Healing the Mind-Body Connection: Nutritional Strategies for Autoimmune Conditions
Linking Nutrition, Mental Health and Autoimmune Conditions
Featuring Barb Beavis, Functional Nutritionist | October 9, 2024
Anyone who has been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition knows how complex they can be to manage. And while a wide range of physical symptoms are recognized and treated, there is what I would call an insufficient amount of attention paid to the impact of autoimmune conditions on our mental health.
Our clients who experience these conditions talk to us about feelings of anxiety and depression, brain fog and an inability to concentrate, and more. It has become increasingly clear to both researchers and care practitioners that we need to address a key missing link between autoimmune conditions and mental health: digestive health.
A functional approach to nutrition can be a game changer. When we are intentional about what we put in our bodies, we find that food can drastically improve our well-being in every way: physical, mental, and emotional.
A Mind-Body Connection
Your gut and your brain love to chit chat with each other to keep your body functioning. Sometimes, though – especially in cases of autoimmune conditions – there can be a disruption in the line of communication. That’s because the connection between your brain and your belly relies on the vagus nerve, the immune system, and neurotransmitters like serotonin – which is largely produced in the gut.
In fact, your gut is responsible for producing many of the hormones that regulate mood, stress, sleep, and more. When your gut health goes off track, as it frequently does when those pesky autoimmune disorders are in play, the gut-brain connection is disrupted and it can have serious implications for your mental health.
Autoimmune Conditions and Digestive Health
It’s a vicious cycle that autoimmune sufferers know all too well. Diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis create chaos in the gut. Then digestive conditions like leaky gut trigger an immune response, exacerbating autoimmune symptoms. This merry-go-round of inflammation doesn’t just affect the body. It affects the brain, our mood, and our state of mind.
But there’s reason to have hope! We’re learning more every day about the importance of healing the gut through functional nutrition. It’s a strategy that anyone can employ with the right guidance. By taking steps to address gut health, you can empower yourself to better manage autoimmune conditions, reduce inflammation, and absorb more nutrients. This leads directly to better mental health.
Food and Mental Health
What you choose to put in your body plays an outsized role in your mental and emotional well-being. A menu rich in nutrient-dense foods will support a healthy body and better brain function. Inflammatory foods, on the other hand, can aggravate mental health symptoms and generate issues in the gut.
If you suffer from an autoimmune condition and want to address your mental health, here are some things to pay attention to in your diet:
Anti-Inflammatory Foods: Reducing inflammation supports a healthier link between the brain and the gut. Focus on adding anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, turmeric, and fatty fish for those amazing omega-3s. These powerhouse staples are packed with other nutrients, like B vitamins and antioxidants, that support brain function.
Probiotics and Prebiotics: Maintaining a balanced gut microbiome can be a challenge for autoimmune sufferers. Counter dysbiosis (imbalance in gut bacteria) by adding foods known for probiotic power, like kefir, yogurt, and other fermented food. Be sure to feed the good bacteria with prebiotics like bananas, onions, and garlic. Together, pre- and probiotics help restore your microbiome, boosting mental and emotional health in the process.
Gluten and Dairy Sensitivities: If you haven’t yet tried eliminating gluten and dairy from your diet, it’s a worthwhile experiment. People who have often report significant improvement in all symptoms, from the mental to the physical. Gluten and dairy may be a source of inflammation. Working with a functional nutritionist may help you to identify and remove these kinds of triggers.
Blood Sugar Balance: Spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels wreak havoc on mental health symptoms. People who experience autoimmune issues frequently experience mood swings, anxiety, and irritability in the wake of these swings. A diet with the right balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates can reduce those symptoms, providing mental health relief.
A Personalized Approach to Nutrition
At Holistic Physiotherapy & Wellness, we understand that every individual has unique nutritional needs. This is critically important in the management of autoimmune conditions, where symptoms and triggers vary greatly from one person to another.
When you’re ready to develop a highly personalized diet that heals your gut, reduces inflammation, and thereby improves your mental and emotional health, please make an appointment to speak with a functional nutritionist.
Autoimmune conditions are incredibly stressful and our mental health is far too important to overlook. Functional nutrition is a proven approach for addressing the root causes of inflammation and gut imbalance that so imperil our mental and emotional well-being.
Personalized nutritional support can set you on a course for true healing in both body and mind. Don’t wait another day!
Book a Free 15-minute Discovery Call Today and let’s explore your health and wellness goals to see how functional nutrition could be that missing link to your care plan.
Speak soon,
Barb Beavis,
Functional Nutritionist
Barb Beavis
Functional Nutritionist