by Setareh Kiumarsi
Are you usually moody or cheerful?
Have you ever wondered why some people are always angry? Why others explode at the slightest thing? Why some are constantly anxious and restless, while others feel heavy, low, and stuck in depression?
Or have you noticed how one morning you wake up feeling like the happiest person in the world, everything is vibrant and full of life, and the next day, you get up on the wrong side of the bed, and everything feels gray and gloomy?
Sure, life’s ups and downs affect our moods, but could there be something else influencing these emotional shifts?
Did you know you have a second brain?
Our brain is full of nerve cells (neurons) that constantly affect our emotions, filling us with sadness, joy, excitement, anxiety, peace, anger, or depression.
But here’s what many people don’t know:
The enteric nervous system (ENS), which is a major part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), is a vast network of nerve cells located in the gut, especially in the small intestine. And around 80% of the signals between the gut and the brain are actually sent from the gut to the brain!
Simply put, many of our brain hormone receptors (like those for serotonin) are located in the digestive tract. That’s why the gut, especially the small intestine, is often called the second brain.
When the digestive system is clean and free of toxins, those receptors are active. When they’re active, brain hormones like serotonin are released properly. You feel energetic, peaceful, happy, and full of life.
But when your gut fills with toxins (usually due to poor dietary habits), things start to go downhill.
Those receptors stop working. Hormone release gets disrupted. Your mood dips. Depending on the nature of those toxins—whether they’re cold, hot, damp, or dry—you may experience different emotional imbalances: anger, irritability, anxiety, worry, depression, heaviness, or apathy.
So yes, there’s a direct relationship between what you eat and how you feel.
In the upcoming Ananda article, we’ll dive deeper into how specific foods influence specific emotional states.
Please be sure to credit the author, Setareh Kiumarsi, when sharing or republishing this article, which was written with love and the hope of well-being for all.
