CategoryBlog

Gut Health

Why is gut health important? There are many reasons – and the most obvious might be the least important. Most often when people think of gut health, they think of diets or weight loss, but a healthy gut means much, much more. Your gut is your second brain!

Let’s take a deeper look… The human body contains roughly 13-30 trillion cells. The actual number is unknown and changes with age and other factors, as well as who did the calculation. We are always discovering more about the body, but the important thing to remember is that these cells are communicating in various ways in order to coordinate the many functions of the body. A trillion is a big number – hard to fathom for most people. Imagine if you had a million dollars, a million times – that would be 1 trillion.

With tens of trillions of cells in the body (containing our DNA, or made from it), it is truly miraculous how things stay organized in there for us to survive and live as a coherent human being. But here is what’s more amazing – we have more bacteria in our gut than the rest of our body combined. It was once believed that we have over 10 times as many bacteria (that gets into the 100 trillion range!) but that number is being revised as science progresses and we continue to discover more about the body. All of these are sending signals, communicating with the cells in our body, and interacting closely with the nervous system as well. Regardless of the actual number count, we can start to have an appreciation for why gut health is so important.

Feel with your gut AND your brain

You may have heard the saying “Trust your gut feeling” before, and for good reason. Your gut processes signals without the biased inputs from the pre-frontal cortex (the thinking part of the brain) or the lower/mid brain – sometimes referred to as the reptilian brain which is in charge of our survival instincts and fight/flight responses.

Communication between the gut and nervous system is a two way street – anxiety and stress can cause indigestion as much as indigestion can give us feelings of anxiety and stress. Eventually it becomes hard to distinguish between what is cause and what is effect. That’s why it’s so important to be aware and consciously interrupt these self-propelling cycles that don’t serve us and keep the patterns that are healthy.

This means that gut health is a part of mental health. Keeping a healthy gut means more than just having a healthy diet. It means to eat under the right conditions so your body can absorb nutrients and create balance for the nervous system. It means that we are aware of our food choices and making choices beyond the initial impulses (this is where we get to use the brain’s intelligence over what the gut craves.) For example, if you eat while angry, your body will not activate the proper relaxation responses, enzymes, and everything that goes with properly digesting foods.

And lastly, your gut actually produces many of the brain’s neurotransmitters. It is responsible for many of the signals that our brain is capable of transmitting in the first place. So you can begin to see why it is regarded as the second brain. Many cases of anxiety, depression, and other challenges for mental health can be corrected when the gut environment is in balance either by diet or by avoiding things that can destroy our gut biome like antibiotics which kill both good and bad bacteria in the gut. The issues are not in the brain, but in the gut. If you ever experience anything like brain fog or stronger feelings like anxiety or depression, try taking a look at how you are eating.

You Always Have A Choice

In life we have many decisions to make. Everything we do is the result of a choice – conscious or subconscious. One of the most important choices we can make doesn’t have to do with our actions, but has to do with our attitude – our state of being. Regardless of what our actions are, we also choose an attitude – a mental state to go with it. The difference between a positive attitude and a negative attitude is the difference between success and failure, motivation and depression. Choosing a positive outlook is a simple decision (so is a negative outlook) that can happen for some people without thinking about it. For others, it might take practice. It is completely normal to have mixed feelings, confusion, self-doubt, anxiety, and, fear. This is the natural disposition of human physiology and the fight/flight responses of the nervous system.

Once we understand that, we can accept it. We can understand the source of our feelings and from there choose a positive outlook. For most people, things can always be better, and they can also be worse. It is important to realize that we are not subject to our emotions or impulses. A good place to start being positive is practicing gratitude. Try naming 3 things that you are grateful for. Another great practice is to list 3 things that you like about yourself.

Here’s mine for today:
I am grateful for: life, my health, and the ability to share my knowledge.
I am wise. I am strong. I am capable.

Be Yourself

Here I’ll share a little bit of a personal story.

Halloween is around the corner and because irony is one of my more favored humors, I wanted to leave everyone a positive reminder; wearing masks is fun, but being yourself is best.

But as I am writing this, I came across an interesting tidbit. October 29th is international internet day. I find this fitting because the internet is a symbol of communication and expression. The internet up many new channels of communication and expression. It gives us the ability to wear infinite masks. It also shows us how interconnected everything really is. We can open up portals to speak with and see friends and family from across the planet. Or we can communicate anonymously with millions of people. We can access information stored from incredible distances and carry it in our pockets. So I guess the other message for this post is let’s remember not to take the internet for granted and most of what we see online is a mask.

Some people worry about being judged by others, some people judge themselves too much. I fall into the latter category. As a child it bothered me that I would not be accepted into schools because of my hair – and when I did, I would be teased and get into fights with other children. It took a while for it to even occur to me to change myself for acceptance (which I tried and felt miserable).

You have to accept yourself before others can.

I’m more of the person to always ask “why?”. I accepted being different and stopped caring what other people think. Instead, I cared more about what I think, and set high standards upon myself. There’s nothing wrong with this but it’s important to remember not to judge yourself too harshly. Above all else, you have to accept yourself before others can.

We may want to be accepted into a certain circle, or simply appear a certain way to others. There are many reasons for wanting to wear a mask. Some believe that we are always wearing a mask. Regardless, we know what comes naturally and comfortably for us. This would be our “default mask” and nothing is better than this one. If it is a mask, it is one that does not create stress for us when we wear it, rather we find joy in being and expressing ourselves. Be yourself. Love yourself.

So yes, of course that means you can still be yourself AND dress up for Halloween.

Blessings,
Jahmaal

6 Minutes of Mindfulness

Thoughts Are Energy Too!


We already know that everything is energy in different patterns that create our perceived reality. Everything from spoken language, solid objects, wi-fi signals, visible light and heat. Our thoughts are also patterns of energy that have an influence on our body and mind.

Be aware of your thoughts because every thought is like a repetition in an exercise for the brain. Know what patterns you are making stronger, and when a mental exercise (i.e. a thought is no longer healthy).

How to Breathe Properly

Mindfulness begins with breath… Isn’t breathing obvious? Many people take breathing for granted. It is simple, and it does happen without thinking about it. However, most people are not breathing properly. The issue is that we often sink into unhealthy breathing patterns which make it harder to deal with stress, as opposed to breathing properly which releases stress.

What is Mindfulness?

The state of being conscious or aware. To practice mindfulness is to be aware of everything from our 5 senses – What we hear, feel, smell, taste, and see – to what we are feeling inside like our thoughts and emotions. The goal is to be present and experience what is happening in our external and internal worlds, without getting too involved or attached. This allows us to tune out distractions and direct our minds to what is actually important while helping the body return to its natural relaxed state.