It is estimated that 15 million Americans suffer from depression. If you’re one of them, you may be surprised to know that diet plays an important role in mental health. So much so, that is has inspired an entire field of medicine called nutritional psychiatry. And the gut plays a key role.

When we have experienced trauma, our brain communicates that message to our gut via the vagus nerve. This can result in symptoms of IBS, stomach ulcers and more. But when the messages of trauma continue repeatedly, that long term disruption can have lasting effects on our gut microbiome.