Stress Management & The Gut Relationship
Stress may be defined as any force that challenges the balance within the body and requires physiological and behavioural responses to reestablish balance. In part one of this stress journal series we learnt how the body responds to stress.
This article will look at how stress specifically affects the digestive system and what you can do to support digestion. Good digestion and a happy gut is key for foundational good health. We will also look at specific nutrients, foods and lifestyle practices to support your stress response.
STRESS MANAGEMENT AND THE GUT
The digestive system has its very own nervous system, enteric, to regulate digestion. Stress and sympathetic nervous system activation will impact digestion. Nervous tissue within the GI tract receive messages from the brain and are responsible for promoting secretion of digestive juices, permitting food to pass from one area of the digestive system to another, and otherwise controlling the muscles of digestion and peristalsis.
Research has found that more serotonin is produced and active in the gut than in the brain. These hormones and neurotransmitters can then make their way to the brain and central nervous system, creating body-wide effects that play a key role in emotions and gut feelings. Thus, keeping the digestive system healthy is a great way to support wellness of the body and the mind.
Evidence is mounting from research into the connection between afflictions of the gut—such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disorder (IBD), Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease—and stress-related symptoms such as anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Inflammatory gut conditions, such as gastroenteritis, have also been shown to influence mood and mental health, including increased anxiety and perception of physical pain.
THE GUT MICROBIOME AND THE BRAIN
Gut-brain connection research is now recognising the many roles and functions of the intestinal microbiome, or the ecology of commensal bacteria and other organisms that reside in our digestive tract. Modern understandings of the relationship between the brain, the digestive system, and gut bacteria have led to the concept of the brain-gut-microbiota (BGM) axis. Neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin, catecholamines, and acetylcholine can all be produced by gut bacteria. Researchers propose that when these neurotransmitters are secreted within the gut, they may trigger cells within the gut’s lining to release molecules that signal brain function and affect behavior.
FEEDING YOUR GUT & SUPPORTING THE GUT BRAIN AXIS
Supporting the intestinal microbiome is more than popping a probiotic. Foods that help maintain healthy serotonin and dopamine levels can support digestion and motility, regulate appetite, improve cognition and sleep. Foods containing:
tryptophan, an essential amino acid and precursor of serotonin, such as pumpkin seeds, spirulina, brewer’s yeast, almonds, dairy products and most fowl, and tyrosine, which is converted in the brain to dopamine - spinach and eggs, Prebiotic Foods are fibre that pass through the GI tract undigested and stimulate the growth and/or activity of certain ‘good’ bacteria in the large intestine. Prebiotic foods include: Jerusalem artichokes, chicory, garlic, onion, leek, shallots, spring onion, asparagus, beetroot, fennel bulb, green peas, snow peas, sweetcorn, savoy cabbage, chickpeas, lentils, red kidney beans, baked beans, soybeans, Custard apples, nectarines, white peaches, persimmon, tamarillo, watermelon, rambutan, grapefruit, pomegranate. Dried fruit (eg. dates, figs)
Probiotic foods naturally contain beneficial microbes that can survive human digestion and predominantly include Lactobacillus species and other bacteria as well as some yeasts. They are found in cultured or fermented foods such as yogurt and milk kefir, fermented vegetables (like sauerkraut, kimchi, and cultured pickles), miso and other fermented soy products like tempeh, and fermented drinks like kombucha and water kefir. The addition of fermented or cultured probiotic foods to the diet can lower appetite, reduce food intake, reduce fat mass and improve insulin sensitivity and glucose levels.
NUTRITION for STRESS
Stress will activate the sympathetic nervous system, reducing digestive capacity causing indigestion, bloating and cramping, irritating gut lining and most likely affecting assimilation of nutrients. To reduce the impacts of stress on the digestive system it is important to:
Eat in a calm environment away from distractions Allow time to eat, including chewing food
Sitting down to eat, and not on the run
Cooking your meals - smells and sight of food stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes
SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS FOR STRESS SUPPORT.
Nutrition is always best obtained for food as the nutrients are more easily assimilated by the body.
Below is a list of specific micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) useful for stress management, and the common foods they are found in:
Vitamin C - essential for a healthy immune system, production of adrenal hormones, anti-inflammatory. Good sources of vitamin C include fruits and vegetables—black currants, rosehips, violet leaves, raspberry leaves, goji berries, and hibiscus flowers, strawberries, papayas, and mangoes. Vegetables high in vitamin C include peppers, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and cauliflower.
B vitamins - are water soluble and are not stored well in the body so need to be obtained regularly from diet. They are used for energy production and are essential for a healthy nervous system. Regular consumption of alcohol, coffee, sugar and refined carbohydrates can deplete B vitamins. Best taken as a complex, as individual B vitamin nutrients as can affect the balance.
Magnesium - Magnesium activates B vitamins, and therefore a deficiency will affect vitamin B status. Magnesium has a wide range of functions in the body including muscle contraction, heart rhythm, energy production, bone matrix, and transmission of nerve impulses. It also helps to improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation, and can ease anxiety and depression. Good sources include oat straw, nettle leaves, burdock root, alfalfa, horsetail, and red clover flowers. It is also found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and some whole grains, avocados, and dark chocolate.
Essential Fatty Acids - Essential fatty acids, in particular omega-3, are needed to maintain health and mitigate potential inflammatory effects of excess circulating cortisol. Our body cannot make essential fatty acids so we must obtain them from diet. Omega-3 FA’s are found in fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel and tuna, and marine algae. And flax, hemp, walnuts and pumpkin seeds.
Vitamin D - vitamin D is important during periods of stress, vital for ensuring healthy bones and teeth, supports the immune system, plays a role in maintaining blood sugar levels, and is beneficial for depression. Food sources of vitamin D include cod-liver oil, cold water fish (such as salmon, mackerel and sardines), eggs, fortified foods, and UV irradiated mushrooms.
Iron - Iron deficiency anemia causes fatigue, and therefore deficiency will exacerbate the effects of stress. Good sources of plant-based iron include nettle, sea vegetables (such as kelp, dulse, and nori), dried fruit (such as apricots and prunes), blackstrap molasses, figs, wine, and cocoa powder. Green leafy vegetables, carrots, and cherries. Combining iron rich foods with those rich in lactic acid (found in fermented foods such as sauerkraut and yogurt) increases iron assimilation.
AVOID IN STRESS
CAFFEINE - Caffeine is found in coffee, black and green tea, chocolate, and a number of soft drinks such as cola. It is a stimulant that acts on the adrenal glands, producing the fight-or-flight hormone cortisol.
REFINED SUGARS & ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
Sugar causes blood sugar dysregulation and therefore consumption of refined sugars should be avoided. Sugar also depresses the immune system
ALCOHOL - Alcohol depletes the body of a number of nutrients, in particular B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and vitamin C, and thus reduces the body’s ability to cope with stress.
LIFESTYLE PRACTICES FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT
Herbal medicines, diet and nutrition are capable of supporting the stress response and improving the resilience to stressors. However these work best when used in conjunction with basic self-care lifestyle practices such as deep breathing or breath awareness, exercise, and getting a good night’s sleep.
SELF-CARE
Beginning the practice of prioritizing and carving out space for self-care can also help us begin to access other self-care practices, which tradition, experience, and research show are useful for reducing the harmful effects of stress.
BREATHING
Deep breathing or breath awareness practices, we can invoke the states of deep physical and emotional rest, which support lowering of heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and muscle tension.
EXERCISE AND MOVEMENT
Research shows that even small amounts of daily physical activity may have exponential benefits to physical and emotional wellbeing - decrease risk diabetes, cardiovascular disease
YOGA
The physical and breathing practices of yoga have significant measurable effects on the body, including increased muscular strength, greater flexibility, range of motion and agility, improved blood circulation and oxygen efficiency, and improved hormone regulation.
TAI CHI
Tai Chi has long been a practice used to cultivate calm wakefulness through gentle body movements
MASSAGE THERAPY AND SELF-MASSAGE
As social "pack" or "herd" animals, human beings benefit greatly from the physical closeness and sensory comfort of touch. Self-massage is beneficial for stress.
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness offers the options of slowness and perspective, being rather than doing, allowing rather than reacting, embracing rather than recoiling. All of these processes encourage us toward self-compassion, understanding of our inherent worth, and waking up to awareness of self and connection to the world around us.
SPENDING TIME IN NATURE
Humans have long found solace and resilience in observing animals and plants, understanding the meaningful connections and relationships with the living world, and building practices of gratefulness and care which are so necessary to contentment in the human psyche.
RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNITY & SOCIAL CONNECTION
From young children to the elderly, they can explain the significance of friendship, closeness with others, and participation in a group or community in their lives.
CREATIVE PRACTICE & STRESS RESILIENCE
Creative expression and practice is an ancient human tool for making meaning and sense, examining the self, connecting to the body, and adding texture and variety to the fabric of everyday life.
GETTING A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP
Most people intuitively understand the non-negotiable importance of sleep on physical, cognitive, and emotional function. The effects of lack of sleep on task and work performance, immune function, sense of well being, weight management, and myriad other aspects of health and fitness are well documented.
Over the years, the practices we develop to manage stress and increase resilience will necessarily evolve, and these practices are neither instead of nor incidental to the use of nourishing food and herbs for supporting a healthy stress response. In fact, food, herbs, and the daily practices of self-care amplify the efficacy of one another. Taking a moment to savor a cup of rose and lemon balm tea, for instance, offers the opportunity to sit, be still, enjoy quiet, and better understand the workings of our minds and spirits.
HIGHLIGHT AND FOCUS ON BLOOD SUGAR MANAGEMENT
Blood sugar management is extremely important during times of stress. A common response to stress is to eat foods that are ready-made (which often contain hidden sugar) to save time, and we may also skip meals that results in us craving foods that provide us with a quick boost of energy, further exacerbating blood sugar dysregulation. Moreover, elevated cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine) levels during periods of stress cause an increase in blood sugar levels, which provide more energy. Elevated cortisol levels also cause a release in insulin and over time this decreases insulin sensitivity - a causation of the cycle of weight gain predominating.