More Than Just a Craving: How Your Diet Can Help Fight Pregnancy Blues

Did you know that there is newer research out that shows our brain and gut communicate to each other? Did you know that the gut holds the power to 70% of your immune system? Did you know 95% of serotonin is made in the gut?! Here, something we thought that simply digested our food actually holds the power to so much more!

I see you pregnant mom, just trying to keep a smile on your face while staring at your swollen ankles, having your husband cut your toe nails, sleeping uncomfortably on your side, not to mention the 3 pillows to incline you while sleeping because of the acid reflux.. As you indulge in a small, but yummy piece of happiness, you find yourself wondering why all the ice cream, oreos and salt & vinegar chips aren’t actually increasing your happiness… let me tell you it’s because you’ve upset the gut. It’s like the old saying goes, “if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” → well, “if the gut ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”. 

We want to feed our gut real, and nutrient dense food! That’s what keeps “momma happy”!

So, why does this matter? I know you all will probably hate me after this article because really, you need to cut out the processed sugar, and wow, does processed sugar taste good 8 months pregnant. But listen carefully, those foods may taste good, but they are destroying your gut biome, and that has negative effects on your mental health and physical health. There’s no better time to care more about our bodies than when we are growing a precious life inside of us. So many of the physical symptoms you experience everyday are potentially affected by your diet… BUT the exciting news in this all, is that it also means you have the potential to change your symptoms - for the better with food, and yummy food at that! 

We have a “which came first.. The chicken or the egg?” situation with our gut and our brain. Does the gut play a part in our mental health symptoms, or does our mental health affect our gut? The answer.. BOTH! Before we dive further into this, I think we need to step back and talk about the gut’s job in our body. 

How does the gut work? In plain terms.

Let’s pretend your gut is an office team working together to process a massive delivery of “raw materials”. Here's the roles they each take on…

1. The Stomach: The "Chaos Agent" Intern

The stomach is the guy in the office who has zero chill. He doesn't care about "organization" or "finesse."

• The Job: As soon as a sandwich arrives, he throws it into a literal industrial blender filled with acid. He spends two to four hours punching the food into a gooey green soup called chyme.

• The Interaction: Once he’s turned your beautiful meal into a literal nightmare slurry, he yells, "NOT MY PROBLEM ANYMORE!" and kicks the door open to the next office.

  
  

2. The Small Intestine: The "Workaholic" Analyst

This is the person who actually keeps the company profitable. She has a 20-foot-long desk (the length of the small intestine) and is obsessed with the details.

• The Job: As the "slurry" flows past her, she uses millions of tiny "fingers" (villi) to pluck out every single useful thing—a molecule of protein here, a tiny bit of vitamin D there. She’s the one actually feeding the rest of the company (your body).

• The Interaction: She works 95% of the material, but eventually, she gets tired of the leftovers. She pushes the remaining wet, useless sludge toward the final office, muttering, "I've taken all the good stuff; you handle the trash."

  
  

3. The Large Intestine: The "No-Nonsense" Janitor

The Large Intestine (the Colon) is the veteran who has seen it all. He doesn’t deal with nutrients; he deals with waste management.

• The Job: He looks at the wet pile of leftovers the Analyst sent him. His main goal is recycling. He squeezes every last drop of water out of that sludge because the "company" can't afford to waste hydration.

• The Interaction: He compacts the remaining dry material into neat "packages," waits for the scheduled pickup time, and then... well, you know the rest. He’s the one who finally clocks out and sends the delivery out the back door.

  
  

Once you have a better understanding of how the gut works together, the rest of this will make more sense. Plus, it’s just really good to understand how our whole body works together, and yes I am aware most of us were grossed out by this section in our science class in high school. So pay attention: life changing stuff can potentially result from simple diet changes. 

Now, let’s hone in on one of our hormone friends: serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that stabilizes mood, making you feel happier and calmer, but it also regulates vital functions like sleep, digestion, appetite, memory, and more. It basically balances your body and mind, influencing everything from your bowel movements to your bone health, and even affects sexual function. Dysfunctional serotonin pathways in the gut-brain axis have been found to be a significant trigger for depressive episodes. If serotonin is unable to be absorbed properly from your gut, or something disrupts that absorption, then your mood response will be out of balance. An example of what can disrupt serotonin pathways would be stress. Tryptophan (... if you’re thinking you’ve heard that before, that’s because you have. It is what everyone blames for their post-Thanksgiving nap!) in “normal” conditions is turned into serotonin, but when your body is in a stress response, it literally will stop production of serotonin and instead redirect its efforts and actually produce a neurotoxin, which yes, is not good for your body and causes a depressive response. Serotonin (all 95% of it!) gets extracted through the villi of the small intestine (by the way, it’s labeled “small” because of the width, not length!) and communicates to the brain through the Vagus Nerve. Your digestive tract actually has its own ability to send neurotransmitters and microbial metabolites through that nerve to signal your body to do or not do something. All this to say, if your gut biome isn’t properly supported, the small intestine simply cannot do its analyst job well. 

So I know, you’re a pregnant momma that just wants to be “happy”. But don’t fall into the trap. Don’t give your body useless and hurtful food. Give your body food that will literally increase your happiness and stabilize your mood. At the time of writing this, it’s winter here in Michigan, and we are inside and away from the sun missing our vitamin D which also helps stabilize our mood. Help your body (& your husband) out! 

So what can you do about it, today?! (It’s honestly so easy & simple!)

1. Look to eat good quality food! Here is a list of foods recommended to ramp up in your diet - while, yes, these have been found to aid your body in the production of serotonin, these foods are also high in good fat, which can help increase the health of your cells that make up your body and vitamins & minerals our bodies need to function well.

Mood Boosting Foods:

Leafy Greens

Avocados

Fermented Foods (like sauerkraut)

Salmon - RECIPE

Bone Broth - can purchase or make your own

Green tea

Berries

Nuts

Dark Chocolate (80% or higher)

.. and turkey, and eggs! 

2. At the start of your journey to a healthier gut, consider adding a daily probiotic. You want one with multiple bacteria strains to give a good diversity to your gut.

3. Try and increase your daily fiber. The goal is 25-30 grams.

   Some examples:

   Beans (1c= 15grams)

   Chia seeds (1c chia seeds = 10grams)

   Chickpeas (1c = 12grams)

   Fruit (1c= 8grams)

   Oats (1c = 5grams)

Your gut needs fiber, and lots of it! Fiber acts as the fuel to lots of that great gut bacteria, and a healthy gut is a happy gut.. And a happy mom! 

I know that was a lot of information, and there really is a lot more to uncover in this conversation, but I hope if you’ve made it this far you can see how important it is to eat good and healthy food. Our gut needs us to make better food choices so our hormones stay in balance and help regulate our body - especially while we are growing a precious human inside of us, day in and day out. Next time you go to reach for the ice cream, think twice, and remember, the "best" you is only an avocado away! 

References

Kaur, S., El-Nachef, N., & Gershon, M. D. (2024). Intestinal epithelial serotonin signaling and the gut-brain axis: A new frontier for mood disorders. Gastroenterology, 166(4), 582–595. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2024.01.012Mayer,

O’Mahony, S. M., Clarke, G., Borre, Y. E., Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2015). Serotonin, tryptophan metabolism and the brain-gut-microbiota axis. Behavioural Brain Research, 277, 32–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbp.2014.07.027

E. A., Tillisch, K., & Gupta, A. (2015). Gut/brain axis and the microbiota. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 125(3), 926–938. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI76304

Vighi, G., Marcucci, F., Sensi, L., Di Cara, G., & Frati, F. (2008). Allergy and the gastrointestinal system. Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 153(Suppl 1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2249.2008.03713.x

Yano, J. M., Yu, K., Donaldson, G. P., Shastri, G. G., Ann, P., Ma, L., Nagler, C. R., Ismagilov, R. F., Mazmanian, S. K., & Hsiao, E. Y. (2015). Indigenous bacteria from the gut microbiota regulate host serotonin biosynthesis. Cell, 161(2), 264–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.02.047

El Baassiri, M. G., Raouf, Z., Badin, S., Escobosa, A., Sodhi, C. P., & Nasr, I. W. (2024). Dysregulated brain-gut axis in the setting of traumatic brain injury: review of mechanisms and anti-inflammatory pharmacotherapies. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 21, Article 118. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-024-03118-3