As you may have read in our previous emails, the gut-brain connection plays an important role in health and mental health. Unfortunately, due to the industrialization in modern life (pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, toxic chemicals, overprescribed antibiotics), many of the beneficial bacterial species that used to colonize peoples' GI tracts have been lost. For example, in the last 75 years, Lactobacillus reuteri has been lost from 96% of people, leaving only 4% that still have this beneficial bacteria.

So, what's so great about L. reuteri? Well, it triggers release of oxytocin from the brain, leading to feelings of more connection, empathy, the capacity to see the other side in arguments, and compassion for others' plights. In addition, L. reuteri leads to a diminished appearance of wrinkles, as it increases dermal collagen. Plus, this helpful bacteria leads to reduced cortisol, more rapid hair growth, and increased libido.

You may be wondering, how can I get this bacteria back in my GI tract? Well, probiotic pills usually aren't enough as counts are too low, but you can make L. reuteri yogurt, which has sufficient counts to experience the effects described above. Here is a recipe, from Super Gut by William Davis:

Note: children and pregnant women should not eat this monoculture yogurt, as the oxytocin may overwhelm them. I have been eating 1/2 to 1 cup of L. reuteri yogurt daily for the past ten days, and can say my experience agrees with those of others. I feel more connection and warmth with family, and casual interactions with people I don't know are positive and uplifting. For example, as I was leaving the grocery store this morning, an employee said "have a nice day," and a surge of joy and connection arose in me.

You may think that one serving of yogurt is all you need to recolonize your gut with L. reuteri. However, this is not the case. For unknown reasons, once the bacteria have been lost, you need to keep ingesting it in order the get the beneficial effects.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you do try L. reuteri yogurt, let me know what your experiences are like! If all this inspires you, why not order some tea to go with your yogurt? I find they go quite well together!