Love goes through the stomach

”But why won’t you at least give me a chance?” Jeremy complained with an accusing look towards Anne.

Anne sighed.

”Because we aren’t compatible. You are nice, but I don’t feel particularly special or happy around you. I don’t think a loose friendship is a good basis for a long-term relationship.”

”But I love you! Isn’t that already a good basis?”

”Do you even realize how creepy you are behaving right now? Can’t you accept a no for once? Please, stop pestering me. I don’t have feelings for you.”

”I will stop pestering you when you give me a change. I won’t just give up!”

”You are ruining every chance you might ever have right fucking now. Just… give it up!”

”A month, that is all I am asking. Give me a month. I will cook for you every day and then you can go home and ignore me the rest of the time. Just have lunch with me and let us talk! If you still don’t like me after the month, I will keep my distance, I promise.”

”Why would I …” Anne stopped, mid-sentence. ”You know what, fine. But only under the condition that you will keep your word and won’t initiate any contact, besides the lunch itself. Understood?”

”Perfectly.”
Jeremy grinned, when Anne left.

The number of bacteria in the lower intestine is 10 to 100 times higher than the number of cells that create the human body itself. Whoever thinks that those bacteria don’t have any significant influence on us is just ignorant.

Jeremy traced the words with his finger. The book was his best friend Roy’s, who was a professor, teaching microbiology to students. Among other things.

Roy had searched for years to influence people’s behavior and had written a book about the interaction of the bacteria inhabiting a human’s intestines and that human’s emotions. The findings hadn’t been useful for Roy’s goals, but he had written a book about it anyway. And gifted one of them to Jeremy.

Probiotics can generally reduce anxiety, positively influence depressive moods and have shown to make women less vigilant to negative influences from the outside.

Jeremy had known the second he read those lines, that this would be the way to finally win over Anne. Giving her drugs would be too drastic, but nobody would be able to prove that he had influenced her by changing her gut biome. Most people would dismiss it as unrealistic, if even anyone would even think of it.

He looked at the clock. Only three hours before Anne would come over for their first lunch together. It was time to bring out the probiotics.

The time he had spent on researching and creating recipes with as much probiotics as possible had been ridiculous. But there had to be a certain variance in the food he prepared or Anne would become bored. He couldn’t risk that.

As it would probably seem weird if Jeremy immediately started with incredibly weird foods, he had decided on an easy and unsuspicious meal. Anne’s parents came from Germany, so he thought that sauerkraut might be a good start. But just that, especially with sausages, would be too stereotypical. Instead, he chose to cook a ham, bean, bacon, sauerkraut soup.

Anne loved it. And she loved every meal he cooked from then on.

”This drink is incredible”, she said one day as they were sitting on the patio. ”What is it?”

”Almond milk kefir. Made it myself.”

”You put so much effort in all of this, I never thought that you’d be such a good cook. No offense.”

”None taken.” He grinned. ”But thank you for the compliment, nevertheless. It’s just sad that you’ll have to live without my cooking from now on.”

”What?!” Anne looked at him, shocked. ”Why?”

Because the month is over. This was our last meal together. Or do you want our relationship to continue?”
Anne took a sip of her drink and then looked at Jeremy for some moments.

”You know”, she finally said, ”During the last month, I’ve felt happier and happier. It’s like my stress level just dropped the more I visited you. I can’t really describe it, I never felt that way with anyone before. I guess I am actually the first time ever … in love?”

Jeremy smiled at her.
”To hear that makes me very happy. So you say we can try a relationship?”
Anne nodded.

”That makes me even happier.” He stood up. ”Do you want some homemade yogurt? I think I have enough to share it with you for the rest of our life.”

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Sources:

Gut Feelings: Bacteria and the Brain
Gut Microbes and the Brain: Paradigm Shift in Neuroscience
Probiotics as an Adjuvant Therapy in Major Depressive Disorder
Probiotic Recipes

Please note that these sources state that probiotics might help with depression but antidepressants are still needed for chronic depression. A nutritional change should only accompany prescribed medication, not replace it. I have also taken a certain artistic freedom in writing my story.

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