Eat Veggie — Be Happy
How microbes can change your life for the better
“Wait now — did you just say that those nasty little bastards can actually improve my life?”
Absolutely!
Microbes like fungi, viruses, and bacteria, etc. have had an — undeservedly — terrible reputation for a long time. That is because we mostly pay attention to them when they make us feel bad in one way or another. The flu, food poisoning, or a nail fungus are no joke. But these are not the only things for which these organisms are responsible!
They live all over the place. On your apartment floor, in the green grass out front, on your shoes, and your pets’ feet. But they also live on us — on our skin, in our mouth, under our nails, in our stomach, and: in our intestines. They are essential to our wellbeing. Frankly, we can’t live a healthy life without them! We have trillions of microbes in our intestines alone and they are crucial for our digestion. But that’s not the only thing they help us with: besides digesting our food, they actually help to protect us against harmful microorganisms, train the immune system, and produce vitamins.
But what does this have to do with my happiness or misery, you ask?
Well, your gut bacteria also produce hundreds of neurochemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine, two of our happiness hormones. In fact, the gut is responsible for the production of about 95% of our serotonin and 50% of our dopamine. That is quite a lot of happiness that’s being made in our bellies. And these hormones are not only making us feel good in and of themselves, but influence our overall happiness through regulating our sleep, our appetite, our mood as well as our learning abilities, our memory, and much more.
So how can we make sure to get the most of it?
The microbiome can be influenced by a bunch of things:
- What you eat
- The environment you live in
- Your overall stress level
- Age
- Medications and drug use
- Tobacco and alcohol
- Exercise
- Exposure to harmful microbes
- And more
Some of these you can directly and easily influence, such as your diet for example. Let’s have a closer look at how food can make us happy — or miserable. We’ll start with the diet that holds sway over increasing parts of the world:
The Standard American Diet
First, some facts and figures:
The Standard American Diet consists mostly of
- Red & processed meat (conventionally raised animal products)
- Butter and other high-fat dairy products
- Eggs
- Sweets & high-fructose corn syrup
- Refined grains (pasta, bread, etc.)
- Fried food / fast food
- High-sugar drinks (Sodas, fruit juices, etc.)
The Standard American Diet is directly linked to the following diseases
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Autoimmune diseases
- Alzheimer
- Heart disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Metabolic syndrome
- Depression
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- PMS
- Chronic inflammation
- etc.
Here’s the thing:
A typical western diet is a healthy gut’s worst nightmare!
Now, why are steak, pizza, burgers, soft drinks, etc. so detrimental to our health? Because they promote the wrong microbes in our gut.
As you know, our intestines are home to trillions of microorganisms at any time. Some of them are extremely beneficial to our health and others are not. And they too adore food, just like us. And by choosing what we eat and therefore feed them, we can determine which of them we want to foster.
The problem with the Standard American Diet is that we mostly feed the microbes that are disadvantageous for our health. This leads to an unstable and limited mix of microbes, which can promote inflammation as well as metabolic disturbances etc. Those can then turn into more serious illnesses, such as depression for example.
Depression is often caused by a lack of serotonin and dopamine. As we know by now, these two can be produced to a large extent in your gut — but only, if you’ve taken care of your microbiome. And while some of the microorganisms in your gut might thrive on pizza, burgers, and artificially added ingredients, such as emulsifiers and alike, unfortunately, these are not the ones producing your happiness hormones.
“But those foods make me happy”, you say? They definitely do — but only for a short time. Most foods of the standard American diet and especially highly processed and junk food actually have addictive properties. They are loaded with salt and sugar to create an instantaneous feeling of happiness. But how long does it usually last? Not very long at all.
So how can we eat our way to long-lasting happiness?
Let’s change direction and take a closer look at a diet, that will let your gut (and your brain) rejoice:
The Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet
First, some facts and figures:
A Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet consists mostly of
- Veggies
- Fruits
- Whole Grains
- Legumes
A Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet has the following health benefits
- Reduce the risk or even reverse the illnesses linked to the standard American diet
- Boosts your immune system
- Better Weight Management
- Increased overall health & happiness
- Elevated energy level
- Improved Sleep
- Better Memory
- Stronger Mental health
- Increased Stress resilience
- Balances hormones and consistent happiness
- And much more
A whole-food, plant-based diet creates a diverse ecosystem of beneficial microbes, which greatly improve your overall health. Since many of today’s common diseases are somewhat linked to inflammation, a plant-based diet reduces the risk for each of these illnesses. When you eat fresh, whole foods (unprocessed), you’re giving your gut the necessary ammunition to prevent an abundance of common illnesses that are linked to the standard American diet.
Why exactly is having a diverse microbiome so important?
For one, over 80% of your immune system is at home in the lining of your gut. Its strength and resilience depend heavily on the diversity and the richness of your gut’s microbiome. But not only your immune system depends on diversity. Your hormones and neurotransmitters also greatly depend on a wide diversity amongst your microbes. They do not only help you regulate and support everyday tasks such as your motor skills, but also your mental health and happiness.
Of course, the mere absence of diseases like diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc. might increase your overall happiness. But with the potential of producing up to 95% of your serotonin and 50% of your dopamine in your gut, you can literally eat yourself out of your misery!
So, what should you look out for to make your gut happy?
Fiber
- Fuels beneficial microorganisms
- Reduces cholesterol
- Eliminates excess estrogen
Eat diverse & seasonally
- Diverse foods promote microbiome diversity
- Plants contain higher nutrient levels
- Less treatment with pesticides & ripening agents etc.
Probiotics / fermented foods
- Support growth of beneficial microorganisms
- Enhance immune system
Prebiotics
- Stimulation of immune system
- Improved absorption of minerals
Foods high in polyphenols
- Antioxidants
- Fuel for microbes
Omega 3
- Anti-inflammatory
- Microbiome diversity
- Direct mental health benefits (mental disorders, Alzheimer’s, etc.)
Tryptophan rich foods
- Basis for serotonin (happiness)
- Basis for melatonin (better sleep)
Does this mean that you must completely change your diet to be happy?
Absolutely not.
But consider this: every time you switch out a chocolate bar for a banana, you’re choosing long-term happiness over a quick pleasure spike that will later turn into an almost irresistible craving for more sweets or junk food.
If you want to start simple, pick out the most processed foods in your everyday life and find a healthier alternative that you have available at any time. Make your burger at home instead of ordering it at McDonald’s. Replace your ham and cheese sandwich covered in mayonnaise with a slice of whole wheat bread topped with guacamole and tomatoes (sooo yummy!). Replace sodas with flavored water by adding peppermint leaves for example. Take your favorite dishes and ask google how to make them healthier. Or, take the guesswork out of living happier and try a plant-based menu planner such as the Forks Meal Planner.
Observe how you feel when you exchange meals this way and go with what makes you feel truly happy. What do you have to lose?
Recommendation for an easy transition to a healthy, whole-food plant-based diet:
Forks over Knives meal planner (14 days free trial)
