Hey friend,

If you're battling anxiety or depression and traditional treatments aren't working, it's time to take a closer look at your gut health.

Gut health deeply influences anxiety and depression through the gut-brain axis (a bi-directional communication network). [1]

The gut houses trillions of microbes, organisms responsible for producing mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.[2]

When gut bacteria become imbalanced (dysbiosis), it can trigger inflammation and disrupt these neurotransmitters, fueling anxiety and depression.

Here’s your bulletproof plan to heal your gut, balance your microbiome, and supercharge your mental and emotional well-being!

Remember this mantra: a happy gut is a happy mind.

How to heal your gut (to heal your mind)

1) Reduce inflammatory foods

There is significant evidence showing that inflammation and depression are interconnected. [3]

Not only that, there is evidence to suggest that chronic low-grade inflammation triggers changes that contribute to the mental and physical ill health of patients with major depression. [4]

One of the greatest contributors to chronic inflammation is food!

Key culprits include refined sugars, unhealthy fats (such as those from corn, soy, sunflower, safflower, and peanut oils), gluten-containing grains and other lectins found in grains and legumes, conventionally raised animal products, and processed foods.

Cutting these out is crucial for lowering systemic inflammation, maintaining a healthy gut lining, and supporting a balanced microbiome.

Instead, lean into things like…

🫒 Oils & fats: coconut oil, beef tallow, grass-fed butter, ghee, red palm oil, avocado oil, olive oil, krill oil/fish oil, MCT oil, coconut, avocado, olives, pastured egg yolks, etc.

🥥 Nut & seeds: coconut, cashews, almonds, walnuts, macadamia, hemp hearts, pistachios, etc.

🫐 Fruit: avocado, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, lemon, lime, pineapple, strawberries, tangerine, grapefruit, pomegranate, etc.

🍠 Starches & grains: sweet potatoes, yams, acacia gum, butternut squash, pumpkin, plantain, carrot, cassava, taro, etc.

🍯 Sweeteners: xylitol, stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, raw honey, etc.

🥩 Protein: grass-fed beef/lamb/bison, pastured eggs, collagen protein, low-mercury wild fish (sockeye salmon, trout, anchovies, sardines, haddock), pastured chicken and turkey, etc.

Now, don’t tell me you “don’t know what to eat”. 😜

2) Feed your microbiome with psychobiotics

Psychobiotics are a class of probiotics and prebiotics specifically targeted to affect mental health. (5)

They do so by changing the composition and balance of bacteria in your gut. (6)

Some of the most promising psychobiotics are probiotic strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium [7] and prebiotics (non-digestible soluble fibers that support the growth of good gut bacteria) like Galacto-oligosaccharides.

Here are some of the most promising psychobiotics for conditions like depression and anxiety:

1. Bifidobacterium longum [8]
2. Lactobacillus casei [9]
3. Lactobacillus helveticus [8]
4. Lactobacillus rhamnosus [10]

3) Eat neurotransmitter precursor foods

To make neurotransmitters, our bodies rely on specific nutrients.

If we don’t ingest enough of these nutrients, our neurons can’t communicate effectively and may even miscommunicate by sending the wrong signals.

I’ll focus on the main neurotransmitters linked to depression and anxiety, including serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.

Serotonin, the key target of antidepressants, relies on the amino acid L-tryptophan. You can find L-tryptophan in foods like:

• Lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, wild salmon, mackerel, almonds, and cashews

Dopamine, the "motivation molecule," depends on L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine. Foods rich in these amino acids include:

• Beef, chicken, avocados, almonds, turkey, wild salmon, sardines, liver, and bacon

GABA, the primary calming neurotransmitter, relies on its amino acid precursor, L-glutamine, found in:

• Organ meats, eggs, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, and wild salmon.

4) Only use antibiotics when critical

Studies show that antibiotic use can lead to profound changes and rapid loss of diversity in the composition of the gut bacteria and this can lead to other chronic health complications. [11]

Only use antibiotics for life-threatening infections.

For everything else, turn to powerful natural antimicrobials like oregano oil, Andrographis, colloidal silver, and methylene blue.

5) Limit alcohol consumption

Like antibiotics, alcohol can drastically disrupt gut microbiota, tipping the balance between good and bad bacteria. [12]

Many struggling with depression and anxiety turn to daily alcohol use to palliate their symptoms, but this only worsens their condition and adds more health issues over the long term.

I enjoy and recommend alcohol alternatives like kava, kanna, and microdosing.

They offer beneficial psychoactive effects while also providing therapeutic benefits for anxiety and depression–it’s a win-win!

6) Destress with mindfulness practices

Stress can disrupt gut-brain communication, increase gut permeability, impair digestive function and nutrient absorption, and more… [13]

Try these mindfulness practices to ease stress which will in turn support gut function and balance your mood—all in one go!

If you’re comfortable staying still for longer, try breathwork or meditation.

Explore neurofeedback, EFT tapping, yoga, or walking meditation for more engaging practices.

7) Take time off from food

If you stop snacking and eating all damn day, magical things happen.

You…

• Rebalance your microbiome [14] [15]
• Heal your gut lining [16]
• Boost digestive function
• Enhance insulin sensitivity [17]

This is the practice of intermittent fasting, a powerful tool to support gut health by giving the GI system a break to do more important business.

Popular intermittent fasting schedules include:

1. 16/8: Fast for 16 hours, eat within an 8-hour window
2. 18/6: Fast for 18 hours, eat within a 6-hour window (this one is my favorite)
3. 20/4 (Warrior Diet): Fast for 20 hours, eat within a 4-hour window
4. OMAD (One Meal a Day): Eat once daily
5. Alternate Day: As the name implies—eat one day, fast the next, and repeat.

Pick the one that suits your needs best!

As modern allopathic medicine narrowly focuses on anxiety and depression as mere "chemical imbalances," it engineers drugs in a bid to artificially rebalance them.

What if I told you there is another way?

A way in which we take a systems-thinking approach to healing, by supporting optimal mental, physical, and spiritual health!

I want you to know, I’m NOT against pharmaceuticals. But relying on them as the sole plan of attack often leads to subpar results at best.

For example, if someone with depression has reduced or inefficient neuroreceptors, their brain's ability to respond to the serotonin boost from an SSRI is compromised.

Even with more serotonin available, their receptors may struggle to effectively use it.

But if we optimize that same person holistically—with anti-inflammatory compounds, nerve growth boosters, and microbiome-balancing strategies—we can dramatically improve their health outcomes, making pharmaceutical interventions far more effective!

I digress…

If you struggle with anxiety or depression, have you noticed the link between your gut health and your mental well-being?

Do you incorporate any of the strategies above?

Hit reply and let me know.

Thanks for reading and see you next Saturday,

Onjae

References:

[1] Berding, Kirsten et al. “Diet and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health.” Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) vol. 12,4 (2021): 1239-1285. doi:10.1093/advances/nmaa181

[2] Strandwitz, Philip. “Neurotransmitter modulation by the gut microbiota.” Brain research vol. 1693,Pt B (2018): 128-133. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2018.03.015

[3] Beurel, Eléonore et al. “The Bidirectional Relationship of Depression and Inflammation: Double Trouble.” Neuron vol. 107,2 (2020): 234-256. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.002

[4] Leonard, Brian E. “Inflammation and depression: a causal or coincidental link to the pathophysiology?.” Acta neuropsychiatrica vol. 30,1 (2018): 1-16. doi:10.1017/neu.2016.69

[5] Dinan, Timothy G et al. “Psychobiotics: a novel class of psychotropic.” Biological psychiatry vol. 74,10 (2013): 720-6. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.001

[6] Sarkar, Amar et al. “Psychobiotics and the Manipulation of Bacteria-Gut-Brain Signals.” Trends in neurosciences vol. 39,11 (2016): 763-781. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2016.09.002

[7] Pinto-Sanchez, Maria Ines et al. “Probiotic Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 Reduces Depression Scores and Alters Brain Activity: A Pilot Study in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” Gastroenterology vol. 153,2 (2017): 448-459.e8. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2017.05.003

[8] Messaoudi, M., Violle, N., Bisson, J. F., Desor, D., Javelot, H., and Rougeot, C. "Beneficial Psychological Effects of a Probiotic Formulation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) in Healthy Human Volunteers." Gut Microbes, vol. 2, no. 4, 2011, pp. 256–261. https://doi.org/10.4161/gmic.2.4.16108.

[9] Rao, A Venket et al. “A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of a probiotic in emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.” Gut pathogens vol. 1,1 6. 19 Mar. 2009, doi:10.1186/1757-4749-1-6

[10] Bharwani, Aadil et al. “Oral treatment with Lactobacillus rhamnosus attenuates behavioural deficits and immune changes in chronic social stress.” BMC medicine vol. 15,1 7. 11 Jan. 2017, doi:10.1186/s12916-016-0771-7

[11] Patangia, Dhrati V et al. “Impact of antibiotics on the human microbiome and consequences for host health.” MicrobiologyOpen vol. 11,1 (2022): e1260. doi:10.1002/mbo3.1260

[12] Engen, Phillip A et al. “The Gastrointestinal Microbiome: Alcohol Effects on the Composition of Intestinal Microbiota.” Alcohol research : current reviews vol. 37,2 (2015): 223-36.

[13] Madison, Annelise A., and Michael T. Bailey. "Stressed to the Core: Inflammation and Intestinal Permeability Link Stress-Related Gut Microbiota Shifts to Mental Health Outcomes." Biological Psychiatry, vol. 95, no. 4, 2024, pp. 339-347, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.10.014. Accessed 23 Aug. 2024.

[14] Frank, Juliette et al. “Brain-Gut-Microbiome Interactions and Intermittent Fasting in Obesity.” Nutrients vol. 13,2 584. 10 Feb. 2021, doi:10.3390/nu13020584

[15] Rinninella, Emanuele et al. “Gut Microbiota during Dietary Restrictions: New Insights in Non-Communicable Diseases.” Microorganisms vol. 8,8 1140. 28 Jul. 2020, doi:10.3390/microorganisms8081140

[16] Ma, Ru-Xue. “A detective story of intermittent fasting effect on immunity.” Immunology, 10.1111/imm.13829. 25 Jun. 2024, doi:10.1111/imm.13829

[17] Sutton, Elizabeth F et al. “Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes.” Cell metabolism vol. 27,6 (2018): 1212-1221.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2018.04.010