Fix Brain Fog, Anxiety & Cravings by Healing Your Gut! (Brain Optimization Blueprint - Pillar 3)

Hey there, I'm Claudia von Boeselager, a former investment banker turned entrepreneur, longevity coach, biohacker, and mother of two. Once burnt out and overwhelmed with chronic health issues, I've transformed my life and helped thousands of people do the same. I've even reduced my biological age by 17 years. Yes, I'm 26 again. Now I'm here to share the tools, strategies, and inspiration to help you live healthier, happier, and longer. On this podcast, I interview world-leading experts in health, biohacking, mindset, and performance, and share personal stories and learnings to bring you the latest insights and tips. Think of this as your go-to space for real talk about all things health and optimizing your life. Ready to unlock your best self? Let's dive in. This is the Longevity and Lifestyle Podcast.

Welcome back, dear audience, to the Brain Optimization Blueprint. I'm your host, Claudia von 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're signals your gut metabolism and nervous system are out of sync. And here's the kicker: chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and gut imbalances are 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. And if you've missed Pillars 1 and 2, 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. 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 1, 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 Willimeyer, amongst others. So Dr. David Perlmutter 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 Perlmutter adds that our 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 are not looking for a Himalayan landscape of peaks and troughs. The more stable it can maintain at the optimal range, the better. And Dr. Kristen Willimeyer 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 1 to 2 servings of fermented foods daily like sauerkraut, kefir, miso. Number 3 is hydrate before caffeination. So aim for 2 to 3 liters of filtered water. I love adding in some fresh lemon. And also try 10 minutes of vagus nerve stimulation. Like humming, cold splash, or deep breathwork. So let's look at segment 2, mood, metabolism, and microbes. These are featuring parts from my interviews with Dr. Molly Maloof, Sean Wells, and Dr. Dale Bredesen. So Dr. Molly Maloof emphasizes that oxytocin, the love and bonding hormone, is actually enhanced by a diverse microbiome. Your gut literally determines your emotional bandwidth. Dr. Dale Bredesen explains that insulin resistance is a double whammy. Drives inflammation, and it reduces neural signaling, starving the brain of support. He recommends tracking HOMAIR, 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. 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 dihydroberberine 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. 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 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. In 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. What if you could wake up every day feeling unstoppable, limitless energy, razor-sharp focus, and a body that's biologically years younger? This is your invitation to upgrade your life. For those that don't know me, I'm Claudia von Boeselager, former Goldman Sachs investment banker and serial entrepreneur turned longevity and peak performance coach. After reversing my biological age by 17 years and counting, I now help high achievers like you do the same. My peak performance and longevity coaching is designed exclusively for visionaries, entrepreneurs, and leaders who refuse to settle for burnout, fatigue, or suboptimal health. Together, we'll optimize your energy, longevity, and performance so you can thrive in business and life. This is a bespoke, science-backed coaching experience integrating cutting-edge biohacking, longevity science, and high performance strategies tailored to your unique biology and goals. If you're ready to unlock your next level, let's talk. Book a complimentary exploratory call now. Just answer a few quick questions to get started. Head to the show notes for the link, and I look forward to speaking with you. Segment 3, 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. 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 gonna make more impulse decisions, poor judgment, and less empathy. So it is really important, and 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 3:00 PM? There's some reset protocols that you can look at, like eating 30+ different plant foods each week 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 tone 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 4, hold it in for 4. So think of a box, right? And then breathe out for 4 and hold it out for 4. It will calm your nervous system, and it's actually a method used by the US 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. Read the label carefully. Recently in Florida, I was in Publix, um, 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, I'm 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 dihydroberberine 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. Digestive bitters and enzymes, so these aid nutrition absorption, probiotic-rich foods which nourish the microbiome diversity, and zone 2 cardio, which essentially boosts mitochondria and gut transit as well. So some of my daily non-negotiables is that fasting 12 to 16 hours overnight. I try to have dinner not too late and then fast overnight, um, 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 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, and it really gets everything going. Particularly important before screens, much better for your brain health. And I have a breathwork 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 that certain foods affect your mood and focus. So teaching this early gives the kids agency, I believe, and 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 @longevityandlifestyle. Let's spread the power of brain-smart, gut-strong living. Next up in the series is Pillar 4: 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 von Boeselager. Hi everyone, it's Claudia again. Before you take off, would you like to get a short email from me to you several times a month with top tips, insights, and strategies to help optimize your life, health, and business? This could be interesting posts or articles I've read on life and longevity optimization, cool biohacking or lifestyle products that I've discovered, and other fun things to help you be at your best. It's a very short piece of inspiration for you, so if you want to receive it, check it out by going to llinsider.com. That's llinsider.com, and leave your email to get the next one.