Foods for Vagal Tone

Nutrition for the Vagus Nerve?

It’s true!

Foods can increase vagal tone through the gut-brain axis. For example:

🥦 Fiber sends signals through the vagus nerve to the brain and back to slow gut movements and make us feel full.

🥗 The Mediterranean Diet is associated with higher heart rate variability, which is a measure of vagal tone.

🐟 Probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, and B vitamins improve heart rate variability too.

The vagus nerve regulates everything from heart health to metabolic health to immune function, and it is strongly influenced by what is going on in the gut! That means that anything you do (or eat) to affect gut health will probably also affect vagal tone.

We love to nerd out on how everything in the body is connected. If you are trying to make sense of what is going on with your own health or how your symptoms relate, we can help.

Visit our website to schedule an appointment today! 📱

Reference

Young HA, Benton D. Heart-rate variability: a biomarker to study the influence of nutrition on physiological and psychological health?. Behav Pharmacol. 2018;29(2 and 3-Spec Issue):140-151. [link]

Nutrition for Brain Health

The Best Diet for Your Brain 🧠

If you’re heading into the new year thinking about healthier choices for your body and brain, consider this:

A new study spanning 12 years in people over the age of 65 in France found that those who followed a Mediterranean Diet had a lower risk of cognitive decline.

The unique thing about this study was that it didn’t just rely on the participants to report their eating habits.

Instead, the researchers measured markers in blood samples and in the gut microbiome that relate to the Mediterranean diet pattern—which means more accurate and reliable results!

The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes:

▪️ Fruits, vegetables, beans, & whole grains

▪️ Healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, & seeds

▪️ Protein from fish, poultry, beans, & eggs (only small amounts of red meat)

▪️ Some dairy products

▪️ Limited sugars

The Mediterranean Diet has not only been linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline but also better heart health and a lower risk of cancer.

📲Tag a friend in the comments who might want to hear this!

Reference

Tor-Roca A, Sánchez-Pla A, Korosi A, et al. A Mediterranean Diet-Based Metabolomic Score and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: A Case-Control Analysis Nested within the Three-City Cohort Study [published online ahead of print, 2023 Oct 24]. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2023. [link]

Let's Talk About Stress & Food!

Want a stress hack most people never think about?

Food.

Here’s why:

➡️If we skip meals, the body perceives this as a stress and releases cortisol.

➡️Other stressors (like the pressures of work and life) also increase cortisol.

➡️Regardless of the trigger, cortisol prompts the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream for a quick source of energy. It doesn’t matter if we need that energy or not. It’s just one of the effects of cortisol.

➡️Elevated cortisol over time can lead to persistently elevated blood sugar and all the problems that follow (like insulin resistance and weight gain)

What all this means is that eating in a way that supports balanced blood sugar levels sends the body a signal of safety (not stress) and helps to support healthy cortisol levels.

It reduces the stress load on your body and makes you more resilient.

You with me?

Here’s how I eat to combat stress:

🥣 Eat balanced meals on a regular schedule (skipping meals = stress)

🚫 Limit refined sugars (they cause the blood sugar to spike and crash, triggering cortisol)

🥦 Load up on fiber-rich foods (they slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream)

🥤 Stay hydrated (dehydration can spike blood sugar)

Have you noticed that food affects your stress level?

Like if you found this helpful ❤️

Hangry Kids After School?

Life is happier when the kids are fed. 🥰

If you think that’s easier said than done, try these build-your-own snack ideas to calm that ravenous after-school hunger.

Even if different kids have different tastes, these snacks give them the freedom to choose their favorite flavors, while keeping it healthy for everyone.

🥨 BYO Trail Mix

Set out an assortment of nuts, seeds, dried berries, coconut flakes, and (if you’re feeling indulgent) chocolate chips. Let the kids create their own favorite version of trail mix.

🍓 BYO Boosted Fruits

Offer up a few different fruits (like apples, bananas, & strawberries), some nut butters (like peanut almond, & cashew), and some items to sprinkle on top (like coconut flakes or hemp seeds). Let the kids mix & match!

🧋 BYO Smoothie

Help the kids learn about nutrition by creating a cheat sheet for building a smoothie. Have them choose at least one item from each ingredient category (like a fruit or veg, protein, fat, and liquid).

Do you like these ideas? What others do you have?

Let me know in the comments! ⤵️