Claudia von Boeselager [00:00:50]:
Welcome back dear audience, to the Brain Optimization Blueprint. I'm your host Claudia from Boeselager and today we're diving into one of the most misunderstood, understood, yet transformational aspects of brain health. The powerful connection between your gut, your metabolism and your cognitive clarity. Did you know your gut is constantly talking to your brain? That brain fog after a heavy meal, your mood crashing mid afternoon, or that irritability when you skip breakfast? These aren't coincidences, they are signals. Your gut metabolism and nervous system are out of sync. And here's the kicker. Chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and gut imbalances are natural, being linked to everything from anxiety and depression to Alzheimer's and burnout. But the good news? We can take back control starting with our plate, our habits and our inner ecosystem.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:01:42]:
And if you've missed pillars one and two, be sure to check out the episodes on neuroplasticity and emotional resilience as well as my intro episode where I share my why they set the stage for this gut brain deep dive. So in this episode and by the end of it, you'll understand to stabilize blood sugars to eliminate brain fog, mood crashes and anxiety. Repair and nourish your gut to support sharper focus and emotional stability and build your own gut brain optimization stack to protect long term mental clarity and resilience. So let me share a story. In my 20s, I thought I was doing everything right. Back then it was about the low fat diets and hours of cardio. And yes, I believed Diet Coke was healthy, but I was exhausted, anxious and constantly bloated. What I didn't know then was that my metabolism and gut were totally out of sync.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:02:36]:
Once I started prioritizing nutrient density, blood sugar balance and microbiome health, it was like lifting a fog, I felt clear, calm and finally energized. Today I'm sharing what I wish I knew back then so you can skip the suffering and reclaim your vitality. So segment one I want to dig into why your gut is your second brain. And this is featuring information from my interviews with Dr. David Perlmutter, Dr. Austin Perlmutter, his son, and Dr. Kristen Willem, amongst others. So Dr.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:03:06]:
David Perlmeter shares that the gut is not just about digestion. It's the command center for inflammation, immunity and even emotional regulation. He says that gut bacteria play a pivotal role in reducing inflammation and protecting the integrity of the gut lining. Disturbing that and you open the door to brain fog, impulsive behavior and even chronic disease. Dr. Austin Perlmetter adds that our guide, Metabolic Health, is directly tied to our brain health. When our blood sugar is unstable, our ability to focus and make wise decisions crumble. And by unstable, in case some of you are wondering, it's when it shoots up and then crashes and shoots up and crashes, right? So we're not looking for a Himalayan landscape of peaks and troughs.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:03:49]:
The more stable it can maintain at the optimal range, the better. And Dr. Kristen Willemeier explains that water and fiber are often overlooked but are foundational to brain health. Without hydration and gut movement, the brain suffers too. So here are some gut brain reset tips. Start your day with protein and healthy fats like eggs and avocado. To stabilize blood sugar levels, you can add then also one to two servings of fermented foods daily, like sauerkraut, kefir. Miso number three is hydrate before caffeination, so aim for 2 to 3 liters of filtered water.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:04:27]:
I love adding in some fresh lemon. And also try 10 minutes of vagus nerve stimulation like humming, cold splash or deep breath work. So let's look at segment two, mood, metabolism and microbes. These are featuring parts from my interviews with Dr. Molly Malouf, Sean Wells and Dr. Dale Bredesen. So Dr. Molly Malouf emphasizes that oxytocin, the love and bonding hormone, is actually enhanced by a diverse microbiome.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:04:54]:
Your gut literally determines your emotional bandwidth. Dr. Dale Bredesen explains that insulin resistance is a double whammy. It drives inflammation and it reduces neural signaling, starving the brain of support. He recommends tracking homa, ir, fasting insulin and CRP to get the full picture. Sean Wells, in my interview, shares his healing journey. He said, once I started managing my blood sugar with dihydroberberine and fasting, my brain woke up. It was like lighting a fire I didn't know had gone out.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:05:28]:
And I know too that when I do phases of really focusing on my gut health and eating super clean, it's when you wake up with that mental clarity and that sharpness. That's when you know that you are really treating your gut well and it's helping your cognition and your brain. So some metabolic upgrades include the dihydroberberine 200 milligrams before carb heavy meals for blood sugar support. Some people even take it morning and afternoon. So depending on my schedule, I would just have it once a day. If I know I'm going to be eating more carb heavy foods, I would have a second dihydrober supplement. Intermittent fasting. So across the board I think, unless obviously medical advice prescribes otherwise intermittent fasting should be in that 12 to 14 windows overnight.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:06:19]:
And tracking your blood insulin and tracking your blood glucose levels is a really powerful tool to understand how your body's responding to what you eat, what you drink, stress, job, et cetera. So you can put on a continuous glucose monitor. In the US now this is becoming even available on Amazon and other countries. It's also available online, whereas in others it requires a subscription. I love Levels Health because of the great insights that they have, but you can exactly see how what you're doing is impacting your blood glucose levels and use it just as a trend and a monitor. So I saw that sweet potatoes were causing my blood sugar to spike, which is okay. It's not saying I never have sweet potatoes. I'm just more cautious with it and I don't eat them as often and obviously smaller quantities as well because I love them and there's a lot of benefits in them too.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:07:11]:
Segment three, let's look at inflammation and impulsivity. Featuring parts from my conversations with neuroscientist Dr. Julia Jones and Dr. Austin Perlmutter. So Dr. Julia Jones offers a powerful analogy. She said that think of your gut and brain like a guitar. If one string is out of tune, the whole system feels off.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:07:31]:
Nutrition, sleep, movement, they're the tuning pegs. Dr. Austin Perlmutter elaborates that inflammation weakens the connection between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. So the prefrontal cortex is like the CEO of your brain and the amygdala is the fight or flight I need to survive Basic Instinct. So with more inflammation you're going to make more impulse decisions, poor judgment and less empathy. So it is really important and when it will affect your day to day life tremendously. So A little action audit. Do you feel bloated, foggy or anxious after meals or are you craving sugar or caffeine after 3pm There is some reset protocols that you can look at like eating 30 plus different plant foods each week.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:08:16]:
So eating the rainbow of multiple colors of ideally organic fruits and vegetables is really powerful. To feed the multiple gut bacterias using cold showers or box breathing to to your vagus nerve which is the connection between your brain and your gut and they talk to each other in both directions. Box breathing for those of you unfamiliar is breathe in for four, hold it in for four. So think of a box, right? And then breathe out for four and hold it out for four. It will calm your nervous system and it's actually a method used by the U.S. navy SEALs and also eliminate barcoded foods and eat from the earth. Right. So if it's packaged it's most likely not going to be great for you.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:08:59]:
Read the label carefully. Recently in Florida I was in Publix, had to pick something up and then I saw oh, wild caught, healthy salmon, smoked salmon. Thankfully I flipped it over because I was wondering them thinking the color looks a little bit odd and they had red dye in it and other dyes that we know are super toxic and cancer causing. So please be very careful and read labels to make sure that you're not ingesting all this poison that unfortunately our food system has. So let's look at segment 4 some gut brain optimization stacks. So dihydroberarine supplement is amazing for stable blood sugar. Magnesium L Threonate enhances memory and cognitive clarity. Some sort of DHA Omega 3s are essential for brain structure and mood.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:09:46]:
Digestive bitters and enzymes. So these aid nutrition absorption. Probiotic rich foods which nourish the microbiome diversity and zone two cardio which essentially boasts mitochondria and gut transit as well. So some of my daily non negotiables is that fasting 12 to 16 hours overnights I try to have dinner not too late and then fast overnight and breakfast then accordingly. And I make sure to have breakfast with protein and healthy fats, no sugar or starch. And I really try to get that morning sunlight. And I highly recommend that within the first 3:30 minutes of waking and just bask in it for as long as possible. I appreciate not everybody has 30 minutes to just, you know, smile at the sun in the morning, but do what you can and then that hydration piece, right? So I love to have in the morning big glass of water with fresh lemon squeezed into it.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:10:45]:
And it really gets everything going particularly important before screens. Much better for your brain health. And I have a breath, work and gratitude practice in the morning to reset stress and to align with my goals and vision in the morning. If you are curious to find out more about my exact morning routine, do let me know. Reach out to me. I'm considering doing a deep dive into that as well. And a parenting tip for parents listening out there. So at home we talk about gut feelings in our house, right? So my daughters know that certain foods affect your mood and focus.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:11:18]:
So teaching this early gives the kids agency, I believe, an awareness that their body is always speaking to them. Listening is a superpower and I think that all children have it, but they learn not to listen to it through our more traditional schooling system. And so if you remember nothing else from this episode, remember this. Your gut and brain are best friends. Feed them well, treat them kindly and they will reward you with clarity, resilience and longevity. If this episode helped you better understand your gut brain connection, share it with a friend or loved one. Post your biggest takeaway and tag me on Instagram ongevityandlifestyle. Let's spread the power of Brain Smart Gut Strong Living.

Claudia von Boeselager [00:11:59]:
Next up in the series is Pillar four Love, Purpose and Psychedelic Science. We'll explore the healing power of connection, meaning and next generation therapies for rewiring your brain and elevating your mood. Here's to your clarity and calm. Much love, Claudia.