How to protect your adrenals and your energy!
When everything is swirling around you and the world feels like it has been flipped upside down, how is it possible to keep finding your centre through the storm, and to keep your energy and adrenal glands buoyant?
These small but powerful glands that sit above your kidneys, like eagles on their perch, have a big task on their hands in a world that is set to drive the body to exhaustion.
But if it is health you're seeking, you will need to learn to protect the adrenal glands like fort knox!
Like the liver, the adrenals have a major role to play in many aspects of health, producing hormones that help you to regulate the stress response, the immune system, blood pressure, blood sugar management and hormonal balance.
Unbeknownst to most, the adrenals produce most of the female reproductive hormones, oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, which means that adrenal health has a direct impact on a woman’s libido, capacity to conceive, and overall balance of hormones.
When the adrenals are tired and functioning erratically, you may experience symptoms of low energy, trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, hoarse voice, digestive issues, constipation, depression, insomnia, crashing in the day and waking up at night, overwhelm, postpartum fatigue and depression, low libido and hormonal imbalances.
Adrenal fatigue is very real. It is symptom of our times and over 80% of us will experience bouts of it multiple times over throughout our lifetime.
LEARNING TO NURTURE THE ADRENALS
The question is, is there a way to live in this world without being in a perpetual state of fight or flight? How do we nurture these precious glands, in order to move from endless fatigue to a more balanced state of harmonious energy?
The short answer is YES, there is a way!
STEP 1 is to recognise the addiction to your own adrenaline.
Believe it or not, adrenaline is our number one drug of choice and mostly we don’t even know it. Coffee, alcohol, drugs and stimulants all produce huge amounts of adrenaline, which is ultimately the root of addiction. But we can also become addicted to adrenaline sports or operating in daily life at high-speed. Becoming aware of your own addiction to adrenaline is the first step to breaking it.
STEP 2 is to graze.
In order to keep the adrenals from pumping out stress hormones there needs to be a steady flow of glucose coming in. When you go more than one and a half to two hours with no food, blood sugar begins to drop and the adrenals are forced to get involved. Depending on the severity of the adrenal symptoms, grazing every 1 to 2 hours is needed both for prevention and healing.
STEP 3 is glucose saturation
The body runs primarily on glucose, alongside mineral salts. If you don’t have enough glucose reserves in the liver (most people don’t) and you’re not grazing every 1 to 2 hours, this sets the stage for blood sugar imbalances, hypoglycaemia and insulin resistance.
The key to healing the adrenals is to keep them out of the picture through regular grazing and by flooding the body with the right kind of glucose to build up the liver’s glucose reserves.
ADRENAL SNACKING
When it comes to grazing, there is a way to do it and a way NOT to! For example, eating high fat foods such as lots of nuts and nut butters or animal foods is not helpful, as it burdens the liver and puts more pressure on the adrenals.
Instead, combining foods that are high in glucose, sodium and potassium, as well as being low in fats, nurtures the adrenals and feeds the liver. A good example is to combine apple (glucose), celery (sodium) and dates (potassium), feeding the body the right ratio of glucose and mineral salts in one hit!
You can find the full list of Medical Medium adrenal snacks here.
As we move into the winter months, your adrenals need rest and recuperation. Warming broths, sea vegetables, clean carbohydrates (potatoes, fruit, raw honey, coconut water) and low fats are what will best nurture these glands and prepare you to burst into action when spring comes around once again.
Wishing you much love, health & happiness.
Rebecca
KEY HEALING FOODS FOR ADRENALS AND BLOOD SUGAR BALANCE
Sprouts
Asparagus
Broccoli
Kale
Wild blueberries
Bananas
Raspberries
Red apples
Garlic
Romaine lettuce
Sea vegetables
Healing Broth
Black beans