A number of research studies have shown that probiotics are an important food group that can offer mental health benefits. The study results have shown that individuals who have more good bacteria in their intestines and digestive system tend to have better mental as well as physical health, but why? How does bacteria in your gut affect your mental health? Which foods have probiotics in them? What about supplements? All of these are questions that you probably need answered. More beneficial bacteria in your digestive system promotes faster and more effective detoxification, a stronger immune system, and other positive benefits. People who include more probiotics in their diet generally have fewer negative thoughts, they are less anxious, and they have a better mood than individuals who do not regularly eat fermented foods which naturally contain large numbers of probiotics.
In the studies on probiotics and mental health researchers found that people who did not consume these beneficial bacteria as part of their regular diet had lower levels of brain activity in areas of the brain associated with emotion as well as other functions. An increase in foods with probiotics increased the activity in these brain areas. Foods that are rich in probiotics are usually foods which have been fermented. Yogurt, kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut are all foods that have a lot of probiotics in them. When purchasing yogurt make sure that the product actually has live probiotic cultures in order to get the benefits of these good bacteria, some commercial yogurts may have little if any live bacteria cultures.
