Ep 21 - How to Improve Gut Brain Access and Mental Health with Food with Jess Zadra The Art of Winning

Today’s guest is Jess Zadra is a Functional Nutrition Practitioner from Portland. She has a Master’s degree in Nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine and is a Certified Nutritionist who is particularly passionate about gut health, functional healing, and helping others navigate their relationship with food. Jess is currently in clinical practice and works alongside other natural medicine providers to help patients completely transform their health. She advises us to focus more on improving our health rather than just relying on immunizations or other drugs to combat the pandemic. She talks about the “gut-brain” connection is something that we should all be aware of, and by learning more about it, we can improve our overall health. 



[00:01 - 06:48] Who is Jess Zadra? 
Jess discusses how weight is just one symptom of a poor diet, and that there is often a lack of focus on gut health in studies of obesity Jess shares how digestive disorders, hormone problems, and how it led her to the path of healing and natural medicine.  
[06:49 - 15:54] The Gut-Brain Axis: How Thoughts Influence Digestion
Jess talks about the “gut-brain” axis is a two-way communication system that links intestinal function to the bran’s emotional and cognitive centers She discusses the stress signals from the brain can influence digestion through this axis, and the gut sends signals to the brain that similarly influence moods She talks about how we should work on both the mental and physical aspects of gut health in order to improve the “gut-brain” axis and reduce symptoms Improving gut health through proper diet is one way to start improving the “gut-brain” axis  
[15:55 - 19:41] How to Improve Gut Brain axis and Mental Health with Food
Jess shares that there a few foundations of gut health that don’t rely on fiber, including omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, zinc, and amino acids When it comes to gut healing, meat is the best source of nutrients Omega-3 is a probiotic She discusses that there are different diets out there, but each one is specific to an individual’s genetics and health condition
[19:42 - 39:02] Gut Instincts Play a Huge Role in Intuition
Jess discusses how hormones play a big role in overall health, and for men in particular, it’s important to advocate for yourself and get your hormones tested The importance of maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise She discusses the benefits and drawbacks of supplementation Supplementation is never a replacement for a healthy diet, but can be beneficial in certain circumstances She points out the effects of processed food on the body, including inflammation and neurological symptoms Often cheap food is detrimental to health  
[39:03 - 50:28] The Communication Between Your Body and Your Gut-Brain 
Jess explains that the “gut-brain” connection is a communication between the over 5 million neurons embedded in our gut and our limbic brain which houses our experiences, expressions of emotions, habits, and decision-making process Intuition is more than a feeling and can be attributed to the “gut-brain” axis Nutritional statuses of people play a role in how easily someone contracts COVID People with obesity, diabetes, and other conditions have a harder time with the disease  Now is the time to take control of your health  
[50:29 – 1:03:53] Closing Segment
Jess recommends that we should take Vitamin C and D because these are important for immunity Success in self-nutrition can be tracked by asking oneself where you are, in terms of being your most authentic self, and using resources such as people, organization, and books to stay on top of your growth You can find out more about Jess at https://jessicazadra.com/


Connect with Jess!


Website: https://jessicazadra.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesszadra/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesszadra/
 
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