The Gut-Mood Connection: Why You’re Craving Sugar, Snapping at Everyone, and Foggy AF

If your mood is a mess, your gut prob is too!

Let me tell you a little secret that changed everything for me:

🧠 If your mood’s a mess, your gut probably is too.

I used to think my irritability, brain fog, and sugar cravings were just “normal” perimenopause stuff. Hormones, sure. But guess what? Your gut actually makes most of your serotonin — the neurotransmitter that keeps you feeling happy, clear, and calm.

So if your gut's off? Your mood, metabolism, cravings, energy, and focus? Also off.

🦠 Your Gut Isn’t Just a Digestive Organ — It’s a Mood Machine

Here’s what science (and my body) taught me:

• 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut

• Gut bacteria influence anxiety, depression, and stress response

• Inflammation in the gut = inflammation in the brain (brain fog, anyone?)

• Blood sugar imbalances from processed foods spike cortisol and wreck your mood stability

So when you’re eating ultra-processed junk, skipping meals, or ignoring gut issues — you’re literally feeding your anxiety and draining your energy.

😩 Signs Your Gut Might Be Messing With Your Mind:

• Mood swings that make you feel like you’re on a hormonal rollercoaster

• Cravings that hit like a truck (usually sugar or salt)

• Brain fog that leaves you rereading the same sentence 5x

• Tired but wired at night, dragging in the morning

• Digestive drama (gas, bloat, constipation, diarrhea)

If that list hit a little too close to home? Same.

🛠️ What Helped Me Rewire My Gut-Mood Axis:

1. Nourishing the Microbiome (Not Nuking It)

I used to think gut healing meant green juice and bland food. Nah. I started slow:

• Chia & flax for fiber (YES to hormone help + poop help)

• Prebiotic-rich greens– Collagen, aloe vera, and yes

• Harmonia™ (aka my real-life daily gut BFF)

2. Cutting Back (Not Cutting Out)

I didn’t go extreme. I just started cutting out the crap:

• Less processed sugar

• Fewer “health” bars full of fake fibers

• Minimal artificial sweeteners (they murder your microbiome)

• More real food, more often

I still eat chocolate. I still live. But I don’t let cravings call the shots anymore.

3. Daily Rituals That Support Nervous System + Gut

Enjoy a peaceful moment writing in your journal .

• Morning hydration with minerals– Magnesium + collagen before bed

• A daily walk (even if it’s short and salty)

• Mindful meals with actual chewing and no phone scrolling

• Therapy, journaling, prayer - whatever clears the internal clutter

🧘‍♀️ Bottom Line?

Your gut is where energy starts. Heal it, support it, love on it — and you’ll feel it in your body, your mind, your soul, your spark.

🎶 P.S. Want to Feed Your Gut and Your Soul?

I made a healing playlist for days when I’m in a funk:

• “The Truth” by Megan Woods

• “You Say” & “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle

• “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera

• “The Dance” by Garth

• “I’ll Stand by You” by The Pretenders

Because healing isn’t just food, it’s energy, intention, and rhythm too.

💬 Final Truth:

If you’ve been doing everything “right” but still feel like a sluggish, anxious, sugar-craving zombie — start with your gut. That’s where your power lives. That’s where your peace starts. That’s where your energy blooms.

📣 That’s a Wrap!

This concludes our 5-day Eating for Energy series.

Next up: The Mind-Body Connection Summer Mini-Series. Let’s dig into grounding, mental reset rituals, and what our bodies are actually trying to tell us when we feel off. 🌱✨

See you Wednesday, until then... cheers to your wellness journey,

Regina