Are you looking to add foods to your diet that will give you an extra boost of energy, happiness and emotional well-being? Look no further than fiber.
Not only does fiber help with mental health, but also high-fiber diets have been linked to lower rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disease and Alzheimer’s, just to name a few.
How Fiber Supports the Body
So, how exactly does this fibrous friend do so much? First, we should take a look at a little something called the gut-brain axis. It has long been thought that your brain is the control center of your body and that it tells your organs what to do. Well, research is showing that the connection between your brain and gut is actually bidirectional, meaning that your gut also influences your brain.
The Gut-Brain Axis
Your gut, in fact, is called your second brain and houses something called the enteric nervous system. Now, your gut cannot help you solve today’s Wordle puzzle, but it does send messages to the brain via neurotransmitters, hormones and other signaling molecules in your gut.
Over 90% of the serotonin in your body (the “happiness hormone”) and 50% of your dopamine (the “feel good hormone”) is made there. These molecules influence mood, sleep, energy and gut motility. While still much is being discovered about the gut-brain axis, it is clear that the two work in synergy and are highly influenced by the gut’s microbiome.
The Microbiome’s Role in Your Mental Health
What is the microbiome you ask, and what does it have to do with fiber and mental health? Excellent questions! Your microbiome is composed of over thirty-nine trillion (with a T) microorganisms that live in your colon! Isn’t that crazy! Who knew it was so crowded down there?
Seriously though, your microbiome is an ecosystem that allows things to go swimmingly when balanced (good outweighing the bad bacteria), and you feel great. When there is a disturbance in this force (called dysbiosis), things go awry.
The bad bacteria take over and cause an inflammatory cascade that is associated with leaky gut. This can lead to numerous, unfavorable health conditions, one of which is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Interestingly, there is a strong overlap between patients with IBS who also suffer from anxiety and/or depression, again highlighting the connection between a healthy gut and a healthy mind.
The Role Diet Plays in the Microbiome
So, how do you ensure that your gut bacteria are getting along with each other? The answer is diet! The food you eat feeds all of your little bacterial friends. Foods high in saturated fat and refined sugar and low in fiber are known to derail your intestinal happiness. On the other hand, foods rich in fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and whole grains, create an intestinal utopia.
In the U.S., the recommended daily fiber intake is 25 grams although most Americans fall well below that guidance.
Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, author of Fiber Fueled, notes, “The single best predictor of a healthy gut microbiome is the diversity of plants in one’s diet.”
So, dig in. Embrace eating the rainbow and providing diversity in the plant foods you consume. Give your body what it needs to achieve good mental and physical health.
Do you need mood-boosting dietary support?
Outpatient Nutrition Services
Do you need help finding recipes that are rich in natural fiber, such as this BBQ Chickpea Salad with Avocado Ranch dish which is one of Kelly’s favorites? Our licensed, registered dietitians in outpatient Nutrition Services are committed to providing evidence-based, scientific nutrition advice. They can help with weight management and nutritional care related to bariatric surgery.
About Kelly Pflaum, FNP-C
Kelly Pflaum is a Nurse Practitioner, board certified through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She works in WakeMed’s Mobile Wellness Services, which allows WakeMed to bring onsite clinic services, medical physical exams and other clinical health services, directly to the worksite.
Our comprehensive menu of services combined with our flexibility and expertise allow us to partner with organizations of various sizes and diverse health care needs. Contact us at 919-350-2888 or krobins@wakemed.org to find out how WakeMed’s Mobile Wellness team can improve access to care for your employees with convenient, high-quality onsite health care.
As for healthful living, if Kelly were to suggest a dish to incorporate the rainbow, she’d recommend a smoothie because you can put so many nutritious things in one cup, start your day off right and drink it while on the way to work.
Additional Resources
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: Fiber Handout
- Microbiome
Videos: NutritrionFacts.org
- Flashback Friday: Plant-Based Diets for Improved Mood and Productivity (nutritionfacts.org)
- Flashback Friday: Which Foods Increase Happiness? | NutritionFacts.org
- Antioxidants and Depression | NutritionFacts.org
- Fruits and Vegetables Put to the Test for Boosting Mood (nutritionfacts.org)
Studies: Dietary Interventions with reports of decreased depression and increased happiness:
- SMILES: conducted in Australia, dietary intervention- 32% remission in depressive symptoms
- European Study conducted in Great Britain, followed 80,000 British people and found that happiness and life satisfaction scores where increased in a dose-response relationship with the amount of servings of fruits and vegetables they consumed.
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