Hey all,

I sat down with a guy in my office a while back who was struggling with low mood and anxiety/panic attacks that he couldn't get reprieve from. He’d tried therapy. He’d tried medication. He’d started exercising. Nothing was really working.

So we looked at his eating habits.

“I don’t know. I skip breakfast most days. Grab something quick for lunch. I usually don’t eat much at dinner because I’m not that hungry.”

“What about at night?”

He paused. “I mean, I’ll have a couple drinks after work to unwind. Then I usually end up eating a lot. Like, I’ll crush a whole pizza or a box of cookies. I don’t know why I do that.”

“How often is ‘a couple drinks’?”

“Most nights. Maybe 4 or 5 beers. Sometimes more on weekends.”

He looked at me. “Why are you asking about food and drinking? I thought we were here to talk about my mental health.”

“We are,” I said.

Your gut and your brain are in constant communication. When your gut is suffering, your brain suffers too. What you eat, what you drink, and how you treat your digestive system has a direct, measurable impact on your mood, your anxiety, and your overall mental health.

You can’t therapy your way out of a damaged gut. You can’t meditate your way past chronic inflammation. You can’t willpower your way through dysbiosis.

The Gut-Brain Axis: What the Science Says

Scientists call it the gut-brain axis. It’s a bidirectional communication network linking your digestive system and your brain.

Your gut contains over 100 million nerve cells. Researchers at Johns Hopkins call it your “second brain.” And this second brain doesn’t just control digestion. It sends signals directly to your actual brain, influencing your mood, your stress response, and your mental health.

Here’s what blew my mind when I first learned this:

About 90% of your body’s serotonin is produced in your gut, not your brain. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep, and appetite. When your gut is out of balance, your serotonin production suffers. And when serotonin suffers, so does your mental health (specifically the ability to feel happiness/contentment).

A 2017 study published in Clinics and Practice found that dysbiosis (an imbalance in gut bacteria) has been directly linked to anxiety and depression. The study showed that the gut microbiome produces neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA, the same chemicals targeted by antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications.

The study also found that irritation in the gastrointestinal system sends signals to the central nervous system that trigger mood changes. This is why people with IBS and other gut issues have significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety. It’s not “all in their head.” It literally starts in their gut.

What Alcohol Is Doing to Your Gut (And Your Brain)

Let’s talk about alcohol.

I’m not here to lecture you about drinking. But if you're struggling with your mental health its really helpful to understand potential self-sabotage that alcohol is doing.

Research published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) found that alcohol consumption damages the intestinal barrier, causing what researchers call “leaky gut.” When the gut becomes permeable, bacterial toxins leak into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation throughout the body and in the brain.

This is why when most people give it up for a couple weeks they don't feel better. The abstinence period must be longer so the microbiome can actually heal.

A 2022 study in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology showed that alcohol consumption reduces beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (bacteria that produce anti-inflammatory compounds and support mental health) while increasing harmful bacteria that promote inflammation.

Here's the typically cycle for most stress-drinkers:

• You drink to manage stress or unwind
• Alcohol disrupts your gut bacteria
• Your gut sends distress signals to your brain
• You feel more anxious, depressed, and stressed
• So you drink more to cope

And if you’re combining alcohol with poor nutrition and erratic eating (like skipping meals during the day and bingeing at night), you’re compounding the problem.

When Food & Control Become the Problem

For some men, the relationship with food goes beyond just poor nutrition. It becomes a painful cycle of restriction, binge eating, shame, and isolation.

​Jennifer Rollin, LCSW-C, founder of The Eating Disorder Center and a expert in treating eating disorders, describes what this looks like:

“To the outside world he appears ‘normal.’ No one knows that on the inside he feels completely trapped. When he looks in the mirror, he’s filled with a sense of disgust and shame. He has started to isolate himself from friends and family... He tries not to eat a lot during the day, and when he does sticks to mainly ‘healthy foods.’ Many nights, he finds himself bingeing. He eats a whole pizza and a box of cookies. He wishes there was a way to stop this terrible cycle.”

The statistics are not what I expected. It’s been reported that 10 million men in the US will struggle with an eating disorder in their lifetime. But as Rollin points out, the real number is likely much higher. Eating disorders among men are vastly underreported, not recognized, or left untreated due to stigma, shame, and the pervasive myth that eating disorders are “a woman’s disease.”

Restricting food, bingeing, and the resulting shame create the same gut-brain dysfunction we’ve been talking about. The restrict-binge cycle damages your gut microbiome, triggers inflammation, disrupts neurotransmitter production, and sends your brain into distress mode.

Get help before you get old.

Here’s what Jennifer Rollin wants you to know:

“Often men and boys are taught to hide their emotions or to try to ‘toughen up.’ It’s important to note that seeking help when you are struggling is a sign of true strength, not weakness. People of all genders deserve to express their emotions and doing so does not make you weak. It makes you strong.”

She continues:

“No matter what your mind is telling you, you deserve to seek help from trained professionals. Eating disorders are treatable illnesses and recovery is possible. No one should have to struggle with an eating disorder alone.”

If you’re stuck in a cycle of restricting, bingeing, obsessing over food, or using alcohol to cope, you’re not broken. You’re dealing with a complex interplay of biology, psychology, and behavior. And there are people who specialize in helping you untangle it.

Rollin puts it this way: “Living with an eating disorder can feel miserable. It may give you a temporary ‘high’ or feeling of ‘comfort,’ however in the long run, it only leads to increased anxiety and unhappiness.”

You deserve a life free from constant thoughts about food and your body. You deserve to feel good in your own skin. And you deserve support in getting there.

One Tool to Start Healing Your Gut (And Your Brain)

So what do you actually do with all this information?

If you’re dealing with disordered eating or alcohol dependence, you need professional help. You can contact me and I can get you set up with a program that can help.

But whether or not you’re in that category, there’s one simple, research-backed action you can take today to start supporting your gut-brain connection.

If this is not you here is 1 small tweak that can make a pretty sizable difference for your gut health without having to start a diet plan.

Add One High-Fiber Prebiotic Food to Your Day

Start with one. Here are some easy options:

• Oats (oatmeal, overnight oats)
• Bananas (slightly green bananas have more resistant starch)
• Garlic and onions (cooked or raw)
• Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas)
• Apples
• Asparagus
• Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat)

You don’t need to overhaul your entire life. You don’t need to become a health nut. You don’t need to eliminate alcohol completely (though if you’re drinking most nights, cutting back will help).

Just add one high-fiber food to your day. Tomorrow morning, have oatmeal for breakfast. Throw some beans in your lunch. Eat an apple as a snack. Pick one. Do it consistently.

Over time, as you consistently feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut, you’ll likely notice changes. Better mood. Less anxiety. More stable energy. Fewer digestive issues. Better sleep.

Your gut and your brain are in constant communication. Help your brain by stopping destroying your gut with taco bell.

If you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, brain fog, irritability, or low motivation, and nothing seems to be working, look at what you’re putting in your body. Look at how much you’re drinking. Look at your eating patterns.

And if your relationship with food or alcohol has become a source of pain, shame, or control, that’s not something you should try to handle on your own. You deserve help. You deserve support. And recovery is possible.

Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating:

• The Eating Disorder Center (Jennifer Rollin, LCSW-C): theeatingdisordercenter.com​
• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Helpline: 1-800-931-2237 or nationaleatingdisorders.org​

Your mental health is worth fighting for. Start today.

Zach

Clinical Therapist and Founder of Mental Health 4 Men