How High-Fiber Foods Help To Reduce Stress And Anxiety

Can eating High-fiber foods reduce stress and anxiety in the body?

Reduce stress and anxiety with the food you eat. Science is increasingly investigating the intestine, its inhabitants, and its effect on our immune system, with many excellent insights.

The intestine plays a central role in our health.

The intestine is our abdominal brain, just as well connected and structured as our brain in the head. Also, more than 70 percent of the body’s immune cells are in the gut. Many autoimmune diseases, therefore, start in a disturbed intestinal flora. Accordingly, if attacked by medication, we get sick.

There is evidence that a disturbed intestinal flora can even cause autism. Depression can also be triggered by inflammation in the bowel that then travels to the brain. 

Now, researchers at University College Cork have found in a study that eating high-fiber foods reduces stress in the body. The reason for this is in the many short-chain fatty acids in fiber. If we lack these short-chain fatty acids over a more extended time, the intestine functions less effectively and becomes leaky.

It enables undigested food particles, bacteria, and germs to get into the bloodstream and cause long-lasting inflammation. The leaky gut syndrome can develop, which can lead to more severe illnesses.

Short-chain fatty acids 

The researchers were able to show in mice that a diet with short-chain fatty acids leads to less anxiety and depressive behavior. The animals were more sociable and had better cognitive abilities. They also speculate that short-chain fatty acids reduce anxiety in the brain.

There is only a little research to date on the decisive roles that short-chain fatty acids still play. However, previous research into short-chain fatty acids has shown that they can play a crucial role in preventing or treating certain types of cancer, particularly colon cancer.

They found that butyrate, which short-chain fatty acids contain and acetate and propionate, keeps the cells in the colon healthy and prevents the growth of tumors.

Types of fiber

(source Healthline)

The following types of fiber are best for the production of short-chain fatty acids in the colon (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source):

• Inulin: You can get inulin from artichokes, garlic, leeks, onions, wheat, rye, and asparagus.
• Fructooligosaccharides (FOS): FOS are found in various fruits and vegetables, including bananas, onions, garlic, and asparagus.
• Resistant starch: You can get resistant starch from grains, barley, rice, beans, green bananas, legumes, and potatoes that have been cooked and then cooled.
• Pectin: Good sources of pectin include apples, apricots, carrots, oranges, and others.
• Arabinoxylan: Arabinoxylan is found in cereal grains. For example, it is the most common fiber in wheat bran, making up about 70% of the total fiber content.
• Guar gum: Guar gum can be extracted from guar beans, which are legumes

High-fiber foods, such as fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains, encourage the production of short-chain fatty acids. Read more here

Eat plants and reduce stress and anxiety

The intestine is and will remain an exciting area of ​​research. Since we can find fiber only in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains, a plant-based diet contributes a lot to our physical and mental health through a healthy intestine. If that’s not an argument in favor of increasingly vegan nutrition in our stressful times, Eating plants against stress.

Avoid Junk food, sweets, and processed products with lots of preservatives, ready-made meals, too much coffee, and little water.

See also >Millet The Happy Grain Can Make You Feel Good

High-fiber food Recipes

Overnight oats recipes you must try

It’s one of the quickest, easiest breakfasts that a busy mom — or anyone — can grab and go.

STRESS RELIEVING GREEN SMOOTHIE

We juggle a multitude of responsibilities and stress ourselves out over giving each one our very best. Throw current world events on top of it all and it becomes no wonder we are all seeking ways to manage stress.

BANANA AND PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

The peanut butter in these scrumptious chocolate treats give them a rich, nutty depth. Serve with sliced bananas for a fresh, almost creamy topping.

Sprouted Meyer Lemon Basil Hummus 

This Sprouted Meyer Lemon Basil Hummus is so refreshing and delicious! It is a lighter, perfumed version of hummus that goes perfectly with warm weather and springtime.

Ayurvedic Spinach-Mung Detox Soup 

Feel good about eating this comforting, Ayurvedic Spinach-Mung Detox Soup! It boasts all calcium, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins, not to mention some iron and Vitamin A for good measure. These nutrients help to relieve your stress!

Garlic and Spinach Lentils 

This Garlic and Spinach Lentils is loaded with all of the nutrients spinach has to offer as well as tons of protein from the lentils that will help you stay fuller longer! This soup is warm, comforting, and perfect for a busy weeknight- especially if you make it in advance and freeze it!

Raw Turmeric-Dusted Snack Balls

Speaking of turmeric, turmeric is closely related to the ginger family and contains the chemical curcumin. Most people associate turmeric with its anti-inflammatory properties, but the curcumin in turmeric has also similar healing properties to pharmaceutical drugs that treat anxiety disorders. Try out these simple, Raw, Turmeric-Dusted Snack Balls for a calming, delicious treat!

See also > HOW TO EAT YOURSELF HAPPY – YOUR GUT INFLUENCES FEELINGS and > HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR MICROBIOME THAT KEEP YOU HEALTHY.

Fiber-Famished Gut Microbes Linked to Poor Health

And > Why Is Fiber Good For You?

 

Some foods feed the bad gut microbes. Other foods feed the good ones! Discover the top 11 superfoods to eat for a thriving microbiome in this FREE guidebook