02/17/2026
If you’ve been feeling sluggish, bloated, or even just "off" mentally, the answer might not be in your head—it might be in your gut.
As a doctor, I’m constantly reminding my patients that the gut is so much more than just a digestive tube. It is a complex ecosystem (the microbiome) that houses about 70% of your immune system and produces the vast majority of your serotonin (your "happy" hormone).
When your gut is happy, your whole body feels it. When it’s out of balance, it can affect everything from your skin to your sleep.
🚩 Signs Your Gut Microbiome Needs Help:
**Digestive Upset: Frequent gas, bloating, or irregular movements.
**Sugar Cravings: "Bad" bacteria thrive on sugar and can actually signal your brain to crave more of it.
**Brain Fog: A direct result of the gut-brain axis being disrupted.
**Skin Irritation: Breakouts and redness are often internal inflammation showing up externally.
🛠️ How to Support Your "Second Brain":
1) Diversify Your Plants: Aim for 30 different plant foods per week. Diversity in fiber leads to diversity in healthy bacteria!
2) Embrace the Ferment: Incorporate "living" foods like Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kefir, or Kombucha to introduce natural probiotics.
3) Slow Down & Chew: Digestion starts in the mouth. Eating on the run or while stressed shuts down your digestive enzymes.
4) Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate: Water is essential for the mucosal lining of the gut and for keeping things moving.