Self-care looks different for everyone. From choosing to go out with friends to isolating ourselves on hard days, we all do it differently. But one thing that unites us all is our need to eat.

Food is a common tool used to not only bring us together and allow us to be social with others, but it is also used as a way to manage stress.

A lot of us may be familiar with eating more than our body needs like a whole carton of ice cream to cope, but what if we could use food to improve our mood and our emotion and physical wellbeing instead?

Understanding how nutrition can affect your mood could change the way you think about what you eat. The mind-gut connect on has been well researched and it’s generally understood that feeding our bodies wholesome foods benefits both our mental and physical wellbeing. But why is this?

The first reason is Serotonin. It's a natural chemical in our body that carries messages between our nerves and to our brain that makes us feel good. About 95% of our body’s serotonin is made in our GI tract so that gives you an idea of how what we eat can impact our mood.

The second reason is the the microbiome in your gut produces many of the same chemicals as our brains. This community of different microbes (ie: fungi, viruses, bacteria, etc.) that live in your body are important to your health and wellness.

Harvard’s School of Public health says that the microbiome also helps wake up your immune system, breaks down potentially toxic food, and makes certain vitamins that your body needs to feel good.

Microbiomes are also home to both good and potentially bad things that live in your body just fine, until their balance is affected.

If the bad microbes overpower the good, it can lead to negative health outcomes and even severe mood swings, amongst other things.

What can disrupt this balance is preservatives or highly processed foods that tip the scales in favor of the bad microbes, potentially leading to diseases later in life by contributing to inflammation.

Foods that nourish the good bacteria are whole foods, low fat dairy products, lean proteins, and a diverse array and color of fruits and vegetables.

The more variety you eat, the more diverse and robust the bacteria in your gut will become.

While nutrition is no replacement for medication, it is a great tool for self-care.

Do your gut a favor and take care of those good microbes through healthy, nutritious eating even when you’re stressed.

If you need help with self-care in the form of food, reach out to one of our lifestyle medicine providers.