It’s part 3 of our brain health series and we’re diving into the gut-brain connection.

Quick mind-blower 🤯 Your gut—not your brain—produces 90% of your body’s serotonin.

Serotonin regulates mood and modulates memory, learning speed, attention, and cognitive performance. So…the better your gut health, the better your brain health.

Understanding The Gut-Brain Highway

Another fun fact: the brain and the gut are formed from the same embryonic tissue in utero. During early development, some cells from this tissue stay to form your brain while others migrate to create your gut’s own nervous system, all connected by the vagus nerve. This is why the gut-brain connection is so powerful and why gut health directly impacts how you think, feel, and remember.

Your gut bacteria communicate directly with your brain via the vagus nerve, sending signals that influence mood, stress response, and cognitive function. When your gut is inflamed or imbalanced, it creates brain fog, affects memory, and can even contribute to depression.

Think of your gut health including your entire digestive tract, starting in your mouth and ending at your anus. When it functions properly, your digestive tract breaks down food, absorbs nutrients, and eliminates waste. When it’s not working well, it leads to inflammation that travels straight to your brain, affecting your mental clarity and mood.

What throws off your gut-brain connection? Poor diet, antibiotics, chronic stress, lack of sleep, environmental toxins, sedentary lifestyle, and certain medications can all disrupt the delicate balance that keeps your brain sharp.

And yes, for those of you who are wondering, menopause does negatively impact gut health as gut bacteria interact with estrogen and progesterone. Is this adding to your brain fog and weight gain? Read more here.

Key elements for a brain-healthy gut:

• Healthy Gut Lining. Our gut linings are meant to be semi-permeable, allowing important nutrients to get through while also keeping harmful and irritating elements out. Unfortunately, poor diet and lifestyle habits can create “leaky gut,” allowing irritants to pass through and cause inflammation, which causes a variety of issues including brain fog.
• Akkermansia: Akkermansia is a bacteria that helps build a strong intestinal lining and maintain a healthy digestive system.  Maintaining healthy Akkermansia bacteria levels is critically important for brain health, specifically cognition, mood, and neurodegenerative disease prevention. To build up your akkermansia, load up on polyphenol-rich foods: apples (specifically apple peels), beans, berries, grapes, flaxseed, green tea, nuts, olives, and asparagus. You can also take some supplements – and to avoid overdoing it, I’d go with a whole food option that includes apple peels like this one.
• Good Bacteria Balance. Your microbiome hosts around 100 trillion bacteria that act like a master switch for mood, focus, energy, and sleep. Fermented foods, diverse plants, and stress management all support this balance.
• Digestive Enzymes. Proper digestion ensures your brain gets the nutrients it needs. You can boost enzymes through enzyme-rich foods or digestive enzyme supplements.

Important caveat: For some people, adding fiber and fermented foods might be aggravating and could be a sign of underlying issues like SIBO or food intolerances. If you experience increased digestive discomfort, see a gastroenterologist and/or work with a functional medicine doctor.

Your homework:

• Add ONE polyphenol-rich food to your day this week (remember: apples, berries, green tea, dark chocolate 70%+).
• Count your plant variety – how many different plants this week?
• Got questions? Reply here and ask me anything. I will be sending a dedicated email on supplements.

Supporting your gut for better brain function doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start small, stay curious, and trust that these shifts—over time—create real change in how you think, feel, and show up in the world.

Love you – mean it!

xx Tracey

Reminder: Just a friendly reminder: I’m sharing this for educational purposes—please always work with your healthcare provider for personalized support. If you want to dive deeper, my functional health practitioner wrote an amazing blog on gut health and you can read it here.