Adrenal Fatigue Treatment - 5 Foods To Avoid

When it comes to adrenal fatigue treatment there is a lot of advice out there. It’s confusing right? We want to help clear up some of that confusion. We know through personal experience and from the success of our patients that these are the most common foods that will compromise your healing and feed your adrenal fatigue every time.

Let’s jump right in…

1. Simple Carbohydrate Foods

Does it taste intensely sweet? Does it come in a box and have mostly grains as the ingredients? Think cereals, pastas, chips, crackers, cookies, juices, and sodas. A body suffering from adrenal fatigue will send signals that these are good, but they are not.

They provide a quick energy spike and then a crash – this blood sugar rollercoaster will undermine adrenal healing every single time. Try small amounts of natural sweeteners like honey, coconut sugar, and stevia leaf powder to help sugar cravings without the blood sugar crash.                    

2. Alcohol

This is the same as simple carbs. Alcohol is quick to break down to sugar and it’s a depressant. It will undermine quality sleep and metabolism - essential parts of adrenal healing. Consider the reasons you may be drawn to alcohol – are you wired in the evenings and using it to switch into relax mode?

A lot of people are on the coffee/wine cycle of ramping up and winding down. These substances, although fine in moderation for healthy people, can perpetuate the hormonal and nervous system patterns seen in adrenal fatigue.

3. Stimulants

Yep, that means coffee. And this is the point at which many patients want to leave the room or hang up the phone. Believe me I know, I was there, not that long ago. No coffee!?, No wine after dinner?!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but caffeine creates fake energy from empty reserves. It’s depleting. If caffeine energy is critical for you, try half-caf, decaf, or better yet, use small amounts of green tea, yerba mate, or maca to energize.

Before we move on to #4  keep in mind, that this is part of a adrenal fatigue treatment diet. It’s a relatively short-term protocol to help you recover from your adrenal fatigue. It is not a long-term or maintenance diet. Embracing this understanding will bolster will-power when you need it the most. There will come a time when the foods on this list will be okay in moderation but for now, you are better off without them.

4. Food Allergies/Intolerances/Sensitivities

These foods will vary from person to person. If you suspect you don’t do well with a certain food or food group, cut it out for several weeks and then re-introduce it. If your symptoms worsen in the few days after re-introduction, it’s not a good food for you right now.

You may also want to consider food intolerance (IgG) testing to get some guidance and foods that don’t work for your body right now. The most common food in-tolerances are eggs, corn, soy, dairy, and gluten. Continuing to consume foods that are pro-inflammatory will damage gut health – which is highly detrimental to adrenal healing.

5. Unhealthy Fats

Fried foods, canola, vegetable, soy oils, rancid oils like most flax oil or overly heated olive oil are examples of unhealthy fats. These oils make your cell membranes stiff and resistant to nutrient uptake – your body needs extra nutrients right now.

There you go, the Top 5 foods to avoid for adrenal fatigue treatment.

So what’s next? Now that you know what foods to avoid, we want to tell you what foods to eat on an adrenal fatigue diet. Check out this blog…

And as a bonus, we want to give you our Adrenal Healing Food Guide called “eat to treat adrenal fatigue” for free which includes the top 10 adrenal superfoods.

To get your hands on the Adrenal healing Food Guide, simply enter your name and email below and we will send it right to you.

Now we’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Which of these food group have been the hardest to eliminate? How can we support you? We are a healing community and your share will support others on their healing journey. So take a moment to drop us a line below.

Love, 

Dr. Holly German

Adrenal Fatigue Diet: Top 5 Foods to Avoid for Adrenal Fatigue Recovery

When it comes to an adrenal fatigue diet there is a lot of advice out there. It’s confusing right? Well let us help clear up some of that confusion. We know through personal experience and from the success of our patients that there are 5 common foods that will compromise your healing and feed your adrenal fatigue every time. You want to avoid these top 5 foods as best you can. Avoiding or minimizing these foods are essential for recovery.

1. Simple Carbohydrate Foods

Does it taste intensely sweet? Does it come in a box and have mostly grains as the ingredients? Think cereals, pastas, chips, crackers, cookies, juices, and sodas. A body suffering from adrenal fatigue will send signals that these are good, but they aren’t. They provide a quick energy spike and then a crash. This blood sugar roller coaster will undermine adrenal healing every.single.time. For an adrenal fatigue diet try small amounts of natural sweeteners like honey, coconut sugar, and stevia leaf powder to help sugar cravings without the blood sugar crash.

2. Alcohol

Really the same as simple carbs. Alcohol is quick to break down to sugar and it’s a depressant. It will undermine quality sleep and metabolism - essential parts of adrenal healing. Consider the reasons you may be drawn to alcohol – are you wired in the evenings and using it to switch into relax mode? A lot of people are on the coffee/wine cycle of ramping up and winding down. These substances, although fine in moderation for healthy people, can perpetuate the hormonal and nervous system patterns seen in adrenal fatigue.

3. Stimulants

Yep, that means coffee. And this is the point at which many patients want to leave the room or hang up the phone. Believe me I know, I was there, not that long ago. No coffee?!, No wine after dinner?!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but caffeine creates fake energy from empty reserves. It’s depleting. If caffeine energy is critical for you, try half-caffeine, decaf, or better yet, use small amounts of green tea, yerba mate, or maca to energize.

Before we move on to #4  Keep in mind, that this is part of a adrenal fatigue treatment diet. It’s a relatively short-term protocol to help you recover from your adrenal fatigue. It is not a long-term or maintenance diet. Embracing this understanding will bolster will-power when you need it the most. There will come a time when the foods on this list will be okay in moderation but for now, you are better off without them.

4. Food Allergies/Intolerances/Sensitivities

These foods will vary from person to person. If you suspect you don’t do well with a certain food or food group, cut it out for several weeks and then re-introduce it. If your symptoms worsen in the few days after re-introduction, it’s not a good food for you right now. You may also want to consider food intolerance (IgG) testing to get some guidance and foods that don’t work for your body right now. The most common food intolerances are eggs, corn, soy, dairy, and gluten. Continuing to consume foods that are pro-inflammatory will damage gut health – which is highly detrimental to adrenal healing.

5. Unhealthy Fats

Unhealthy fats are not ideal for an adrenal fatigue diet. Examples of unhealthy fats are fried foods, canola, vegetable, soy oils, rancid oils like most flax oil or overly heated olive oil. These oils make your cell membranes stiff and resistant to nutrient uptake – your body needs extra nutrients right now.

There you go, the Top 5 foods to avoid with an adrenal fatigue diet.

So what’s next? Now that you know what foods to avoid, we want to tell you what foods to eat on an adrenal fatigue diet. We want to give you our Adrenal Healing Food Guide called Eat to Treat Adrenal Fatigue which includes the top 10 adrenal superfoods and we have thrown in our Adrenal Healing Shopping List, as a BONUS!

To get your hands on the Adrenal Healing Food Guide and Shopping List for FREE, simply tell us where to send it, below!

Now we’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Which of these food group has been the hardest to eliminate? How can we support you? We are a healing community and your share will support others on their healing journey. So take a moment to drop us a line below.

Love, 
Dr. Holly German

Treat Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms Naturally - 5 Kitchen Remedies

What if I told you, you don’t have to buy expensive supplements or go on crazy elimination diets in order to heal your gut, detox your body or improve your digestion. Would you want to know more? It took me years and thousands of dollars before I realized that some of the most powerful and inexpensive remedies to treat adrenal fatigue symptoms were right under my nose. I am going to share with you 5 kitchen remedies to treat adrenal fatigue symptoms and my favorite ways to easily incorporate these into your diet.

#1 Turmeric

This vibrant colored and highly aromatic spice used often in Asian cooking belongs to the ginger family.

The main active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin which gives turmeric many of its healing and cleansing properties.

To start, turmeric is a potent antioxidant packed with vitamins A, C, and E.

Vitamin C is key for adrenal fatigue sufferers because the more cortisol you make the more vitamin C is used. During the stress response the body burns up many times the daily requirement of vitamin C. So as stressful events increase, the need for vitamin C also increases.

Another reason turmeric is a great remedy for adrenal fatigue is because of its anti-inflammatory effects.

As you probably already noticed, inflammation is common with adrenal fatigue and autoimmune diseases. Inflammation is the result of an overactive immune system. Particularly with chronic autoimmune disease, the amount of inflammation present is determined by the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands, so when the adrenals are weak your body is more prone to inflammation.

The anti-inflammatory potency of turmeric has been compared favorably to anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs…minus all the side effects.

Ways to Consume Turmeric:

1. Add small amounts (a teaspoon) to your daily smoothies

2. Make a yummy dish, once or twice a week that uses turmeric. My favorite is a red lentil curry dish like this one

#2 Clove

Clove has been used for thousands of   years in India and China as not only a spice and condiment, but as medicine.

Like Turmeric, clove is a powerful antioxidant. It is also anti-fungal, antibacterial, antiseptic and a natural pain-reliever.

Inflammation and digestion are common issues for most adrenal fatigue sufferers and clove comes to the rescue as it’s capable of addressing both.

For example, clove relaxes the smooth lining of the GI tract and stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes. As a result, clove helps alleviate vomiting, diarrhea, intestinal gas, irritability and stomachaches.

Clove is also a good source of manganese, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.

Ways to Consume Clove:

I prefer to consume clove by incorporating it into my food and drink. It’s not something I want in my smoothies, but that’s just me. Here are a couple great recipes to try. If you like chai tea you can make a big batch on Sunday and enjoy a cup each morning.

1. Chili Recipe

2. Homemade Chai Tea

#3 Garlic

Garlic is a plant in the same family as the onion. The compound allicin is responsible for garlic’s many health benefits.

Garlic is a potent natural antibiotic and boosts the function of the immune system. Garlic is high in vitamins and minerals, many of which are on the recommended list of vitamins important for those suffering from adrenal fatigue. To name a few: manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Selenium and fiber. Garlic also has decent amounts of copper, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B1.

High doses of the allicin compounds have been shown to protect against organ damage from heavy metal toxicity.

For example, a 4-week study of employees of a car battery plant who had excessive exposure to lead, found that garlic reduced lead levels in the blood by 19%.

Toxicity is an issue for adrenal fatigue sufferers because the body has a hard time cleansing and detoxing when digestion is slow, the lymphatic system is sluggish, inflammation is high and blood flow is compromised.

Ways to Consume Garlic:

1. Chopped up fine and sprinkled on toast with butter or olive oil

2. Chopped up fine in fresh, homemade guacamole or salsa

3. Add chopped up garlic to almost any savory food recipe, soup, pasta sauce, curry, chili, roasted vegetables or stew

4. If I’m suffering from a severe cold, I’m not afraid to throw a whole clove in my mouth, chew it up and swallow

#4 Ginger

Traditional Chinese medicine has relied on ginger for more than 2,000 years. Ginger is a pungent spice known historically for increasing blood flow and for its anti-inflammatory properties. It is especially known for its effectiveness in eliminating intestinal gas and for treating chronic ingestion, common issues for adrenal fatigue sufferers.

Ginger also has the ability to reduce muscle pain and soreness and menstrual cramps.

It is also known to help fight the flu and common cold. Adrenal fatigue sufferers typically have a compromised immune system. Having a cheap and easy remedy like ginger for these seasonal bugs, is key.

Ways to Consume Ginger:

1. Chai Tea (already mentioned)

2. Make a Wintery Tonic by adding a chunk of ginger to boiling water, add honey and fresh lemon

3. Red Lentil Curry (already mentioned)

4. Try other recipes with fresh ginger like yummy soups or stir-frys

#5 Thyme

For many of us who suffer from adrenal fatigue, getting the proper amount of vitamins and minerals for healing and optimal health can be challenging. Luckily, thyme is packed with Vitamin C and Vitamin A.

If you feel a cold coming on and your immune system needs a boost, thyme is a perfect supplement.

Thyme is also a good source of copper, fiber, iron and manganese.

Way to Consume Thyme:

1. Homemade Pasta Sauce

2. Make your own Thyme Tea recipe here

I just shared with you the top 5 adrenal fatigue remedies already in your kitchen and my favorite ways to incorporate them into your diet.

 Now, I would love to hear from you. Share a comment below. Have you tried these magical herbs or spices as healing remedies? If so, what was your experience? And what are your favorite ways to incorporate these herbs and spices into your diet? Your comments could help someone else on their healing journey.

All my best,
Angela

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Restore Adrenal Health with Himalayan Salt

You might be wondering what’s the big deal with Himalayan Salt. Is it just another health craze? Can it really help restore adrenal health?

I'm going to tell you 5 Benefits of Himalayan Salt specifically for adrenal health and addressing adrenal fatigue symptoms. But first, I want to share the role that salt plays in our overall health.

Our bodies need salt for the electrical function of our heartbeat, for us to make hydrochloric acid in the stomach, (which helps with things like preventing harmful bacteria from entering the GI tract. It also helps you make enzymes which are necessary for digesting protein) and has other very important functions). Salt is also needed for the fluid around the cells for proper functioning of your cells.

Learn more about the science behind what makes Himalayan Salt different from table salt and how to use it into your diet HERE.

Watch the video here or continue reading.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvcdYtD7j4

And please note**If you have high blood pressure or history of high blood pressure, or kidney disease please consult your doctor or health practitioner before trying this remedy.

Lets get back to the 5 benefits of using Himalayan salt to restore adrenal health:

1. Salt Can Take Some Weight Off Your Adrenals

 First thing in the morning our adrenals have a big job. They are in charge of raising our blood pressure enough to help our bodies transition from sleeping to waking. They do this by producing adrenaline. If your adrenals aren’t working 100%, waking up puts extra stress on the adrenals first thing in the morning. Salt helps to raise our blood pressure for a short period of time taking weight off the adrenals, supporting them so they don’t have to work as hard.

2. Supports Elimination

When I was suffering from adrenal fatigue poor digestion was a major problem for me.  It was not uncommon for me to only have one bowel movement a week for several years. Not only is poor digestion extremely uncomfortable it leads to a downward spiral of other health issues.  Maybe you have experienced something similar: irregular and infrequent bowel movements. These are a common symptom of adrenal fatigue.

Drinking salt water first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything else was the most powerful way to support daily elimination.

3. Cleanses the GI tract

On a related note, when our digestion is poor, our GI tract contains lots of stagnant matter. This leads to toxic build up and also keeps our bodies from absorbing nutrients from our food. Adding Himalayan salt to your morning routine helps clear out the stagnant matter each day and allows your digestion system to work more optimally. Finally, you can start absorbing the nutrients from all the great foods you are consuming.

4. Hydrates Your Body

During sleep we often go 6-8 hours without consuming water. On top of that, we often perspire during our sleep. It makes it so we wake up from sleep very dehydrated. It is important that we hydrate first thing before we eat or start our busy day.

We often think that drinking water is the only way to hydrate the body. But electrolytes and minerals also play a key role in hydration, a role which is often overlooked. Most adrenal fatigue sufferers experience dehydration and some level of electrolyte imbalance. This is because a hormone produced by the adrenals called aldosterone is responsible for the maintenance of fluid (water) and the concentration of certain minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride) in the blood and cells.

When your adrenals aren’t producing as much aldosterone then it creates an electrolyte imbalance and often dehydration follows.

5. Fixes Mineral Deficiency

As I mentioned above electrolytes and minerals are just as important to staying hydrated as water is. Many minerals we need to allow our hormone system and adrenals to function optimally are very hard to get from our foods these days. And most water we drink lacks these minerals too.  If your adrenals are fatigued, it’s extra important that we make sure we get the proper minerals to support your adrenals.

Drinking water without mineral content can actually scrip our bodies of minerals. Adding Himalayan salt to your water that is full of trace minerals helps solve this problem.

I have just shared with you 5 benefits of Himalayan salt to restore adrenal health. Now we want to give you a special gift to help you incorporate Himalayan salt into your diet...

Now we’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Have you already added Himalayan salt to your diet? If so, have you seen your symptoms change? What was the most helpful piece of information shared? What questions came up for you? This is a healing community and your comments or questions could be just what someone else needs to hear or know. So take a moment to drop us a line below.

Love, 

Angela