Gut-Brain Connection Guide: What It Is & Top Tips to Improve Your Gut Health

Gut-Brain Connection: The Basics

Ever felt “butterflies in your stomach” or “trusted your gut” about an important decision? You can thank your gut-brain connection for that.

What is the Gut-Brain Connection?

Your brain and gut talk to each other. Anytime you get a “gut feeling” or feel a knot in your stomach, you experience this firsthand. This two-way communication is known as the gut-brain connection. The network of nerves that sends these signals is referred to as the gut-brain axis.

The Gut-Brain Connection & Your Health

This crosstalk between your gut and brain affects many aspects of your health, including:

• Mood
• Immune function
• Hunger and satiety
• Digestion
• Gut motility
• Metabolism
• Food sensitivities & intolerances
• Stress levels
• Behavior
• Sensitivity to pain
• Cognitive function

The health of your gut affects your brain and vice versa. For example, people with gut dysbiosis often suffer from depression and anxiety, while those with good gut health are more likely to have a healthy nervous system. People with digestive disorders like IBD and IBS also face an increased risk of depression and anxiety.

Gut-Brain Connection: Key Players

The Enteric Nervous System (ENS)

Nicknamed “your second brain,” the ENS is a neural network of roughly 500 million nerve cells that line your digestive tract. It’s part of your autonomic nervous system and controls functions outside of your conscious control like heart rate and digestion.

The Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve connects your gut and brain. It’s the second largest nerve in your body and acts like an information superhighway, sending signals in both directions. It helps regulate your stress response and promote relaxation as part of your parasympathetic nervous system.

Gut Microbiome

Your gut is home to around 100 trillion microbes. These bacteria:
Produce neurotransmitters like serotonin (95%) and dopamine (50%)
Create short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which reduce inflammation, stabilize blood sugar, and maintain gut barrier integrity

Eating for Gut Health: What to Avoid

Your diet plays a huge role in your gut health. Limit or avoid these foods:

• Refined sugar: Fuels bad bacteria and increases “leaky gut” risk
• Alcohol: Damages the intestinal lining and harms gut bacteria
• Processed foods: Contain additives that disrupt gut balance
• Fried foods: High in saturated fat and hard to digest
• Factory-farmed meat: Often treated with antibiotics that impact gut health
• Artificial sweeteners: Linked to gut lining damage and bacterial imbalance
• Gluten: Problematic for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity

Eating for Gut Health: What to Enjoy

A diverse, whole-food diet supports a healthy microbiome. Focus on:

• High-fiber foods: Fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains
• Fermented foods: Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha
• Prebiotics: Garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, chicory, leeks
• Polyphenols: Berries, dark chocolate, apples, olives, nuts, flaxseed
• Omega-3s: Salmon, sardines, chia, flaxseed, walnuts, hemp seeds

Diversity in your diet = diversity in your gut = better gut health.