Published April 2025

Hello again, Jupiter Farms friends,

If you’ve stepped outside lately, you’ve probably noticed the warm sun, birdsong returning, and that familiar yellow pollen blanketing every surface. Spring is in full swing, but while nature is blooming, many of us are just... tired. Foggy. Irritable. Off.

I hear it all the time:

“I’m not sleeping well.”

“My stomach’s a mess.”

“I’m snapping at people, and I don’t know why.”

And sometimes the person whispering those things... is me.

We like to think of the body and mind as separate but deeply connected. One of the most powerful influencers of our mood, focus, and resilience is the gut. That’s right; your belly might be holding more answers than you think.

A Second Brain in Your Midsection?

The gut is home to its own nervous system, the enteric nervous system, often called your "second brain." But it doesn’t just digest food. It’s constantly talking to your real brain.

Here’s what’s wild:

• Around 90-95% of your serotonin (the “feel-good” neurotransmitter) is produced in your gut.
• It also helps make dopamine, GABA, and other mood-modulating chemicals.
• When the gut is inflamed, out of balance, or under stress, those chemical messages get scrambled, and your brain feels the ripple effects.

This isn’t wellness fluff; it’s neuroscience. And it’s finally catching up to what many of us have sensed.

Gut Stress = Brain Stress

When the gut is unhappy, the brain struggles too. This might show up as:

• Brain fog (the kind where you reread the same sentence three times)
• Anxiety or restlessness without a clear trigger
• Depression, fatigue, or emotional flatness
• Digestive discomfort like bloating, constipation, or urgency
• Poor sleep

You might be treating each of these symptoms separately, anxiety here, indigestion there, but they could all be part of the same conversation between your gut and brain.

A Few Gentle Gut-Brain Shifts to Try This Week:

1. Start your day with a big glass of water and a short walk.
After a full night of sleep, your body is naturally dehydrated. Rehydrating first thing supports digestion and mental clarity and signals your circadian rhythm that it’s time to start the day. Even mild dehydration can lead to fatigue, irritability, and misread hunger cues (and I can’t stress this enough: it can also cause low-level anxiety or a sense of tension that sneaks up on you). Drink up, breathe deeply, and give your system the signal to thrive.

2. Eat more fiber, fermented foods, and colorful plants.
Your gut thrives on diversity. Try adding an extra serving or two of fruits, vegetables, or fermented goodies like kimchi or sauerkraut. Notice how your belly and your brain respond.

3. Pay attention to how food makes you feel.
Not just in your belly, but in your mood an hour, or even several hours, later. Do you feel energized? Calm? Foggy? Anxious? These are your body’s way of communicating with you.
Even keeping a simple food and mood log for a few days can help you spot patterns (email me if you want a food log to use). Your body and brain are always offering feedback on what you consume (both food and external inputs). Let’s learn to listen so we can help them help us.

4. Slow down and chew.
Even healthy food won’t digest properly if you’re eating it in a state of stress. Take 10 minutes to breathe, chew, and be present. Try putting your phone away and asking your body to relax. Just experiment and see what happens.

5. Prioritize whole, unprocessed foods when you can.
Whole foods (foods with fewer ingredients on the label) like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and quality proteins are rich in the micro-nutrients (and macronutrients) on which your gut microbes and brain thrive. They’re naturally anti-inflammatory and free from the additives and preservatives that can disrupt gut balance and mood. You don’t have to be perfect, but choosing real food more often is one of the most powerful ways to support your body and emotional well-being. (In a previous article, I discussed the 80/20 rule. Feel free to email me if you would like a copy of that article.)

As a wellness coach, I help people make simple, doable shifts that support gut-brain health and build emotional resilience, one small choice at a time.

And remember, you don’t have to do it all at once. Even one degree of change, done consistently, can redirect your entire path. And you don’t have to do it alone.

Ready to Support Your Inner Ecosystem?

If any of this hit home, I’d love to send you a free digital guide I created called
“Unlock Your Inner Resilience: A Mind-Body Integration Guide for Strength, Clarity, and Lasting Change.”

It’s full of (really) easy practices to help regulate your nervous system, improve digestion, and boost your overall well-being.

Email me at [email protected]or visit www.christinacundiff.comto request your copy (no newsletter signup required).

Warmly,
Christina Cundiff
Wellness Coach | Mom | Neighbor
I graduated from IIN, NCI, and VITAL with specializations in gut health, hormone balance, and the psychology of eating.