Recent studies have shown that our food choices can strongly affect our brains. One of the reasons is that our gastrointestinal system, or our gut, is home to living microbes that have many functions in the body. For example they can stimulate neurotransmitters that send chemical messages to the brain to regulate sleep, pain, appetite, mood, and even emotion.
Abbey Davidson is with the American Association of Meat Processors.
AUDIO: Healthy Living on the connection between diet and mental health
