We’ve got a feeling that 2022 will be a very good year. Why do we feel this? We are firm believers in the gut-brain connection, which in physical terms, is the real connection of the vagus nerve that loops from the brain to the stomach, stomach to brain. This nerve, which is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system, is responsible for regulating critical aspects of human physiology, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and speaking. We have learned over the years that we all can play a part in that regulation by the choices we make daily. When our choices are aligned with foods and drinks that are beneficial to us, it serves our vagus nerve well, helping it stay calm, centered, intuitive, and powerful.
So how do we go about developing our best vagus nerve loop? We’ve got a few tips up our sleeves!
Food is medicine.
We have seen first-hand how organic food can assist healing. Foods high in citrus, such as lemons, oranges, kiwis, and berries, can fight colds and flu. They taste delicious, and their high vitamin c content keeps your cells healthy and thriving. We add citrus to our water, salads, smoothies (try a freshly squeezed lemon in your morning berry smoothie)! We top our evening salads with clementine slices and kiwis (higher in vitamin c than oranges).
When our families have viruses, we load them with these fruits and soups filled with garlic, ginger, and dark leafy greens. It’s amazing in one day how many nutrients you can load into your food just by making the conscious decision to add them into your families’ diet.
Garlic and ginger are anti-viral and anti-bacterial, so imagine the goodness they add to your gut. One other food as a medicine tip we love is turmeric. In recent studies, turmeric shows up to have equal pain-relieving benefits as over-the-counter medicines, which can be harsh on your liver. How awesome to be able to drink a golden milk latte and know that you are adding so many beneficial properties to your gut, as opposed to burdening your liver?
Keep your body burden low.
Speaking of burdens, the #1 thing you can do for your health is eliminate GMOs by eating a mostly organic diet. Pesticides, toxins, hormones, and GMOs have no place in your gut. When your body ingests them, your system has no idea how to process them, so instead becomes inflamed. Chronic and acute inflammation could be solved by getting rid of GMOs in our diet.
Along with this, so many people are having a hard time tolerating gluten because our wheat crops are heavily sprayed with glyphosate, therefore causing gluten allergies and inflammation in our intestines. By eating a mostly organic and gluten-free diet, you can reduce your body burden and thus let your gut thrive. In a week or two, you will be amazed how differently your body feels when those culprits are out of your system!
Variety is the spice of life.
Cooking, eating, shopping for food, throwing dinner parties..these are some of our favorite things in life! (We’re Italian, after all!). Since food is so centric to our existence, we make a point to follow organic and diversity. There’s almost nothing we don’t eat (well, except GMOs and gluten). Throughout the week, we focus heavily on all colors of the rainbow at each meal.
Bright red smoothies and sweet potato hashes for breakfast. Lunches of dark leafy green salads with pomegranates and pumpkin seeds. For dinner, it’s always a tray of colorful roasted vegetables (beets, carrots, Brussel sprouts!), topped with a baked salmon or perfectly seared steak. Try mixing up the colors of the rainbow and buy purple carrots or white asparagus. Every fruit and vegetable offers its own unique DNA and nutrient load, which is good for our guts and our taste buds!
When people mention they have a gut feeling or butterflies in their stomach, it doesn’t have to do with food. It has to do with emotion about something that is happening to them. Having a healthy vagus nerve leads to a sound mind-body connection, which is the most amazing way to go through life. And it’s why we are feeling confident that 2022 is going to be a great year!
We raise our glass of green juice to the health of your mind-body connection and to an amazing 2022!
Michelle Walrath’s deep connection to health and wellness began with a degree in Health and Women’s Studies from the University of Richmond. She kicked off her career at Reebok and soon after received a teaching degree from the University of Bridgeport, teaching in Rowayton, CT while her four kids were young. Driven by a vision to expand the customers’ knowledge of organic food, sustainability, and how food can improve health, Michelle then launched a women’s health website and commissioned two movies dedicated to a deeper understanding of the food industry (Fed Up) and the global water crisis (Tapped). Michelle partnered with Fran Paniccia and started the Organic Krush in 2015, quickly jumping from concept, testing, and creating recipes to their first store in seven months.
