GUT-MIND CONNECTION

Emeran Mayer (2016). Mind-Gut Connection: 

                                     How the Hidden Conversation Within Our                                         Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and                                     Our Overall Health.

Mayer is a medical doctor who has researched brain-body connections for 40 years...he specializes in  brain-gut microbiome interactions.

While i appreciate the scientific descriptions and explanations of the brain-gut interactions and the neuroscientific mechanisms by which they influence our mood, choices, and health, i was disappointed in the lack of pragmatic advice in all but the last chapter...i kept asking myself, SO WHAT? What does this mean for living a good life?

some of the science: the gut is a 2nd brain called the enteric nervous system made of 1k bacterial species with 100 trillion microbes, 50% of which are not human (we are hosts for them)...and this gut biome, via research on mice/rats and humans, has been shown to influence emotions, pain sensitivity, social interactions, and guide decisions.

In the final chapter of the book, some practical advice is offered: what we eat/drink greatly influences our gut biome, but the basic composition of the gut biome was set in our early years and cannot be changed (i wonder about that)...for optimum gut health, eat a plant-based diet of fats, grains, and fermented foods (e.g., kimchi, sauerkraut, keifer, and miso), stay low with animal fat (eliminate factory farmed animals), reduce or eliminate refined sugar and processed packaged foods.

a simple way to start nurturing your gut biome is to make and consume your own sauerkraut (start with a tablespoon a day and see how you feel)--to make your own sauerkraut, begin with organic cabbage (green or red), slice very thin, place in a large bowl (any non metal bowl), salt (Himalayan pink salt or sea salt) the cabbage (start with a tablespoon and taste, increase if needed), then squeeze the cabbage vigorously with your hands until you hear it start to squeak against the sides of the bowl and liquid develop on the bottom of the bowl (the salt and your squeezing is breaking down the cell walls and releasing the liquid)--this can take 5-10 minutes...place the contents in a mason jar (or any clear jar), push down the cabbage until only liquid is on the top 1/2-1 inch, leave the jar on the counter top with a thin towel over the top to keep out the bugs but let in the air...best location is a warm (but not hot) place atop the frig or hot water heater or near the stove or coffee pot...the cabbage will ferment (you will see bubbles) over the next few days...taste it every day until it is the desired sourness for you, then refrigerate to stop the fermentation process...and enjoy some everyday! Search the internet for "Sandor Katz for a video on how to make your own sauerkraut" for more information on the process and benefits of consuming sauerkraut and "wild fermentation" in general.

I have a jar of sauerkraut in my frig at all times, and I try to consume some every day...it's delicious, and it's good for your gut biome, probiotic.