The Second Brain: How What You Eat is the Secret to Lasting Happiness

By Michael Dangovian

January 2, 2018

The latest medical research is clear: You have a second brain! And it’s even more important now to eat foods that bring you life. Here’s what I mean…

Even as humans seem to get closer by the day to the next scientific breakthrough—going to Mars, for example, doesn’t seem out of the question during our lifetime—maybe the most groundbreaking discovery so far in this century is the fact that we have two brains.

Obviously, there’s the one in our noggins.

But the second one, which on a number of levels is more powerful than our first one, has only recently come to light.

Our second brain is in our guts.

And it has 100 million neurons—far more than even the spinal column and peripheral nervous system.

Combine that with the discovery of our gut microbiome—the trillions of microscopic bacteria that live in our guts and play an increasingly important role in our health—and it shows just how important our nutrition really is.

Because, when you feed your stomach, you’re feeding a lot of things. All those microbes, along with a second brain that exerts quite a bit of influence over your first one.

So, how does this affect your happiness?

Well, consider this.

Most antidepressants work to control serotonin levels. Even just a decade ago, researchers and doctors thought that serotonin was a head-brain thing. It turns out that over 90% of our serotonin lives in our guts! So, that Prozac is affecting more than just your first brain. It’s primarily doing its work down in the second brain.

But, let’s turn that idea around and look at it positively. When you eat whole foods—good grains, leafy greens, mushrooms, and all the other high-quality, organic plants that fuel our systems as nothing else can, you’re feeding not only your microbiome.

No, you’re also providing direct nutrition to your second brain.
Here’s a principle to live by, even as we discover more and more about how amazing our bodies are—Eating vegetables is ALWAYS a good idea.

Want to be happy? Eat more plants. Eat more food that heals your body. Eat less food that causes inflammation.

And now, the data is in: Even your stomach agrees with me!