Day Nine - Nutrition
Today's challenge is to understand your gut and build on the previous Mediterranean diet challenge.
We have recently discovered the importance of the gut biome and its impact on immune functioning, metabolic processes (including glucose regulation and healthy body weight), stress-response system, brain health and brain plasticity and gene expression. It is hard to believe but our stomachs contain more than 500 million nerve cells, 100 million neurons and 30 different neurotransmitters which is why it's often referred to as the 'second brain'. "Our gut has its own nervous system that works quite independently from our central nervous system" 1 and influences the brain via the vagus nerve via the gut-brain axis.
Oh, did I also mention that the gut produces 90% of the body's serotonin supply, which is one of the significant neurochemicals responsible for mood and well-being. The good news is that we can change the health of our guts very quickly, as rapidly as five days, by changing our diet. 2
So if you want to increase your happiness (and your guts), then make sure you get 20-30 grams of dietary fibre during the day. It’s as simple as:
Breakfast: adding oats or green banana flour to your morning smoothie, choosing porridge instead of sweetened breakfast cereal
Morning snack: humous and baby carrots or a banana or apple
Lunch: a wholegrain sandwich with different sorts of salad vegetables plus tuna.
Afternoon snack: a handful of nuts along with a piece of fruit
Evening dinner: it can still be pasta but replace for wholemeal and add some vegetable or a tin of chickpeas for more fibre.
Dessert. Whole Greek yogurt with frozen berries
As we graze through our day, there are so many opportunities to increase nutritional values and increase fibre intake. Give it a try, and I am sure your gut will thank you for it.
Reference
Brain Changer. The latest cutting edge science on how diet can affect your risk of anxiety and depression and influence the health of your brain. 2018. F. Jacka
Ditto pp136
Further reading
Read: Brain Changer. Felice Jacka. 2018
Watch: Food and Mood Institute. gut enhancing recipes
** Disclaimer – Part of the Build Your Ideal Day Program – 30 Day challenge by Duncan Young. All content and media on the Build Your Ideal Day Website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.
