How Your Gut Talks to Your Brain — And Why Food Choices Matter

Another Chance Integrative Psychiatry: Balancing Mind, Body, and Spirit for Holistic Mental Health

A balanced plate has lean proteins, whole grains, colorful veggies, healthy fats, and small fruit or dairy portions. This mix supplies key nutrients, stable energy, and supports mental and physical health, promoting whole-self nourishment.

Gut health is about more than just digestion. For women navigating anxiety, hormonal shifts, mood swings, or even brain fog, your gut may be the root of the issue—and the key to healing.

As an experienced integrative psychiatrist, I work with people just like you to uncover the deeper causes behind mental health symptoms. One of the most powerful yet often overlooked factors? The health of your gut lining and what you’re feeding it.

Let’s break down how food, gut integrity, and brain health are connected—and why your mood might start in your microbiome.

The Gut Lining: Your Internal Security Team

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The gut lining is made up of several types of cells that work together to protect your body and help with digestion. Together, these cells maintain a healthy gut environment, which is essential for overall well-being, including mental health.

Your gut lining isn’t just a tube—it’s a smart, selective barrier made up of cells that regulate what gets absorbed into your bloodstream and what stays out. Think of it like airport security for your body.

When functioning properly, it keeps pathogens and toxins out, while allowing nutrients to pass through. But when the gut lining becomes compromised—often due to chronic stress, poor diet, medications, or infections—it can become “leaky.”

This condition is called increased intestinal permeability, or what many refer to as leaky gut.

What Causes a Leaky Gut?

A leaky gut can be triggered by:

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Olive oil is a natural fat extracted from olives, prized for its health benefits and versatility. Rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, it supports heart health, reduces inflammation, and may improve brain function. Commonly used in cooking and dressings, olive oil also plays a role in integrative health approaches, offering natural anti-inflammatory properties that complement lifestyle interventions.

• Processed foods, especially those high in refined sugars, seed oils, and additives

• Low-fiber diets that starve beneficial bacteria

• High alcohol intake or chronic stress

• Imbalances in gut bacteria, like SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) or H. Pylori infection

Over time, the gaps in the gut lining can allow unwanted particles—like bacteria, undigested food, or toxins—into the bloodstream. This sets off an immune response that can inflame the body and the brain.

How Leaky Gut Affects Mental Health

Here’s where the gut-brain connection really comes into play.

When your gut is inflamed or leaking, your brain may become inflamed, too. This can contribute to:

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Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals between nerve cells in the brain and throughout the nervous system. They play a crucial role in regulating mood, thought, behavior, and bodily functions. Balancing neurotransmitters is essential for mental health and overall well-being.

• Anxiety and depression

• Brain fog

• Mood swings or irritability

• Fatigue and poor concentration

A disrupted gut also impacts the production of key neurotransmitters (like serotonin, which is largely made in the gut) and disrupts your body's stress response.

Healthy Fats and Fibers: Your Gut’s Best Friends

Not all fats are created equal.

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Processed food refers to any food that has been altered from its original form and are often filled with ingredients like preservatives, flavorings, and colorings. These foods often contain added sugars, salts, and fats to enhance taste and shelf life, and may lack the nutritional value found in whole, unprocessed foods.

👉 Processed, inflammatory fats (like trans fats and industrial seed oils) harm the gut lining and promote inflammation.
✅ Healthy fats—like omega-3s from fish, flax, chia, or walnuts—help reinforce the gut membrane, nourish your brain, and fight inflammation.

Just as important is fiber—especially prebiotic fibers found in foods like garlic, onions, asparagus, oats, and apples. These act as food for your good gut bacteria, which ferment the fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

SCFAs: Tiny Molecules with Big Mental Health Impact

SCFAs, especially butyrate, are crucial for:

• Healing the gut lining

• Reducing systemic inflammation

• Feeding brain cells and supporting neurotransmitter production

• Protecting against depression and cognitive decline

Your body can’t make SCFAs without the right types of fiber. Without enough fiber and diverse gut bacteria, you lose out on these vital brain-boosting compounds.

So… What Should You Do Next?

If you’re dealing with persistent anxiety, bloating, brain fog, or mood swings—and suspect your gut could be the culprit—you’re not imagining things.

The Dr. Britany Experience

Gut health testing analyzes stool samples, microbiome diversity, and inflammation to assess digestive balance. It detects issues like bacterial overgrowth, nutrient malabsorption, and digestive disorders. Understanding gut health allows personalized treatments with natural medicines, lifestyle changes, and integrative psychiatry to enhance overall wellness and address root causes of digestive and mood symptoms.

As an integrative psychiatrist, I offer advanced gut health testing to assess:

• Gut permeability (leaky gut)

• SIBO and H. Pylori

• Microbiome balance and SCFA production

• Personalized food sensitivity profiles

I also create customized nutrition plans based on your unique biology and genetics to help restore gut and mental well-being from the inside out.

✅ Ready to Rewire Your Brain by Healing Your Gut?

👉 Visit DrBritany.com to book your personalized gut-brain consultation today.
We’ll explore whether your symptoms are rooted in your gut and develop a targeted plan to help you feel energized, clear-headed, and emotionally balanced again.

Because when your gut heals, your mind follows.