Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ

by Giulia Enders

Emotions like fear or stress can reduce the ability of the smooth muscle to stretch, making us feel full—or even nauseous—after eating just a small portion of food.

On the contrary, one Dutch study showed that those who belong to the once a day or less faction and those who have occasional constipation are less likely to contract certain rectal diseases. This is consistent with the motto of the large intestine, “Slow and steady wins the race.”

There are now quite a few studies proving that ginger has a beneficial effect. Substances contained in root ginger block the vomit center of the brain and the feeling of nausea along with it. Many ginger candies, however, contain only ginger flavoring, so make sure anything you take contains the genuine stuff.

our gut feeling is responsible in no small measure for how we feel. We are “scared shitless” or we can be “shitting ourselves” with fear. If we don’t manage to complete a job, we can’t get our “ass in gear.” We “swallow” our disappointment and need time to “digest” a defeat. A nasty comment leaves a “bad taste in our mouth.” When we fall in love, we get “butterflies in our stomach.” Our self is created in our head and our gut—no