Why including prebiotic-rich foods in your daily routine may be the key to reducing stress!
Hey Uplifters!
We can all agree that at one point or another, we’ve all felt a bit stressed out. There’s so many treatments and therapies out there to help relieve this, but what if what we ate could actually hold the key to reducing stress?
Eating prebiotic-rich foods encourages the good types of bacteria to live and thrive inside out gut but unfortunately, stress has the ability to change the gut environment and negatively affect this bacteria. Many of these bacteria are super important because they are responsible for breaking down the food we eat and producing by-products called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have been linked to how we behave and react emotionally to situations.
Researchers from the University Cork College in Ireland have investigated whether SCFA supplementation in mice could counteract the stresses of social environments and situations, and found some interesting results!
Using over 10 different scenarios to test mice reaction and whether SCFA played a role, one of the key findings of the study was that when given SCFAs and exposed to a simulated stressful environment, a decrease in anxiety and depressive-like behaviours were seen. For further details on the study, see this link.
So, what types of foods are best to eat and feed our gut so it can produce SCFAs? Many people find getting the right types and amounts of prebiotics into their diet challenging, and it’s no-wonder when gut-heath interest is ever growing and new products are advertised all the time.
Prebiotic-rich foods which are also very fibrous include garlic, onion, lupins, tigernuts, as well as the green banana flour and Jerusalem artichokes that are found in the Daily Uplifter are excellent sources. As the production of SCFAs are being linked to the regulation of stress-levels, making nutrition a priority is a great step to put you on the right track for your digestive and mental health.
Here at Uplift Food we love seeing an influx of positive research on gut-health with evidence to support how nutrition is a great way to aid your physical and mental health.
In good gut health,
Team Uplifters!