The Gut-Brain Connection.

“All disease begins in the gut.”- Hippocrates

Did you know we have approximately the same amount of cells in our body as gut bacteria cells, over 30 trillion! These little bacteria are in constant communication with our body-mind, thus playing a significant role in our health, both physical and mental. This new discovery of the gut-brain connection is so important for our society today, where increasingly we see the American diet consisting more and more of highly processed foods. Yes, these foods may be convenient and easy solutions for our fast-paced lives, but at what cost to our health long-term? Let’s look at how these foods affect our gut bacteria and our mental health from an Ayurvedic perspective.

Our gut can communicate with our brain, and in effect acts as a second brain. Depending on what kind of gut bacteria you have, good or bad, it will produce cravings, signally your brain to want more of what feeds that dominant type of bacteria. For example, if you eat a diet high in processed sugars, the sugar-loving bacteria will communicate with your brain through neuronal and chemical pathways to crave more sugar, in essence creating an addiction to that substance. We all may have noticed that when we eat more sugar we crave more and more. If we gradually stop eating a diet high in sugar we notice the cravings start to diminish. This is a sign that balance, and the true intelligence of the body are being restored.

As modern science is starting to discover and validate what Ayurveda has known through experiential knowledge for thousands of years, a diet of diversity in fresh foods benefits our gut diversity and overall health. It significantly cuts down on inflammation within the body, builds immunity and longevity, and boosts our mental state of mind.

From an Ayurvedic perspective processed foods lack Prana or life force. We should eat to gain the prana or life from food. Anything that is processed is devoid of Prana and therefore devoid of what gives life force, immunity, and vitality. This is why in Ayurveda we always stress the importance of eating fresh foods. Food is the most important part of maintaining health. We are literally shaping our body and mind with what we ingest.

We also understand how certain foods and their qualities affect the specific elemental qualities within our unique body/mind constitution. Processed foods in general contain properties that disturb the balance of all three doshas. Many processed foods are dry, rough, and cold in quality. These qualities disrupt the qualities specifically of Vata Dosha. We see it affect Vata dosha in the mind with symptoms of anxiety, fear, and worry. Processed foods also contain high amounts of salt and unhealthy fats. High salt content is imbalancing for PItta dosha, causing anger and hostility in the mind. The heavy, oil, and fatty qualities of highly processed foods add to the heavy qualities of kapha dosha, creating symptoms in the mind of depression, lethargy, and lack of motivation.

We see an epidemic of obesity in our country and it has a direct link to the unhealthy processed foods that are constantly marketed to the public. We also witness the increasing mental health crisis in our country, and it’s no wonder! Our diets and our whole attitude and approach to food have gotten farther and farther removed from what is natural. We have lost touch with ourselves, our connection to nature, and to the whole purpose of eating. We are filling our bodies, and in effect our minds with junk, no wonder we have lost clarity of thought, leading to bad choices and continuing the cycle of anxiety, stress, and depression.

Could changing our diets be the first step in changing many of the other imbalances we find in ourselves and our society? It may just be the ripple effect needed, that over time could benefit our society in ways yet unseen. As Hippocrates said, all disease starts in the gut. Diseases of the mind could also start in the gut, since mind and body are intrinsically connected.

Next time you reach for that highly processed food that you’re craving, think if it really benefits you as an individual, as a collective humanity, and our earth, which is an extension of ourselves.

- Simply Veda.