3 replies to this topic

[Sleepyhead]

Kefir is a fermented milk that is rich in all kinds of good stuff. It is also a very good probiotic. There is much written these days on the importance of probiotics and building healthy gut flora for mental health. It's being said that most brain chemicals are created in the gut and sent to the brain directly via a vagas nerve that goes from gut to brain.

Aside from the value of its rich probiotic content I have found kefir helps my anxiety and when I take it before bedtime it improves my sleep. I believe it is partly due to the tryptophan in it.

I buy it from the health food store and it has no added sugar or flavors. If you good kefir you will find more information on its ingredients.

I also mix about 3 tbsp of it with hemp hearts and chic seeds every morning. The hemp hearts and chia are very good sources of magnesium, omega 3, protein, iron to name a few. I eat is as my 'food is medicine' concoction not because it's delicious though it's really easy to eat.

[Sleepyhead]

Typos....Google not good chia seeds not chic

[fishinghat]

Sleepyhead. The major neurotransmitter made in the gut is serotonin. In addition many of the enzymes needed to change noradrenaline to adrenaline and precursors to dopamine are produced there. These are released into the blood stream to travel to various parts of the body. The Vagas nerve comes into play by relaying signals from the brain to the heart and gut which are both controlled by the Vagas nerve. This is why when the stomach is upset the heart often beats fast and hard, the feed back from the gut and heart usually create feedback to each other and the brain. It is heavily effected by adrenaline.

[Sleepyhead]

That is so fascinating!