruit, such as dates, figs, bananas and apricots, as a natural sweetener in some recipes. unlike sugar, which is empty calories, fruit adds fibre and a variety of important vitamins and other nutrients.
If you really must have a little sweetener, particularly in the first week or two while you reset your sweet tooth, then the best one to go for is probably Stevia.