Our Second Brain

Let’s go over some basics of the digestive system as I have had quite a few questions recently pertaining to how can your gut affect your brain and emotions.

Approximately 80% of your immune system is located in your gut, as well as your stomach and digestive system is called your second brain. Have you ever had a gut ache when you are nervous or stressed? This is because nearly every chemical that controls the brain is also located in the stomach region, including hormones and neurotransmitters such as Serotonin, Dopamine, Glutamate, GABA, and Norepinephrine. The gut contains 100+ million neurons – this is more than the spinal cord!  So when you are dealing with depression, anxiety, ADD, phobias and etc… you must address digestive health. I have yet to see a client with digestive issues who doesn’t also suffer from at least one of the following: depression, anxiety, OCD, learning challenges, sleeplessness, chronic fatigue and so much more. The Lord made our bodies work together. The brain can’t say to the gut, “I don’t need you,” or vice versa. 

Have you ever eaten something that didn’t agree with your stomach and in turn you also got a headache or became irritable or grumpy? Or maybe you have eaten something you really liked and experienced a happy, calming, euphoric feeling? Those are connections between the gut and the brain. If we listen closely to our bodies, they are perfectly designed to let us know what they do and don’t like in a variety of ways, especially with our emotions and digestive tolerance. 

Let’s take a brief look and outline our digestive tract. Digestion starts with chewing.



I know that sounds pretty basic, but if you don’t chew your food properly (like your mother probably told you), you have already compromised the digestive process. We have specific enzymes in our saliva, which are released only when we chew, and those enzymes start the process of breaking down our food. Once the food has traveled down our esophagus, it enters the stomach. Our stomach releases many enzymes and acids to break down our food before entering the small intestine. 

The small intestine is where most digestion and absorption of our nutrients takes place, thus triggering pancreatic enzymes, bile, hormones and so much more. The macronutrients being digested are proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Once these foods are digested and assimilated, the nutrients can be absorbed by the blood vessels in the wall of the small intestine. The remaining undigested food and unabsorbed nutrients pass into the large intestine.

The large intestine’s job is to absorb water from the indigestible food (mainly fiber) and then pass the waste from our body. Food does not break down any further during this stage of digestion. The large intestine absorbs nutrients created by the good bacteria inhabiting the colon and then compacts feces and stores it in the rectum until eliminated. As you can see, the process is quite complicated and much more detailed than I can include in this article. 

Another interesting fact in the gut-brain connection is 90% of the neurotransmitter, serotonin is produced in the gut. 

So, if we are eating food that is unhealthy for our body, then the proper acids and enzymes don’t get released in the stomach, which causes food to enter the small intestine without the release of the proper enzymes. The small intestine then can’t break down our food into the proper consistency needed for absorption without the release of bile and enzymes. Since no further digestion takes place in the large intestine, you will end up with undigested, unabsorbed, dead, putrefied food. Nice picture, huh?? So if all of this dysfunction happens and we only take a look at ONE neurotransmitter: Serotonin, then we just missed the chance to produce a much-needed happy hormone in our body that helps regulate sleep, mood, food cravings, cardiovascular function, and much more.  

Proper gut health is crucial to your overall well-being and mental health status.

Your brain can’t function properly if your gut is unhealthy and your gut can’t function properly if your brain is overloaded, inflamed, and stressed out. Certain foods may look pleasing to the eye and taste sweet to the tongue, but oh how it destroys the gut and in turn destroys the mind. 

It’s time to Take Back Your Brain! Schedule your breakthrough call here.