As you may have guessed gut health is near and dear to my heart. Years ago as I lay in bed scrolling on social media one evening, I stumbled across a post of what looked like a bunch of worms packed inside someone’s intestines. My stomach flipped. I know this was an extreme and possibly fabricated photo but It was not the first rattling post I had seen regarding the human body. Something about the image stuck with me. From that point forward, I began to explore nutrition on a much deeper level. I knew one thing for sure, food will either heal you or harm you and I wanted to know more about how the body worked together. As a maturing young adult, my only rationale was to get my gut in gear and dedicate my free time to learning how to care for my body, mind, and spirit correctly. As I began to learn more about healing foods, I quickly grew knowledgeable about the gut-brain connection which opened up a whole new can of worms (no pun intended).

Gut health experts like Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride describes the digestive system as either a major source of nourishment or a major source of toxicity affecting every other bodily function. She states “The body works as a whole: whatever affects the brain and causes mental symptoms is at the same time affecting other organs in the body, which in turn respond with their own uncomfortable symptoms.” Here is where we get transparent. As I grew out of adolesence I began to notice drastic changes in my mood and energy just before my monthly period, impacting my relationships with family and friends. I accepted that anxiety and depression would be something I would have to routinely have to manage. Traditionally, anxiety and depression have been treated chemically to prevent the reabsorption of serotonin making it stay in the body system longer. The fact of the matter is that about 95% of serotonin and about 50% of dopamine is produced in the gut meaning that if the gut becomes imbalanced it will surly negatively impact the body’s chemical makeup agitating mental disorders like anxiety and depression.

Desperate for relief I decided to treat my PMS at the gut level. Considering that the GI tract is the internal skin layer and behaves similar to our outer skin, I decided on taking a healthy skin probiotic and multi-vitamin by LOVE Wellness for mood support. The first time taking the capsules I felt fine with a small amount of food in my stomach. The next morning I quickly swallowed a capsule before eating anything at all. Within an hour I was throwing up and doubled over in pain. You may be assuming this is where I stopped the supplement but my rationale at the time told me that my empty stomach was to blame. From that day forward I would take both the probiotic and multi-vitamin after breakfast with no issue.

I was almost three weeks into taking the supplements when I noticed how much lighter I felt emotionally. I could certainly tell that the additional supplementation was having a positive affect on me and my skin until I noticed my stool become quite loose. At first I thought it was odd considering I had been consuming a fair amount of fiber but nothing pointed directly to the supplements. After a week of loose stools I grew severely constipated with accompanying stomach pain. I felt like a rock was sitting at the top of my abdomen. With the only new implementation being the supplements I have since discontinued using them until my symptoms resolve.

The LOVE Wellness line makes claims their Daily Love Multivitamin is made with biologically active forms of nutrients and enteric coating to support proper digestion and absorption, which leads me to think my tummy issues could have resulted from stress. Overall I did feel emotionally supported by the product and I am no way certain that the supplements caused my abdominal discomfort but for now, I feel confident in taking a break from supplements and re-focusing on which foods bring the most balance for me internally.

Supplementation can be a very useful tool to support to your gut health but many do not come in the correct biochemical form for the body to use. Dr. Natasha Campbell is one of the leading gut health experts of today and created the GAPS diet for people who suffer from mild to severe digestive disorders. Every so often I incorporate elements of the GAPS diet which includes; liquid fasting, sipping brine from fermented veggies or bone broth, herbal teas, and apple cider vinegar/lemon drinking water. These sort of liquids keep the body hydrated, helps to heal any damage to your intestinal walls, restores benefical bacteria, and allows you to slowly reintegrate your favorite foods back into your regular diet so you can pinpoint how your stools/mood shifts with each additional food item.

What I did not know to do at that time was to take a look at how my behaviors relative to eating would change around my period. I just assumed my symptoms to be hereditary. or hormonal. Cravings and additional time for rest would temporarily influence me to skip the gym and overindulge on carbs. I also have to keep in mind that when I am feeling stressed or I have alot on my mind, it probably isn’t the best time to consume food. No matter how tempted I am to stress eat. Liquids and broths are always a better option when in doubt. Because the gut and brain communicate so much in digestion, eating at improper times or taking supplements on a empty stomach can cause all sorts of gas, bloating, improper food breakdown and chronic issues in the body. With a good hard examination of your overall life and habits, you might just find the devil in the details. Establishing healthier eating practices, you can rest assured that mental clarity and a more balanced mood will follow.

Let me know in the comments what supplements or regimens have worked for you!!