Hi there 👋
Every Monday I'll bring you one idea. This week it's about the conversation happening between your stomach and your brain that nobody told you about.
It was Thursday evening 8pm. Just got done with my volleyball game. We won 2 out of 3 matches and it was intense so I burnt enough calories. Mid game I felt a bit of hunger but I told myself I'll be having dinner when I reach home. For the record I usually have my dinner around 7 to 8pm, but today I got home late so my dinner was pushed to 9.30pm.
On my way back home in the subway I noticed a passenger holding a lunch bag that read "I'm sorry for what I said when I was hungry." It was funny but it also meant something. We all get quite frustrated when we are hungry and are waiting for food to enter our system. Doesn't matter if I'm waiting at a restaurant or waiting for someone I know to cook me food.
The waiting period sucks. There's also a slang term called “Hangry” When you are Hungry + Angry = Hangry. You've probably seen it across memes.
As funny as it sounds there's a scientific correlation between our stomach and our brain.
Because I also noticed something acutely this time. I wasn't just hungry - an uneasy feeling in the stomach. I was also feeling low to a point where all my dopamine felt depleted. All the excitement from the volleyball game had disappeared. The next thing I noticed was my thoughts were negative to a point where I could only notice all the shortcomings on my way home. Why isn't the TTC (subway) efficient enough, the weather is windy today, when is the actual summer gonna come, uff work tomorrow...
As soon as I got home and had my dinner and a tiny dessert (yes I have a sweet tooth) the world was great again! None of the setbacks I mentioned earlier even mattered anymore.
I took a step back and asked: wait, what just happened there?
A few weeks ago I came across a video about the stomach being our secondary brain. I kind of understood it but not entirely. Then I did some extra reading.
Here's the fact that stopped me.
The gut contains over 100 million nerve cells and produces around 95% of the body's serotonin which is the chemical most associated with mood, wellbeing and happiness. Scientists now call it the second brain for a reason.
So yes, the stomach has a direct correlation with the brain. But we were never taught this. At least I wasn't. Yes the stomach digests food, that's what we learned. But apparently hunger signals something much deeper to the brain.
Think of it this way. Your stomach is like a power source. When it's running low, it doesn't just affect your digestion. It sends signals up to your brain that change your mood, your focus and the quality of your thoughts. Hunger isn't just a stomach problem. It's a brain problem too.
As a kid, my mum always used to tell me "Narmadhan, Time ku saapdu" — meaning make sure to always eat on time. I never bothered to follow that. I figured I'd eat as soon as I got hungry. But now, after so many years, the time factor is playing an essential role.
I've heard athletes eat on time, train on time, sleep on time. I used to ignore that thinking — they're athletes, they have to. And I went on with my undisciplined way of living.
The truth is we are all athletes to a certain degree. We are all training and taking care of our body and mind for our own unique reasons and goals which eventually connect to our purposes. Yes there can be more than one purpose. I'll keep that for a different letter 😊
Being intentional with our food habits, timings and the type of food we eat can benefit our brain and our moods in the long run. It's not about making a 180 degree flip overnight. It's about small, conscious choices.
Your mum probably told you to eat on time. Turns out she was giving you neuroscience advice before neuroscience had a name for it.
This week's nudge
Name one food that never fails to make you feel good.
Could be your mum's cooking, a specific snack, anything at all.
Hit reply and drop the name. I'm genuinely curious 🙏
See you next Monday ☀️
Warmly,
Narman
Just a human who finally listened to his mum.
P.S. If this landed in Promotions or Spam, drag it to your Primary inbox. It takes 2 seconds and helps more than you know 🙏
Missed last week's letter? Read it here 🌿