A positive body image is essential to good health and overall well-being. Thoughts and feelings such as love and respect can lead to a certain perception of our bodies.
Internal sensations are important, one of these being the feel in your gut. Alongside gut instincts of something good or bad, paying attention to hunger and fullness can help people appreciate their bodies.
These are three important gut feelings we shouldn't ignore:
Something is Wrong
Dr. Judith Orloff, an intuitive psychiatrist, said that a common gut feeling is when something is wrong in the body. "Your body is a powerful intuitive communicator," she explained. Feelings in the gut can tell you when something is off--such as weakness or possibly a toxin. "Listen to it," she instructed.
Since the gut produces more than 90 percent of the body's serotonin, it regulates our mood and emotions. Too much stress can harm the gut, such as inflammatory bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal conditions. In general, a healthy gut means a healthy body.
Hunger or Fullness
In a study from Anglia Ruskin University, researchers focused on gastric interoception, or the internal signals of the body telling you when its hungry or full. Led by Jennifer Todd, her team had 191 volunteers undergo an experiment involving fasting and drinking water.
Volunteers completed a series of questionnaires regarding body image such as appreciating one's body and functionality. The team observed a change of feelings in the gut after drinking water which led to higher levels of appreciating their bodies.
Jennifer Todd said, "Our study shows a clear link between bodily awareness, in this case, the feeling of fullness, and body image. In other words, people who are more in tune with their body's internal workings have a greater appreciation of their body in general." Interestingly, this link was found to exist in two culturally different countries--the UK and Malaysia.
Being sensitive to gastric signals seems to increase awareness of the body's positive functions, she explained. The ability to respond to the body's needs such as fulfilling hunger promotes a positive body image.
Those that are "less in tune with internal stimuli," like feeling full, are at risk of developing a negative body image. These people may be too reliant on external appearances or tend to overeat from ignoring signs of hunger or fullness.
"It is possible that body image can be promoted by encouraging people to be more aware of internal sensations, such as feeling full," said Todd. "Gut feelings can be good for you!"
READ: New Study Favors the Ketogenic Diet and its Effect on the Gut Microbiome
Stress
With its connection to brain chemicals, gut instincts will tell the brain when you're too stressed. Stress triggers the production of a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin will send hunger signals telling your brain to grab some comfort food that will help us become calm.
In another study, researchers discovered that eating food with fatty acids helped improve the mood over salty food. It's important to pay attention to gut instincts, not just about circumstances or the vibe and energy of people, but what it's telling us about ourselves too.
READ ALSO: Understanding the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating