Have you been struggling with anxiety? Have you experienced going through frightening panic attacks?

Ongoing therapy is an essential aspect of managing this mental health issue. However, that’s not all that can help. Gut health also plays a huge role in the problem.

Incorporating particular foods into your regular diet, such as fiber-rich foods and probiotic food sources, will help a lot in balancing your anxiety problems. Not only that. A healthy gut also assists in improving your overall mental health.

Here are three tips that will support your gut health, causing your mental health to improve.
 

Restoring Your Whole Diet

If you know the type of foods that contribute to having a healthy gut, consuming them is the first step in your journey. If you avoid consuming processed, sugary, and fatty foods, and replacing them with whole foods, you will experience amazing health benefits.

The best types of foods include:

  • High-fiber foods such as oats, broccoli, peas, brussels sprouts, pears, avocados, and berries are rich in fiber that assists in proper digestion.
  • Collagen-boosting foods such as salmon and bone broth are able to shield the walls of your intestines and promote healthy digestion.
  • Food sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Mackerel, flaxseeds and salmon are rich in omega 3’s. Consuming them assists in reducing inflammation, which causes healthy digestion.

Eat probiotics and prebiotic-rich foods!

At the same time, incorporating prebiotic and probiotic food sources into your regular diet is essential in caring for the gut.

Probiotics assist in adding a variety of bacteria to the gut. Prebiotics, on the other hand, feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut. Both of them promote a healthy balance of bacteria in your gut microbiome.
 

Probiotic Food Sources

  • High-quality yogurt
  • Kimchi
  • Sauerkraut
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Kombucha
  • Kefir

Prebiotic food sources

  • Onions
  • Leeks
  • Garlic
  • Chicory root
  • Asparagus
  • Dandelion Greens
     

How important is proper digestion?

Proper digestion is necessary for gut health.

Healthy digestion happens only when we are in a restful or “parasympathetic” state.

If we are not in this state, we cannot yield the gastric juices that help in food absorption. What does this mean? Well, it means that you won’t be able to absorb the vitamins, nutrients and minerals necessary to promote a healthy body.

Achieving this state is not that easy. For starters, you may take a couple of minutes to practice a few deep breathing techniques before meals. There are also many meditation apps to choose from that can help you in the process.
 

Conclusion

There are many reasons why a healthy gut is very important. Mental health is one of them. The condition of the gut affects mental health in ways we could not imagine. Aside from going through therapy, looking after the health of your gut will assist in managing your mental health symptoms.

Consider incorporating at least one of these three food recommendations into your regular diet. Doing so will help you achieve a healthy gut, a healthy mental state, and a healthy body overall!