How do Probiotics Support a Healthy Mood?
The gut and the brain have a special connection. It’s this connection, when supported properly, which can help support mood issues, naturally.
How? Read on to find out more.
The gut-brain connection
This profound link, which can influence both mood issues and digestive issues alike, is called the gut-brain connection.
The gut-brain axis entails the connection: both physically and chemically, between the central nervous system (our brain) and our digestive tract (our gut).
Yet, there’s also another reason why the gut is called the second brain.
The gut is actually the main producer of various neurotransmitters that affect your mood, such as dopamine, serotonin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid.
“How do probiotics help with mood? By rebalancing our microbiome with more of the beneficial bacteria which further enhances the production of feel-good neurotransmitters.”
A recent study was done to see the effects of probiotics on stress symptoms. Thirty-eight health volunteers took part in the placebo-controlled study. Each subject was given a dose of a mixture of probiotics every day.
The study lasted six weeks. The results were promising and showed that there was a significant improvement in the moods and sleep quality of the volunteers. There was also reduced fatigue, low mood, and anger.
This is one of many studies which have shown the power of probiotics for mood!
Lift your mood with probiotics
Constantly struggling with low mood can have an incredibly detrimental impact on your life. What might cause a gut imbalance? Too many damaging “ingredients’ in our diet, and way too much stress in the body are a few main culprits.
Gut imbalances can affect your relationships, your productivity, and can make you feel unmotivated and uninspired to complete tasks— even the simplest ones.
Probiotics are a dietary supplement that can help balance our bodies in a completely natural way, enhancing our mood, digestion, and even improving our immune health.
Supporting mood issues, naturally
There are two ways to incorporate probiotics into your life. The first way is to add them to your diet via probiotic foods.
The best sources of probiotics foods are kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, Greek yogurt, and kimchi. Start with a small amount and work your way up to eating around a cup or so per day.
Remember that we all have different gut microbiomes and our tolerance to probiotics vary, too.
Another way to get your daily dose of gut-balancing bacteria is to take a probiotic supplement.
“Be deliberate, though, when picking a probiotic supplement for mood. Be sure it contains specific types of feel-good bacteria targeted to help with mood and digestion.”
At Lifted Naturals, we have four different MOOD Probiotic formulas. We’re quickly becoming the MOOD probiotic experts.
Here are a few things we suggest you look out for when searching for a MOOD probiotic to help you:
- Look for mood-targeted probiotic species, like the ones we’ve included in our formulas: B. longum and B. infantis. B. animalis, B. lactis, L. helveticus, L. brevis, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, and L. acidophilus
- Avoid probiotics with lots of extra fillers and added ingredients. (Yuck!)
- If your body can tolerate prebiotics (fiber) …they are great addition to probiotics. Prebiotic GOS is the top prebiotic studied to support the body’s stress response and it’s the only prebiotic we include in our formulas.
- If you have a histamine issue, be sure to look for a probiotic formula that is free of histamine-producing strains of bacteria.
- If you have taken a probiotic before and didn’t achieve optimal results, consider trying a spore-based probiotic. SBO’s are especially great for trickier digestive issues. Not to mention, our spore-based formula has a targeted strain of bacteria, which has been shown to help mood issues.
More about our Mood Probiotics
As stated above, we consider ourselves the MOOD PROBIOTIC people.
Although our label states you can take 1 to 2 capsules per day, we definitely recommend starting slower when you first begin taking them.
The great thing about our probiotics is that they do not have any fillers. So, you can open the capsule and pour some of the contents into a drink or smoothie and work your way up. If you are sensitive, we recommend starting with a tiny sprinkle!
And remember: you can put the capsule ‘top’ right back on and none goes to waste.
“Observe how your body reacts before upping the dosage. Additionally, keep in mind that probiotics can take weeks or even months to show results. Be patient!”
It’s also best to take our probiotic with food. Taking it with food helps ensure the good bacteria gets where it needs to go.
Understanding the relationship between the gut and the brain has been life-changing for us and so many of our customers. Probiotics are one of the most natural ways you can boost your mood.
It all starts in the gut!
xo,
Sylvia, Cofounder of Lifted Naturals
PS: Did you know that Lifted Naturals MOOD Probiotics are available on Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and directly from our Online shop? Purchase them wherever you love to shop.