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

How to Heal Your Adrenal Fatigue with Prayer

I hear this frustration over and over in our community…questioning if healing from adrenal fatigue is actually possible. I remember feeling the same way, hopeless and discouraged for years… having so many health issues and not getting any answers from doctors. I started to believe this was my life, the cards I was dealt…and I was just going to have to live with it for the rest of my life. I was desperately asking, praying for healing, but it didn’t work. Can you relate?

If so, then I know what I’m going to share with you today, will serve you - because I'm going to share the secrets of prayer I have learned, that helped me open up the floodgates to healing. We are not alone. There are greatest forces working for you and with you. So how do you tap into that and use it for healing?

Once I applied the secrets I’m about to teach you to my prayer, something remarkable happened – beyond what I thought was possible – answers started to come. I started running into people that gave me advice (just when I needed to hear it) or referred me to someone that was crucial to my recovery process. I started to feel and see results for the first time in years.

You can watch the video below or continue reading:

It didn’t happen overnight, but pretty darn close. After years of suffering, I was FINALLY symptom-free and feeling better than I had in years - all within 6 months of my stage 3 adrenal fatigue diagnosis. Are you ready to learn these secrets? The secret to prayer is in HOW you ask.

Choose your words wisely.

When you pray, use words that focus on what you want…rather than what you don’t want. Nix phrases like “I NEED TO” or “I HAVE TO”, “I NEVER…”  Instead of focusing on the pain you’re experiencing in the moment, focus on the health, the energy, the life you desire. When you practice this, it does several things -  First, your words and thoughts about your condition turn from negative to neutral, at the very least. At best, they shift to more positive ones. This gets you in the mindset of - not IF I will heal, but WHEN I will heal. Second, you’re tapping into the feeling that healing and great health is already present in your life…bringing in the feeling of hope and that will improve your mood. This leads me to my second key element of effective prayer and that is

Raising your vibration.

The energetic vibration or frequency you are putting out into the world when you pray is so important. Why? Because we are energetic beings, so what energy we put out into the world comes back to us. It's science. So, a way to guarantee your vibration is high during prayer - and 100x more powerful - is to make sure your words and emotions come from a place of curiosity, gratitude and excitement rather than of desperation and fear.

If you remember nothing else from what I’m sharing, remember this. The key to manifesting anything is FEELING as often as you can, as if you already have what you desire.  So, if you’re not getting what you want no matter how bad you WANT it or how hard you’ve been trying, try using these secrets for yourself. You can start doing this right away.

Let me give you some examples of what this all looks like…These examples will help you shift your words during prayer and help you to understand the difference in the energetic vibration or frequency of your words. As you read these statements notice how you feel…

Dear Divine/God/Universe,

“I’m so over this. I’m sick of feeling this way. Why is this happening to me?”  “Please, please heal me, I can’t take this anymore.”

And

Dear Divine/God/Universe,

“What would it take for me to heal my body and have great health?” “I am so excited for when I can wake up in the morning feeling rested. For when I have endless energy, I can really LIVE my LIFE” “I am so grateful for the health that is coming my way right now. Thank you thank you.”

Can you feel a difference? Leave me a comment below and let me know.
Honestly, I use this type of prayer every day, multiple times a day.

You can start practicing this too. When you find yourself feeling sorry for yourself (no shame here, we all do it). Stop and send out a prayer of gratitude for the health that is already coming to you, right now. Then come back and let me know how it went by leaving a comment below. If you’re ready to use prayer more effectively to transform your health and your life, go ahead download my How to Prayer for Healing guide NOW!

As you practice this form of prayer you will notice shifts in your thoughts. You will feel happier. You will also see a shift in how your body functions. Trust you are supported. You are loved. And most importantly trust healing is possible and it’s on its way TO YOU right now.

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

Supporting Adrenal Fatigue with Supplements: 3 Common Mistakes

In a perfect world, there would be a magic pill to help us recover from adrenal fatigue instantly.

In the fast paced world we live in, this is something many are searching for.. and in attempt to support and repair their adrenals, many spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on natural health products.

Here at HealYourAdrenalFatigue.com (HYAF), we are big proponents of a holistic approach to recovery.
The truth is that though in some cases a major trauma can fatigue the adrenals very quickly, for the majority, the path to burnout has been a slow and steady build over a longer period of time.  Of course, we each have a different story, but my point is that when it comes to adrenal recovery-- there is no magic pill and it can take a while for things to come back into balance. 

There is no magic pill. 

Even though there is no quick fix, supplements can be a wonderful way to help support and nourish a depleted body. They can be a helpful tool to incorporate into your holistic recovery plan.

Today, I'm excited to share with you some supplement tips and tricks to optimize their effects and also, to highlight some of the common mistakes I see occurring all the time with our clients in practice. 

Mistake #1: absorption is hindered by gut health issues

I see this all the time, people with all sorts of adrenal fatigue symptoms taking various supplements in tablet, capsule or soft gel form. 
I'm not saying that this in itself is a bad thing, but many AF sufferers struggle with the integrity of their intestinal health, hence all the digestive issues we experience.
To maximize the bang for your buck, you want to make sure that you're able to breakdown, absorb and metabolize the supplements you are taking. Makes sense right? 

Recommendation: acknowledge gut health situation and start there first

When considering starting a supplement plan, first check-in with your gut health. How has your digestion/elimination been lately?
If you suspect this needs attention, then I recommend starting with some gut health focused supplements and dietary tweaks first.
Examples:

• Have a glass of lemon water before meals

• Focus on chewing food very well to take stress of the digestive process

• Supplementing L-Glutamine Powder (5 grams mixed with a glass of water before bed) to help with repair of the intestinal lining

• Digestive Enzymes (take with each meal to help with breakdown and absorption)

• Try taking a combination powder supplement that helps restore gastrointestinal integrity such as this one.

• If you are anxious to add some sort of adrenal support to the mix, you could start lightly with some ashawaghanda root powder, which you can add to smoothies, chia puddings, elixirs and more.

Mistake #2:Not using the right type of supplement for your stage of adrenal fatigue

This is another big one. We can easily read suggestions and success stories on forums of Facebook groups from others who have or are struggling with adrenal fatigue, but every body is different and the stage of adrenal fatigue you are in makes a big difference in the way that natural compounds (like certain herbs and glandulars) behave. The way you want these compounds to behave will depend on what your cortisol picture looks like.   For instance, if you find struggle to get out of bed in the morning (a sign that your cortisol is too low when it is supposed to be high), then you will want to avoid herbal formulas that are created to help reduce cortisol.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you're tired but wired at night, it could mean your cortisol level is too high when it should be low-- and using adaptogenic herbs of stimulatory nature at this time can actually exacerbate this issue.  Certain adaptogenic herbs like maca, panax ginseng, licorice and holy basil have their time and place, but when used at the wrong stage of burnout can result in a completely opposite reaction to what was desired in the first place. This is because they stimulate a cortisol boost which is not good for over active adrenals or adrenals that are burnt-out. 

Recommendation: Know your stage or start with simple nutrients instead of herbs

I recommend professional testing to get a baseline of where your adrenals are at and clear insight on what's going on hormonally. Though an investment up front, this will take out the guessing component and help you create a plan that is specific and tailored to your needs. If I had done this from the get go when I was struggling, I would of saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars that I spent experimenting with different supplements. Working with a professional can make all the difference in selecting the right supplements, at the right doses for your body, to help you see and feel the results of your recovery efforts more effectively. 

If you'd rather not get tested or if you just want to start somewhere, then I recommend opting for basic co-founding nutrients that the body can use (and needs to use) in any stage of adrenal fatigue. 
Examples:

• Magnesium

• Vitamin C

• B-complex (especially B5 and B6)

• Zinc

Mistake #3: doing too much at once

Being over zealous and going out and purchasing a whole bunch of different products and superfoods at one time can be over stimulating for the body. 
Without understanding what to take, how and in what form to take it, and at what dose you should take it in, can actually impede your recovery and in some cases, when taking too much of something at the wrong time, even make things worse.  This can occur for instance, if you are over stimulating your adrenals in the early stages of adrenal fatigue when they are already in over drive, or again in the later stages when they are burnt out. 

When you jump into taking numerous sorts of adrenal support at once, it's hard to tell which is causing which benefit/reaction you may be experiencing and the truth is, when you start taking something new, your probably won't notice any benefit for at least 2 weeks. 

Recommendation: Start start slow

I know I've said it before, but for best results, I will have to recommend working with a professional. The time, money and guess work it will spare you is truly significant.
I know you though, you're antsyin the meantime right? Wondering what you can do right now?  If you're wanting to start somewhere today then I recommend considering the tips I have laid out above, and starting with one herbal or adrenal nutrient complex formula that makes sense for you. I encourage you to do your research. 

By starting slow,  you can pay close attention to how your body feels and how it feels with what you have added. 

Example: After checking in with your gut health and determining what stage of adrenal fatigue you are in, you can start with a one adrenal focused herbal or glandular supplement/formula and see how you feel while on it. 

• Start with co-factor nutrients as mentioned above or an adrenal formula that includes these nutrients along with some sort of adaptogenic properties

  • ake note of certain symptoms you are experiencing and gauge them between 1 and 10 so you can look back and see how these change after taking the supplement for a few weeks. For example, you can note questions like the following:

    • How tired are you in the morning on a scale of 1 to 10?

    • How tired are you in the afternoon at 3:00 on a scale of 1 to 10?

    • How wired are you in the evening on a scale of 1 to 10?

• Re-assess after 3 weeks and see how things are going

• Remember that with the adrenals finding the right support for you can be very much a trial and error process, this is enhanced by the fact that as your support your body in "adapting" to stress and situations with "adaptogenic herbs", that sometimes they adapt to the supplements you are taking. On this note, adrenal support formulas need to be monitored and assessed and re-interpreted fairly regularly to help keep them effective. We recommend sticking with some sort of adrenal supportive supplement regimen for at least 3 months when it comes to working towards recovery, and if further support is needed after 3 months you can re-asses and re-structure the regimen as needed.

Supplements can be confusing in general on a good day, but throw something complicated like adrenal fatigue into the mix and it seems like it gets a whole lot more complicated doesn't it?  I made you a quick guide to help bring more clarity on how to use supplements to support adrenal fatigue effectively (and safely).   I hope this brings a If you have yet to be tested and want to start supporting your adrenals with supplements- this list of herbs and nutrients that you can use in the various stages of adrenal fatigue are all laid out for you in the guide below! 

As I mentioned, though this is just one part of the recovery puzzle it can be a great help and an awesome support to the rest of your self care and recovery steps. 
I have seen clients eating all the right food and taking all the right supplements, but not progressing with their recovery at the level that they were hoping because of the fact that they were neglecting the mindfulness component and self-care in other areas. The needs and care each body needs is unique, just like us. 

Wishing you all the best on your path to recovery and if you have a supplement that has absolutely been a life saver along your recovery journey, please share it in the comments below along with what stage of adrenal fatigue you used it in. 

All the best,
Danielle

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING ANY SUPPLEMENT PROTOCOL OR MAKING ANY CHANGES