Are the supplements you’re taking working for you or are they burning a hole in your wallet?
This blog post explores the most common errors we see in our adrenal fatigue community when it comes to choosing supplements to EFFECTIVELY support you adrenal fatigue recovery.
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 and how to do it effectively so that it supports your adrenal fatigue recovery instead of doing the opposite.
Some of the symptoms are often so common that we come to see them as normal— fatigue, feeling tired in the morning, anxiety, sleep issues, etc. While others are less common and a bit more worrying.
Today, I want to address some of the most common complaints we hear about in our Adrenal Fatigue Community on Facebook and give you a few supplement tips that you can use to help with them.
As a nutritionist specializing in adrenal and hormone-loving nutrition, I'm a big fan of NUTRIENT DENSITY. Depleted people (ie. people with adrenal burnout) need smart nutrition to help build their bodies back up. These recipes below are a twist on this original, they focus on abundant nutrition with a focus on minerals to help spark energy and strengthen the adrenals.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, or so we've been told... but is it still? Lately, with the growing popularity of intermittent fasting, people have been skipping breakfast and pushing their first meal into the later hours of the day. This is all fine and dandy, considering you are sleeping adequately and have generally balanced, healthy hormones.
However, for those struggling with fatigue and adrenal insufficiency, a balanced breakfast first thing in the morning can do worlds for setting us up for better blood sugar and energy balance throughout the day.
Today, we are sharing some simple breakfasts that not only taste delicious, but ones that will also work to nourish up your adrenals and set you on the right track in terms of blood sugar balance and hormonal response throughout the entire day.
Eggs are a complete protein that is nice and easy for the body digest. They are also loaded with B-vitamins, healthy fats, and thyroid loving selenium. Such a great breakfast food!
Pair with 1/2- 1 cup of your favourite veggies sautéed in grass-fed ghee or coconut oil.
Chia pudding is such a creamy treat and is chalked full of anti-inflammatory omega 3's and detoxifying fiber.
You can make this the the night before for a quick, easy and super healthy breakfast the next morning, here's a recipe.
Top with berries and healthy sprinkles of your choice (hemp hearts, bee pollen, nuts, seeds, etc).
Many tend to make their smoothies too carbohydrate heavy with the addition of fruit, yogurts, and juice. Balancing out the ratio to carbohydrates, fats and protein is important to making a recovery smoothie work for you in all the right ways.
This recovery smoothie example will get you started on the right track!
Unsweetened coconut yogurt or organic Kefir can be infused with a nice grass fed collagen protein and topped with berries, hemp hearts, and nut butter for a super yummy and satisfying breakfast.
A bowl of oatmeal can be drizzled with coconut butter and topped with berries, and crunchy toppings to make a balanced, comforting and blood sugar stabilizing breakfast.
Keep in mind that when it comes to grains, 1/2 a cup cooked = 1 serving. It's easy to go overboard, but blood sugar balance is key-- so please stay mindful.
If grains give you trouble, give our oat-free, grainless N'oatmeal a try!
"Scramble" 1 cup of riced cauliflower with 1 egg in some coconut oil with a splash of tamari or coconut aminos. Throw in a handful of greens at the last minute and top with some hemp hearts!
Use 1 cup of tea of your choice and add 2 tbsp collagen protein, 2 tbsp hemp hearts, 1 tsp coconut oil, some vanilla, some sea salt and blend into a meal-like morning beverage. You can use this Adrenal Loving Matcha Latte Recipe for inspiration.
Turn your smoothie into a colourful and fun morning "cereal". Using a very simple smoothie base, top with nuts, seeds, coconut chip, cacao nibs or superfoods of your choice.
To make sure you keep your macronutrients balanced to keep this health supportive, follow this guide!
Depending on what stage of adrenal fatigue you are in, your tolerance for caffeine may vary.
For many of us, it's a crutch and for those with adrenal fatigue, mustering up enough energy to get through the day can be tough. We totally feel ya on this. This is where many fall into the cycle of drinking coffee for more temporary energy because they are fatigued, while at the same time putting more wear and tear on the adrenal glands over the long term. Do you see how this is a double-edged sword?
This question comes up a lot. The answer really depends on where you're at and how depleted your adrenals are.
Typically, I'd recommend taking a good 30 day break from coffee while you give your adrenals some time to recover.
Why would I recommend this torture you ask? To help you regain balance and control. 30 days is enough time to release you from the clutch of caffeine addiction and to reset your relationship with it. It will also support you in re-establishing hormonal balance.
We think so! We wrote a blog all about this that you can check out here!
I recommend tindering down your daily consumption slowly, rather then going cold turkey. This will just make things a little easier on you. Start with smaller cup sizes or switch to decaf.
I love substituting in matcha or raw cacao in place of one of my daily coffees during this phase. These alternatives provide smaller amounts of caffeine to help prevent withdrawal headaches, while also offering comfort, deliciousness, and lots of great nutrition.
Matcha is finely milled, premium green tea leaves. The difference between this and regular green tea is that you actually consume the whole ground leaf (rather than steeping it in the water), because of this you consume all the nutrition from the leaf too. Because your consuming the whole leaf, you are getting a much more concentrated green tea with exaggerated benefits.
It is amazingly high in free radical scavenging antioxidants! ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) is a method in which we rate the antioxidant capacity of things, and matcha is up there amongst the highest rated foods.
Matcha has 137 times more antioxidants than 1 cup of regular green tea
The nutritional equivalent of drinking 10 cups of regular green tea per 1 cup.
It boosts your energy! Studies have shown that a cup of matcha can boost endurance by nearly 25%. Matcha does contain caffeine, but about half the amount of a regular cup of coffee. With matcha, the buzz is longer and more sustained, not up and down like a cup of coffee.
At the same time that it is stimulating, it is also calming. Matcha is rich in L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes alpha waves in your brain promoting zen and calm. You won't get those jitters like you may from caffeine, just a blast of non-anxious energy!
It is rich in detoxifying chlorophyll and fiber.
It's amazing for skin health!
1 cup steamed almond milk
1/2 tsp Matcha Ninja matcha
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp collagen protein powder
a splash of vanilla extract
a pinch of sea salt
In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until mixed well and frothy. Transfer to your mug and enjoy.
Alternatively, add a 1/2 of your steamed almond milk and the rest of the ingredients to your mug. Mix well with a mini hand frother and then gently pour in the rest of your steamed milk.
This matcha latte is special. The maple syrup and sea salt bring out a really delicious flavour and provide trace minerals that our adrenals crave for repair. The addition of collagen protein gives this drink a blood sugar balancing boost as well as extra gut nourishment. The coconut oil and collagen balance things out helping to energize you and fuel you- you'll find this is a perfect mid-morning or mid-afternoon energizer snack.
Hope you love it!
xo Danielle + the HYAF Team
There is something so warm and comforting about a bowl of oatmeal, especially on a cold day. For many of us suffering adrenal fatigue, this carbohydrate dense start to the day, though delicious, can get in the way of our recovery. So voila, today we bring you our Adrenal Loving Grain-Free "NOatmeal". (We couldn't resist that bad pun (#sorrynotsorry)). The way your typical bowl of oatmeal is handled by your body very much depends on a few important things, such as:
How well your body tolerates grains
How you prepare your oats and what you eat with them
Enjoying a bowl of oatmeal with berries, sugar, and milk is a very high sugar, low protein start to the day. This is not ideal for someone trying to balance their hormones and recover from adrenal fatigue. Instead, the focus should be on healthy fats and protein and THEN carbohydrates. This approach will help provide you with balanced energy all morning long and set you on the right path for the rest of the day.
The recipe we are sharing with you today is very unique. It has a similar taste and look to oatmeal, but this recipe is actually 100% grain-free. This recipe is packed full of healthy, anti-inflammatory fats, and blood sugar balancing protein. It will keep you full for hours while providing that comfort we all enjoy from a bowl of oats topped with your favorite fruits and lots of cinnamon. Whether you haven't been tolerating grains well lately or just want a new adrenal supportive breakfast recipe to add to your arsenal, this recipe has got your back.
3/4 cup of cashew milk (or milk of your choice)
3 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flakes
1 tsp cinnamon
a sprinkle of nutmeg
1 tbsb of collagen protein powder
optional: sweeten with a bit of honey, maple syrup or stevia or monk fruit if desired
Top with ½ cup of organic berries and a dollop of coconut butter
Mix everything together in a pot on the stove top. Heat and stir. Remove from heat, add your fave toppings and enjoy!
Chicken soup is a timeless tradition and has been the recipe of choice when it comes to helping to nourish sick people back to health. It's no wonder! Chicken soup, especially when made with homemade bone broth, is teeming with easy to absorb vitamins and minerals. It's warm, it's yummy, and it's the perfect dish to comfort you when you're not feeling well. Today, we are excited to share our twist on this timeless classic- our Adrenal Nourishing Chicken Soup Recipe.
Part of the reason chicken soup is so great when you are sick, is because it is very hydrating. The minerals in the broth are great for replacing lost electrolytes, which is great for when you are sick and not eating or drinking much, but also great for adrenal health. This is because mineral imbalance is very common for those with stressed adrenal glands.
When this soup is made using a bone broth, the amino acid glutamine is released from the bones and into the broth. This particular amino acid is great for helping fuel the production of white blood cells, this is great for immunity. When our adrenals are fatigued, depleted cortisol levels and hormonal imbalance can add stress to our immune system. Therefore a meal like this is perfect to add to your adrenal fatigue recovery diet.
1-litre bone broth
1 onion chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 cup enoki mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped basil
3 tbsp tamari
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (can add more or less depending on taste)
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped or pulled
3 cups, chopped greens added right at the end
Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp of grass fed ghee or olive oil in your soup pot.
Once heated, add onions and cook for a few minutes until they start to become translucent. Add in garlic, celery, and carrots. Stir well and cook for 5-7 minutes until they start to soften. Add in bone broth and turn heat up to medium to bring it to a simmer.
Add your tamari and hot sauce and stir well. Add in your mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and herbs. Simmer your soup for 10-30 mins. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning as necessary.
At the last minute, add in your greens and stir in until soft. (Sometimes I omit this and add the greens to my bowl raw and pour the hot soup on top of them. This way they won’t go too mushy in your soup if it sits in your fridge for a few days).
This recipe is very simple to make and makes great leftovers that you can freeze for a rainy day. We love topping ours with hemp hearts for a little extra protein and anti-inflammatory fats.
All the most delicious & nourishing vibes,
Danielle + The HYAF Team
