Psychobiotic Food Pyramid

Psychobiotic Food Pyramid

Hey Everyone,

Do you ever find yourself feeling gross after eating that cookie or bag of potato chips you've been craving? Do you ever wonder why you don't feel satisfied after satisfying your craving for these snacks?

A new article by psychologist Scott C. Anderson published in Psychology Today provides insight into these questions, and suggests an alternative that can help change your emotions you from the inside out!

Anderson explains that "poor diets mess with our gut, which, amazingly, can lead to depression and anxiety." While all depression does not stem from what we eat, we know that there are certain foods--those rich in probiotics--that can significantly enhance our mood. 

Many of you may have seen the standard Food Pyramid - But how cool is this "Psychobiotic Food Pyramid"!

Anderson provides a source for a Psychobiotic Food Pyramid to help us maximize the good-mood causing bacteria in our gut.

You can see all the high fiber, and prebiotic rich foods are what are being recommended for good gut and mental health, followed by fermented foods and those rich in omega 3 fatty acids - At Uplift Food we strongly agree with this recommendation, knowing all these nutrients are vital for supporting mental wellbeing via dietary and gut nourishing food choices.

So why do we care about these critters in our gut?

No matter what we eat, bacteria will follow our food. The good bacteria act as protective parents, keeping out pathogens and other harmful invaders that can come from an unhealthy diet. In exchange for keeping us safe, we feed them continuously. If we don't do so properly, our good bacteria will lack the energy they need to keep foreign invaders out. 

Certain hormones, such as serotonin, which is often referred to as "the happiness hormone," actually is predominantly found within our gut, and when we fuel the good bacteria in our gut, we are also stimulating the release of our happiness hormone!

Some tips recommended by the author include: eating vegetables high in fiber, eating fermented foods, and of course, consuming probiotics and prebiotics (as most of you know, this is exactly what the Uplift Food range, and our signature powder, the Daily Uplifter, is all about!) in order to feed those gut-healthy bacteria.

If you'd like to read the rest of the article, you can find it by clicking here.

In Good Gut Health,

Team Uplifters!