Adrenaline and blood sugar management – the key to good health

If you can manage these two critical components of your health, you are on the right road. Why? Because the overall health of the body is reliant on these two aspects being in balance. 

But we are up against it. We live in an era where technological advancement and addiction to caffeine fuel a faster, than ever, paced lifestyle. This means our bodies have to cope with more adrenaline, which directly impacts how our blood sugar functions.  So, how do we keep these two in balance and what happens when they’re out of balance?

The body’s ‘fight or flight’ stress response was meant for the rare occasion. A genius evolutionary protective mechanism, imparted to each of us, that mobilises the body to respond to stressful situations by pumping out adrenaline and glucose, so that we can act fast. But this has become a continuous phenomenon for most people. In fact, most people have become numb to the fact that they are constantly stressed, as they don’t know what it feels like to operate without a constant stream of adrenaline.

And the outcome? The outcome is detrimental to our health – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Not only do the adrenal glands become fatigued from continuously pumping adrenaline, but also with large amounts of glucose being mobilised into the bloodstream, what goes up must come down. And this rollercoaster effect of blood sugar, along with the corrosive effects of adrenaline, contributes to a whole array of health conditions from adrenal fatigue, to diabetes, to hair loss, to despair, to addictions, to a weakened liver, not to mention the driving of chronic illness, as adrenaline is a direct fuel for the pathogens that are at the root cause of chronic illness to begin with.

What’s more, if the body’s glucose stores are not replenished quickly enough with the right foods, a vicious cycle of glucose depletion is established, leading to cravings for stimulants (anything that produces adrenaline) and endless fatigue, with one feeding the other.

So how do we manage this affair that affects us all? Here are 3 key steps you can take:

1)    Acknowledge the presence of adrenaline addiction and feel it within your own body.

2)    Choose foods that heal and support your blood sugar and health, especially those that replenish glucose stores such as fruits, raw honey, coconut water and sweet potatoes.

3)    Graze. This might be the opposite of what you have learned, but by grazing every couple of hours on foods that replenish glucose and mineral salts, we prevent the adrenals from pumping out adrenaline. Whether you realise it or not, by going hours in between meals, your blood sugar drops and adrenaline is pumped into the bloodstream. It is this adrenaline that keeps you going, rather than it being pure available energy. Over time, this depletes the adrenals resulting in fatigue and the vicious cycle of needing stimulants just to function.

4)    Eat appropriate snacks that combine glucose, potassium and sodium, for example:

a.     Celery sticks, dates, apples

b.     Sweet potato, kale, lemon

c.     Avocado, orange, spinach

d.     Coconut water, banana, spinach

e.     Apple, cauliflower, cucumber

Remember that without your health you are stuck! Your health is everything, as it enables every other area of your life to function. Learn not to fall prey to the seductive illusions of adrenaline, instead learn to safeguard your blood sugar at all costs.

Wishing you much love, health and happiness

Rebecca