January 21, 2025

I Have a Gut Feeling You Are Going to Want a Cup of Tea...

There is More to Having a Gut Feeling Than We Ever Guessed...and Tea Can Have Something to Do With It...Tea and Gut Health...

We think of our gut as being all about digestion...right? There is so much going on inside our bodies that most of us have no idea about. What happens in our gut is amongst these wonders.

Science refers to your gut as your Second Brain...

We realize that when gut health is off, things are just not right, but we may not realize the greater functionality of what science is now referring to as our Second Brain. After all, the gut is the place where what we consume is being converted to the ingredients that sustain us.

This Second Brain is sort of like a Control Center...The Gut Microbiome...

Why a Control Center...or a Second Brain? Consider that behind the scenes is a hidden powerhouse known as your gut intelligence. Imagine somewhere other than your First Brain, the well-known one, that is orchestrating your emotions, intuition and overall well-being!

How? Within the intricate folds of your digestive tract lies way more than a food converter...it is a complex network of neurons, neurotransmitters, and microorganisms that communicate with Brain One...seriously!

Imagine this: while you go on with your life, within your body, your gut is working continuously to keep you healthy, happy, and plugged into the world around you...it is your gut, your Enteric Nervous System (ENS) that is more in control than you ever imagined.

High EGCG Makinohara Fukamushisencha Green Tea

ENS has a Best Friend...We love them both...

There is more...the intricate web of nerve cells that make up our ENS - the gut's neural network - within our gastrointestinal tract does not get a break. It works constantly, producing chemical messengers called neurotransmitters that help regulate our mood, sleep, and cognitive function...even Serotonin, one of our happy hormones, is produced primarily in your gut. That's right...gut health is vital to your emotional well-being.

But there is still more...It is a Dynamic Duo partnered within our gut... ENS teams up with a diverse community of microorganisms, which science refers to as The Gut Microbiome, likened to a bustling metropolis, teeming with life and activity and playing an invaluable role in cognition, memory, and mood.

What is your gut reaction so far?

Understanding the Gut-Brain Axis...It's all connected...

Imagine gut bacteria that can produce neurotransmitters that affect brain function, by messaging your brain and influencing your thoughts and feelings...

All this is happening faster than light speed along the Gut-Brain Axis...

Discoveries are being made continuously, leading to a deeper understanding of the influence of the gut-brain connection and the relationship of our moods with our gut health and consumption habits.

How is YOUR gut doing? What are the clear signs?

Listen to your body?...We have heard that before, and here is why...

Consider a well-functioning gut intelligence system and what it can do for us. Improved mood, emotional regulation & stability...all resulting from your gut's production of feel-good neurotransmitters rewarding you for treating it right.

It goes deeper, though. Extend the advantage of optimal gut health to result in enhanced intuition and improved decision-making ability...making it more reliable to go with your gut feeling.

It's all about taking care of your ENS...and your ENS taking care of you.

Further, we can begin to think of gut health as wisdom resulting from the optimization of what we feed our gut.

Gong Ting Royal Pu'er supports gut health

Gut-friendly Gong Ting (Royal) Pu'er Tea

Watch for signs of reduced stress, better stress management, and clear cognitive function...more signs of a happy, productive gut that facilitates high levels of cognitive performance, making it easier to deal with all that comes your way...you will know you are on the right track.

We can nurture our Gut Health and Gut Intelligence...And we will be glad we did...

You know the drill...diet and nutrition...directly affecting our microbiome and gut health...resulting in some level of gut intelligence. Think about how diverse whole foods please your microbiome and gut intelligence compared to processed food and sugars.

Nurture your Gut Intelligence...Nurture your Second Brain...

The Good, the Bad...The Ugly.

Understanding and managing stress will allow you to protect your gut microbiome from disruption and help keep it performing at top levels.

More on Stress and Tea here...

Sleep...you need it...your gut needs it to avoid negatively impacting gut health.

Environmental factors and medications, especially antibiotics - stay aware...they can impact gut health, setting back the hard work you do to maintain optimal gut intelligence.

Mindful Practice...Mindful Consumption...

Physical activity and routine stress-relieving practices like Yoga, Meditation, Deep Breathing, Music, the Arts...peacefully enjoying and appreciating tea...

This takes You are what you eat to a whole new level. Probiotic-rich foods, diverse whole foods...lots of dark colors and fiber-rich foods, omega-3's, the Mediterranean Diet, the DASH Diet...kale, spinach, blueberries, walnuts...you get the idea.

Your gut lining needs plenty of water, so to keep it happy & healthy, drinking adequate water daily is crucial...The tea you drink counts towards your daily water consumption.

Vital Life Blend for enhanced gut health

Vital Life Gut-promoting Blend

What is the Tea Connection?

Finally...to the tea...

The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, can contribute to gut intelligence and gut health by reducing inflammation and improving the balance of healthy bacteria in the gut.

More on Inflammation and Tea here

Gut bacteria can digest polyphenols in tea to produce other compounds that benefit digestive health, like short-chain fatty acids. Polyphenols in tea seem to promote the growth of friendly flora that increases your microbiome health & diversity. Polyphenols also help eliminate pathogenic bacteria, allowing the gut to help improve immunity.

Beyond supporting gut health through the gut microbiome, tea may reduce the symptoms of certain health conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

See more about the connection between gut health, neurotransmitters, and IBS from Nature's Scientific Reports Journal

It's Tea Time...The Role Tea Can Play...How Tea Can Help...

We often talk about the bioactive compounds in tea that provide the healthy experience we so enjoy. Helping the microbiome and improving gut intelligence adds all the more reason to enjoy the right teas.

Unoxidized teas such as green teas contain high levels of polyphenols, in particular EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate), so selecting some of these teas provides an abundance of polyphenols for gut bacteria to transform into improved gut health and intelligence.

See more on Green Teas here...

Matcha is nutrient-dense, as non-water-soluble leaf particles that don't usually end up in tea broth are consumed and digested. In addition to some fiber, it has more ability to increase the production of healthy gut bacteria...

See more on Matcha here...

Black & Dark Teas, including Pu'erh teas, also contain some antioxidants, but the process of oxidation - and in the case of Pu'erh teas, fermentation - has gained a reputation for improving digestion that has extended to improved cardiovascular well-being.

More on Healthy Black Teas here...

More on Dark & Pu'erh Teas here...

The Role of Other Botanicals...

Some other botanicals said to be conducive to gut health are ginger, fennel, turmeric, and cinnamon. Combining some of these with the tea plant can yield powerful blends which promote a healthy gut microbiome and desired gut intelligence.

Connecting More Dots...

OK, so two brains, right? Who knew...but now we do.

When we explore tea, we find revelations...realizing now more than ever that as we sip and enjoy, we bask in the sensation of satisfaction with appreciation for the beauty of the tea and the experience. And then, there is the gratitude for just how much tea is contributing to our wellbeing and longevity.

More on The Short & Long-Term Benefits of Tea here...

But now we see that the pleasant, satisfied sensation we experience as we sip is the blending of Theanine and clarity-inducing cognitive function with our microbiome and gut intelligence thanking us for paying attention and making good choices.

More on Cognitive Advantages of Tea here...