If there was ever a call for "digestive health," this is it!
 
Yes, it's true. Your gut is considered your "second brain."
 
There is no denying it anymore.
 
And because of the new scientific discoveries about the vagus nerve, the enteric nervous system, and the amazing influence your gut microbes can have, it's no wonder what you eat feeds not only your body but can directly affect your brain.
 
I find it amazing (but not too surprising).
 
What exactly is the "gut-brain connection."
 
Well, it’s very complex, and to be honest, we’re still learning lots about it!
 
There seem to be multiple things working together.  Things like:
●The vagus nerve that links the gut directly to the brain; 
●The “enteric nervous system” (A.K.A. “second brain) that helps the complex intricacies of digestion flow with little to no involvement from the actual brain; 
●The massive amount of neurotransmitters produced by the gut; 
●The huge part of the immune system that is in the gut, but can travel throughout the body; and, 
●The interactions and messages sent by the gut microbes.
​ 
This is complex. And amazing, if you ask me.
 
I’ll briefly touch on these areas, and end off with a delicious recipe (of course!)
 
Vagus nerve
 
There is a nerve that runs directly from the gut to the brain.
 
And after reading this so far, you’ll probably get a sense of which direction 90% of the transmission is…
 
Not from your brain to your gut (which is what we used to think), but from your gut up to your brain!
 
The enteric nervous system and neurotransmitters
 
Would you believe me if I told you that the gut has more nerves than your spinal cord?
 
I knew you would!
 
 And that's why it's referred to as the "second brain."
 
 
And, if you think about it, controlling the complex process of digestion (i.e. digestive enzymes, absorption of nutrients, the flow of food, etc.) should probably be done pretty "smartly"...don't you think?
 
And guess how these nerves speak to each other, and to other cells? By chemical messengers called "neurotransmitters."
 
 In fact, many of the neurotransmitters that have a strong effect on our mood are made in the gut! e.g. a whopping 95% of serotonin is made in your gut, not in your brain!
 
The immune system of the gut
 
 Because eating and drinking is a huge portal where disease-causing critters can get into your body, it makes total sense that much of our defense system would be located there too, right? Seventy-five percent of our immune system is in our gut!
 
And you know that the immune cells can move throughout the entire body and cause inflammation just about anywhere, right?
 
Well, if they’re “activated” by something in the gut, they can potentially wreak havoc anywhere in the body. Including the potential to cause inflammation in the brain.
 
Gut microbes
 
Your friendly neighborhood gut residents. You have billions of those little guys happily living in your gut. And they do amazing things like help you digest certain foods, make certain vitamins, and even help regulate inflammation!
 
But more and more evidence is showing that changes in your gut microbiota can impact your mood, and even other, more serious, mental health issues.
 
How do these all work together for brain health?
 
The honest answer to how these things all work together is that we really don't know just yet. More and more studies are being done to learn more.
 
But one thing is becoming clear. A healthy gut goes hand-in-hand with a healthy brain!
 
So, how do you feed your brain?
 
Of course, a variety of minimally-processed, nutrient-dense foods is required, because no nutrients work alone.
 
But two things that you many consider eating more of are fiber and omega-3 fats. Fiber (in fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds) help to feed your awesome gut microbes. And omega-3 fats (in fatty fish, walnuts, algae, and seeds like flax, chia, and hemp) are well-know inflammation-lowering brain boosters.
 
Click here to check out this recipe for gut-loving, brain-boosting Blueberry Hemp Overnight Oats. It's got fiber for your gut microbes and omega-3s for your brain;  this is a great way to start your day!

The world of food can be so confusing at times. There was a time when it was clear what food was - it came directly from nature - whether foraging, hunting, or farming.
 
Now there are so many things we eat that don't resemble a natural food.
 
Michael Pollan has a famous quote, he said:

• Eat Food - Not too much - Mostly Plants

 
And in his famous book, In Defense of Food, he defines what food should be. He says, "Don't eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
 
And, we can all agree that some things are obviously not recognizable by our great-great-grandmothers: candy bars, fast food, and sports drinks.
 
We can also say that many of the common health issues we face today: heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, cavities, etc. didn't exist at anywhere near the rates before industrially processed foods became available.
 
But, where do we draw the line? How do we define processed? How processed is processed? And what the heck is ultra-processed?
 
Allow me to let you in on the internationally recognized classification system. And we’re going to go through it step-by-step with an apple.
 
Unprocessed
 
According to NOVA, the official definition of unprocessed or natural foods is:
 
 "The edible parts of plants (seeds, fruits, leaves, stems, roots) or of animals(muscle, offal, eggs, milk), and also fungi, algae, and water, after separation from nature."
 
This is like eating a whole apple right off the tree - clearly unprocessed.
 
Minimally processed
 
Minimally processed foods are:
 
 "natural foods altered by processes such as removal of inedible or unwanted parts, drying, crushing, grinding, fractioning, filtering, roasting, boiling, pasteurization, refrigeration, freezing, placing in containers, vacuum packaging, or nonalcoholic fermentation. None of these processes adds substances such as salt, sugar, oils or fats to the original food."
​
So, with our apple example, once you cut the apple's core out and put the slices into a container to bring with you for your afternoon snack, you are processing it - minimally. You can even peel and boil that chopped apple to make applesauce. And, as long as you don't add anything else (like cinnamon), it's still considered minimally processed.
 
Processed
 
Processed foods, on the other hand, are relatively simple products made by adding sugar, oil, salt or other processed ingredients to unprocessed foods.
 
"Most processed foods have two or three ingredients. Processes include various preservation or cooking methods, and, in the case of bread and cheese, non-alcoholic fermentation. The main purpose of the manufacture of processed foods is to increase the durability of unprocessed foods, or to modify or enhance their sensory qualities."
 
So, if you take that applesauce, add cinnamon, and/or use it in a recipe, you technically have processed the apple.
 
This can still be a healthy choice, as you'll see in the next definition of ultra-processed.
 
Ultra-processed
 
Here's where things get interesting and scary!
 
Ultra-processed foods are:
 
"Industrial formulations typically with five or more and usually many ingredients. Such ingredients often include those also used in processed foods, such as sugar, oils, fats, salt, anti-oxidants, stabilizers, and preservatives. Ingredients only found in ultra-processed products include substances not commonly used in culinary preparations, and additives whose purpose is to imitate sensory qualities of [unprocessed] foods ... or to disguise undesirable sensory qualities of the final product. [Unprocessed] foods are a small proportion of or are even absent from ultra-processed products."
 
So, pre-packaged apple strudel with a long shelf life is very much an ultra-processed food. If you took a look at the ingredient list of pre-packaged apple strudel (one with a long shelf life), you would see added sugars, oils, preservatives, and flavor enhancers. And we can argue that the healthy apple is a small (very small) proportion of the strudel.
 
Conclusion
 
There is a clear delineation between unprocessed (the apple) and ultra-processed (the pre-packaged strudel with a long shelf life) foods. An apple is nowhere near what a mass produced apple strudel is. But, there are a couple of different categories in between these - namely minimally processed and processed.
 
It’s clear that unprocessed (apple) and minimally processed (plain applesauce) foods are almost always quite healthy and nutritious. It's also clear that ultra-processed food is not so healthy.
 
Now that you know the definitions of these foods, I think you'll agree with me that the commonly used term processed is often referring to the industrial ultra-processing of foods.
 
I’d love to hear your thought on these definitions. Let me know in the comments below.

Click here to get a recipe for (minimally processed): Slow-Cooker Applesauce