Serotonin and gut health

Serotonin is best known as a “feel-good” brain chemical, but about 90 percent of your body's serotonin is actually made in your gut, where it helps keep digestion moving.

Gut serotonin doesn't travel directly to your brain, but your gut and brain are in constant conversation through the vagus nerve, a long nerve that connects the two. Your gut bacteria take part in that conversation, and research is exploring how a healthy microbiome may support mood. It's one reason stress so often shows up in your stomach.

To care for both:

• Eat a variety of fiber-rich plants to feed your gut bacteria
• Add fermented foods like yogurt, kefir or sauerkraut
• Include foods with tryptophan, the building block of serotonin, like turkey, eggs, pumpkin seeds and oats
• Pause and take a few slow breaths before meals