Intermittent Fasting and Adrenal Fatigue

We get asked questions about fasting and adrenal fatigue all the time.

Is it safe?

Will it help us recover?

What about my blood sugar issues?

On today’s blog we are sharing our thoughts on time restricted eating or intermittent fasting.

To start things off…

What is intermittent fasting or time restricted eating?

What this means it that you essentially give yourself a certain amount of fasting hours regularly (a certain amount of hours that you do not eat).  We tend to do this naturally (when we sleep) but lately science and more and more people are experimenting with different and longer fast times and reaping numerous benefits from it.

How do you do it?

There are many different ways you can do this and people everywhere are experimenting with different eating windows (the hours in a day you allow yourself to eat). Some people are eating 6 hours a day and fasting the other 18 hours and  some people are fasting for a full day at a time each week and there are lots of variations in between.

Fasting and Adrenal Fatigue

We know that fasting can be a bit stressful for the adrenals because when a cortisol response will go along with it as cortisol spikes to make stored glucose available to use for energy.  For a long time, fasting was not recommended at all for those struggling with adrenal fatigue and instead they were recommended to eat small portions regularly as needed to help keep blood sugar levels steady.

However, the stress-reducing benefits that intermittent fasting can bring about can be more powerful and significant than the adrenal stress, out weighing the cortisol response required for benefits like improved sleep, less inflammation, increased muscle mass, decreased body fat percentage and improved mitochondrial function, metabolism and support in regulating a healthy circadian rhythm.

When it comes to intermittent fasting and adrenal fatigue, we do have some guidelines to follow if you do want to try it.. and those guidelines start with not doing anything too extreme.

TIPS FOR DOING INTERMITTENT FASTING WITH ADRENAL FATIGUE

1. Start with a long feeding window
   Instead of doing 6 hours and fasting the rest of the day, eat within a longer 12 hour window
   (ie. from 7am to 7pm) or 8am to 8pm.

2. Eat nourishing foods
   When it comes to adrenal fatigue, many of us are depleted. Instead of going the route of “bulletproof” coffees and tea lattes, we recommend eating nourishing meals with a nice balance of carbs, fats and protein and lots of colourful veggies. You really want to maximize the nutrition you are consuming.

BLOOD SUGAR ISSUES AND INTERMITTENT FASTING

This is a big question we get.
As mentioned above, we don’t want to exacerbate the adrenals by excessive fasting if we are prone to blood sugar issues or subclinical hypoglycemia (if you have diabetes, it’s different and we recommend you work with your health practitioner in that case) The symptoms of hypoglycemia include things like headaches, fatigue, weak, light-headed, nervousness, excessive hunger and irritability. We tend to get caught in a roller coaster of high and lows, especially when we struggle with adrenal fatigue.

For many, it’s easy to get STUCK slaving away to snacking to help keep the scales balanced.
Intermittent fasting along with dietary tweaks can be a very helpful way to help correct the issues behind the blood sugar imbalance in the first place and thus, can help you break-free of the need to be at the mercy of chronic snacking to feel normal.

TIPS FOR DOING INTERMITTENT FASTING WITH HYPOGLYCEMIA

1. Eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrates from your diet
   Focus on plant based carbohydrates (like veggies and moderate starchy ones like sweet potato, carrots, beets, etc)

2. Work yourself into intermittent fasting SLOWLY
   If you jump into it over night, you will likely have symptoms and feel unwell, but if you get rid of the main sugar sources in your diet (processed sugar and refined carbohydrates) and eat cleaner more balanced meals, you’ll be starting on the right track. If you eat 6 times a day, ease it down to 5 meals a day—adding MORE fat to your meals to help you go longer in between. Do this gradually and eventually, you’ll be able to go longer between meals and comfortably adapt an intermittent fasting schedule that feels good to you.

We love the idea of integrating intermittent fasting into your adrenal recovery plan because we know there are tremendous benefits in how the body is able to repair and rejuvenate throughout the night and because it’s really helpful in supporting a healthy sleep/wake cycle both metabolically and hormonally.

We hope the tips above will allow you to experiment with this way of eating, in a way that stays supportive in reducing stress on your body— and not the opposite.

If you are ready to get clarity click here to download the free recovery starter kit (a guide to navigating through this fatigue thing once and for all) plus a whole lot more.

Do you do IF with AF (or have you tried)?
If so, let us know how your experience has been below!

xo Danielle

A Quick Morning Routine for Burnt-Out People

We see all this talk about the perfect morning routine and how to super fuel are mornings to super charge our day.

What an awesome concept, right?

Wait.

If you have adrenal fatigue, mornings can be really difficult.
It is really common to struggle with insomnia through the night, waking up and then feeling too wired to fall back asleep. When you finally do fall back asleep (usually in the early morning hours) it’s often just in time for your alarm to jostle you out of a sleep that feels as deep as the deepest sea.

Trust me, I know how hard it can be to shake yourself out of that when your alarm starts going off.

When I was struggling with stage 3 adrenal fatigue, I used to think not even an icy bucket of water thrown on me would have helped. In those days, I’d grumble to my boyfriend to “ START THE ENGINE” (coffee machine) and you can imagine how the morning went from there.

The experts on social media kept telling me to do stuff like this:

• Get up an hour before my alarm and meditate

• Get some exercise in

• Do something for you

• Spend time in quiet, journaling and feeling gratitude

HECK, I’m pretty sure we even tell you to do this sort of stuff from time to time.
I KNOW in theory a morning filled with self-care would be incredible and soul nourishing and that it would totally make me a more calm and happy person. I totally get it the concept.

But guys, if a bucket of ice water wasn’t going to get me out of bed, neither was the potential idea of feeling more blissed out in my day if it meant sacrificing an hour of sweet, sweet morning sleep (which according to Dr. James Wilson has been said to be some of the most adrenal nourishing sleep for burnt-out people).

Nowadays, things are different and I have become a morning person once again, but I remember the struggle. When I speak to clients, they can relate to this too.

Today, I want to share my 5 minute morning adrenal care routine— it’s the same routine I use these days if I have to be up really early for coaching calls or don’t have a lot of time or space to myself.

It’s the way I capitalized on sleep while STILL taking measures to implement some self-care into my morning.

Check out my walk-through video of my 10 Minute Morning Routine for Burnt-out People here.

Hot + Healthy Holiday Drinks

Snowy, winter days are here in Toronto. 

With the holiday season upon us, it's the perfect time to put on your wooly socks and get comfy on the couch with a good book and a nice warm, festive beverage. 

In my past life, I'd be cozying up with copious cups of coffee. 
Coffee hasn't disappeared completely from my life these days, but my relationship with it has changed considerably since my struggles with adrenal fatigue.   Read more about this change here. 

These days, I have found really fun ways to enjoy festive drinks and "lattes" in ways that support my health. I'm super excited to share a few of my favourite recipes with your today! Unlike coffee, these drinks won't interfere with your sleep, make you anxious or put excessive cortisol demands on the adrenals. 

I've also snuck in a few special ingredients to help keep them balanced and extra hormone loving. 

In the spirit of the holiday season, today I'm pumped to share a few of my favorite hot + healthy, festive drinks.

All of these recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and sweetened naturally. 

Gingerbread Cookie Latte

• 2 cups steamed nut milk

• 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

• 1/3 tsp ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ground clove

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1 tbsp molasses

• optional- 1 scoop of Dandy Blend Coffee alternative

Heat nut milk over the stove, whisk in spices and vanilla. 
Transfer to a blender (or use a hand mixer) and add coconut oil and molasses. 
Serves 2. 

Creamy Cashew Egg Nog

• 1 cup soaked, raw cashews

• 1 can full fat coconut milk

• 1 cup water

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 tsp quality salt

• 6 re-hydrated dates

• a generous sprinkle of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

• optional- 2 scoops of collagen protein powder (we like this one)

Add everything to a high powered blender and blend well. 
Pour 1 cup into a mug/glass and garnish with fresh nutmeg and a cinnamon stick.
Serves 4-6

Collagen Loaded Hot "Chocolate" 

• 1 cup steamed nut milk of choice (unsweetened)

• 1 tsp carob powder

• 1/2 tsp cacao powder (we like this one)

• splash of vanilla

• 1 tsp coconut oil

• 1 heaping tbsp of collagen protein (we like this one)

• a sprinkle of cinnamon

• 1 tbsp maple syrup or sweetener of choice

• Optional- make healthy, homemade marshmallows like these and float one on top!

Over the stove top, heat your milk. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients or use a blender or hand mixer if you prefer it frothy. Depending on the time of day or how sensitive you are to caffeine, you can omit the cacao and use more carob or vice versa. 

For more holiday recipes, including my favorite festive "mocktails" be sure to grab our Holiday Adrenal Survival Guide below! 

Wishing you health and happiness this holiday season!
xo Danielle + the HYAF Team

Support Healthy Hormones at Holiday Meals + Events

Advice for keeping things healthy throughout the holidays

This time of year can be a challenge to stay on track with your health goals.

There are social pressures, tempting deliciousness, staying up later than usual, the usual busy holiday stuff-- it's tiring.

For those of us who are already tired,  it's a time we fall victim to operating out of chaos, taking care of others and not fully taking the best care of ourselves. It can be extra tiring. 

As the festive season approaches, we want to make sure you're well prepared with tips, tools and tricks for keeping things easy and healthy throughout the season. 

Wouldn't it be NICE to kick off the new year a few steps closer to your HEALTH goals INSTEAD OF A FEW STEPS BACK? 

Here are our top tips for navigating the holidays in healthy hormone fashion: 

1. Always, always, watch portion sizes.
   You can indulge a bit during the holidays but by watching how much you indulge, can help keep blood sugar balanced and help reduce digestive stress.

2. Take digestive enzymes before meals
   This will help ensure you're digesting food effectively, especially if you're eating something out of the norm. If your prone to bloating, gas and discomfort after meals-- enzymes can help. Pop one or two enzymes before a meal to boost your digestive support. 

3. Embrace mocktails
   Drinking too much during the holidays is another thing that throws off our blood sugar, adds stress to our liver, and contributes to further hormonal imbalance. Holiday drinks may seem unavoidable, but I encourage you to consider the state of your adrenals + hormones and whether or not indulging will be worth it for you.
   -  For some in earlier stages of adrenal fatigue, a few drinks with family or friends at a special occasion is not the end of the world. If you do indulge, replenish your body with filtered water, electrolytes, minerals and b-vitamins. 
   -   However, for a very fatigued body, opting for a non-alcoholic beverage will likely serve you better. One of my go-to's is a nice Kombucha sangria -- add kombucha to a wine glass, throw in a few organic frozen berries and enjoy.  

4. Take advantage of downtime when you can
   This can be hard for the type A in you. One of the big problems for many AF sufferers is the fact that, generally, we aren't the best at relaxing. When we are given a day off, we might fill it with activities, chores and the holiday come and go. We head back to work after a "holiday" without feeling very rejuvenated. If needed, schedule time for activities and chores, but also schedule time for chilling out and relaxing like a massage, journaling in bed or in nature, reading a book, or taking a bath.

5. Consider ways to healthy up your holiday meals
   One of the benefits of the abundance of food available during the holidays is that you can often find something to suit the majority styles of eating. For example, if you eat paleo, a plate of turkey, salad, and roast veggies make a pretty killer paleo style holiday meal. If you're eating gluten free- avoid the dinner roll and grab the "Healthy Up Your Holidays" Guide below, I've included a swap out guide for replacing white flour in traditional holiday recipes (and lot of other tips too). 

Wishing you a healthy, happy holiday season! 
xo Danielle + the HYAF team

A Chocolate Coconut Bone Broth Latte

Bone broth is a nourishing tradition that has been used to nurse the weak and ill back to health for centuries. 

We're always preaching the importance of loving up your gut health here in the HYAF community.

And we know that gut integrity issues are common among adrenal fatigue sufferers.

Bone broth is a really nice food for helping to repair and restore intestinal health. 

Bone broth is amazingly rich in nutrition-- an amazing food for nourishing up a fatigued and depleted body. 

When you simmer bones for long periods of time..  as you do in the process of making bone broth, the nutrients from the bones, ligaments and connective tissues are drawn into the cooking liquid. What you get is a broth rich in nutrition, amino acids, trace minerals, gelatin, and collagen. It makes for an amazingly nutrient-dense and healing food, one that is really easy for the body to digest...hence why a nice bowl of soup made from a broth like this is such a great food to consume when you're sick or without much appetite. It simply hydrates and nourishes the body. 

8 HEALTH BENEFITS OF BONE BROTH:

1. Supporting the restoration and the strength of the gut lining (leaky gut)

2. Can support the body in overcoming food intolerances and allergies

3. Supports the reduction of inflammation in the digestive tract

4. Supports digestion by supporting gastric acid secretion

5. Can help support healthy bones and aging joints (because it's chalked full of gelatin, collagen, glucosamine)

6. Fortifies the immune system

7. Helps promote more youthful skin

8. Helps reduce cellulite by supporting connective tissue in the body 

the hyaf CHOCOLATE COCONUT BONE BROTH LATTE RECIPE

the recipe

• 1 cup bone broth

• 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk

• 1 tsp cacao powder

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp coconut oil, cacao butter or grass-fed ghee

• a sprinkle of cinnamon

• Optional additions: 1 tbsp hemp hearts, 1 scoop Dandy Blend (or coffee alternative)

Combine on stove top and heat to a simmer. Mix with hand frother or blend in your blender.

Need a good bone broth recipe? Wondering how to use this super nutritive and healing food in your world day to day?
Grab this week's freebie for the HYAF Classic Bone Broth Recipe + 10 ways to use it! 

Hope you enjoy! 
xo Danielle