At MicroNourish, we’re pretty fixated on helping the world realize the connection between digestive health and your state of mind. So I was chuffed when we realized that Leo, the 7-week son of one of our team members, is the perfect case-study of how the brain-gut cycle works.
Four pillars that rise & fall together: Your state of Mind, Eating, Energy & Gut.
My research and experience has convinced me that the brain-gut cycle is driven by four pillars that work in synergy to create overall wellness. Watching Leo, we noted how natural it is to attend to those four pillars before we grow up and life gets in the way:
-
Gut.
Leo and other newborns remind us of the role that gut balance plays in happiness. When he has gas, he scrunches up his little nose. When he burps, he smiles with satisfaction. When he is struggling to digest, he cries until it passes.*
How is your digestion impacting your day? When you’re bloated or constipated, how pleasant do you feel like being with the world?
-
Mood.
Leo reminds us how mood impacts sleep. When we over-stimulate him with games and toys, he becomes hard to put down. Mom has to take him for a little walk in the fresh air or soothe him with steady rocking before he settles.*
How do we forget this in ourselves? Why do we think we should be able to fall fast asleep when we’ve just put down our flashing iPads?
-
Eating.
Newborns bring to life just how blood sugar balance impacts focus. Good luck trying to get Leo to smile at peek-a-boo if he needs milk NOW. The same is true for us. We all become distracted and inattentive when our bodies need good-quality fuel.*
When you need to get something done, do you find it too easy to grab coffee and sugar for focus? Where could you replace that with good-quality fuel to keep your mind clear and attentive?
-
Energy.
Leo reminds us how appetite and energy work together. From the glazed look that comes over him as he slips into a post-feeding “food coma,” to the energy that hits him when he has finished the exhaustive digestive process, Leo honors his energy needs.*
How many of us plan for steady digestion and balance our energy accordingly?
Achieving brain-gut balance is something that starts out so innate and natural.
As we grow, it’s easy to lose track of these four key pillars to feeling balanced, clear and happy. The good news is, the more you realize the connections between your brain and gut, the more habitual it becomes to balance them naturally.*
Download your free brain-gut assessment tool here.
Next time you feel tired, angry, hungry, ask yourself: what would Leo do? Or even better, what would I do now for little Leo to bring him into balance?
Then love yourself enough to do it.
*The statements on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
