The Energy Plan – Nutrition and Lifestyle Cures for ADRENAL FATIGUE!

by Susan Cross | Posted: April 3rd, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Nutrition Plan for healing Adrenal Fatigue!

In my last post (titled, Exhausted, Gaining Weight, This Could Be You), I listed the symptoms of adrenal fatigue and explained how it is an undiagnosed epidemic in our nation. Today, as promised, I’ll be sharing with you, what I call the Energy Plan, a nutritional program to cure your adrenal fatigue and restore your natural energy. Who doesn’t need that???

Nutrition and lifestyle are crucial to healing adrenal fatigue. The body has tremendous wisdom and is always trying to heal itself. Because of this, the cells use up most of the body’s stored nutrients, creating a nutritional void. You must consistently replenish your system with organic super foods each day. Good quality food is the best source for replenishing these lost nutrients, as well as the most accelerated way to heal your adrenals. Eating nutrient empty foods and skipping meals can impair your adrenals, and your overall health GREATLY.

Just about everyone with adrenal fatigue has a blood sugar issue. You need to eat five-six small nutrient-rich meals a day to avoid crashes in your blood sugar and to sustain energy levels.

NUTRITION:
As I mention in many pieces on nutrition, breakfast is your most important meal and it can’t be skipped. If you want to lose weight and boost your metabolism breakfast is non-negotiable. Well this is even more true if your adrenals are fatigued. Food is soon going to become your best friend. As I have also mentioned in prior posts, I have hashimoto’s thyroidism and adrenal fatigue, I have managed to boost my metabolism, lose weight, and restore my health with this program – and food IS my best friend, it can be yours too!

EAT FIVE-SIX MEALS A DAY
Eat when you first wakeup, or certainly within one hour. Now remember, your body isn’t storing nutrients properly so it will use them up quickly. Eat your second meal, or as I call it, your second breakfast two hours later. Your lunch 2-3 hours after that. I promise you will NOT GAIN WEIGHT. In fact, you will soon be losing weight and feeling so much better. I eat breakfast between 6:45 and 7:00am, my second breakfast at 9:00-9:30am, and I always eat lunch by noon, I’ll eat another meal at 2:30-3:00pm and my dinner by 5:30pm. Eating like this also banishes your cravings because your blood sugar doesn’t drop.

WHAT TO EAT:
If you suffer from adrenal fatigue (you probably suffer from thyroid issues too) you need to eat lean protein with every meal. Your diet will become lean protein, lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

PROTEINS:
Lean protein can be found in fish, chicken, turkey, beef, ostrich, buffalo, eggs, nuts, nut butters*, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, kefir, beans, cheese**.
*Nut butters contain good fats, they still have calories and fat but in small portions they are very, very good for you. **Most cheese contain saturated fats so eat very little, feta is a good choice.

SOY:
This is a very confusing topic. Soy is a legume, good for the body right? Not always. Soy is overused and has become an overly processed food. Soy milk for example is highly processed. Think about what it takes for it to go from soy bean to milk! That’s a lot of processing. There is abundant evidence that some of the isoflavones found in soy, including genistein and equol, lead to estrogen toxicity in tissues and in the thyroid. Additionally, isoflavones are inhibitors of the thyroid peroxidase which makes T3 and T4. Inhibition can be expected to generate thyroid abnormalities, including goiter and autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimotos). Many soy beans grown contain GMO’s – we do not currently have GMO warning labels. If you want to have a little soy in your diet, have organic tofu or organic fermented tofu, as in soy or tamari.

VEGETABLES:
It is so much easier getting your eight servings a day than you think. My piece next week will provide a guide on how to do just that. You must eat your veggies each day. I know raw can seem like the best way to go but for many people with adrenal fatigue and thyroid issues, raw isn’t best.. Some of the best vegetables on the planet, with the highest antioxidant content, contain and enzyme called isothiocyanates. This enzyme can impair your thyroid, leaving you feeling even worse. This is why I frown upon juice cleanses for many women. Unbeknownst to them, their adrenals are stressed, the rest of them is stressed, feeling badly about themselves they go on the latest juice craze, and in the long run, they don’t lose weight. It is because of the isothiocyanates rapidly invading their system.. Who knew? If you cook your veggies, this enzyme is inactivated. Isothocyanates are in broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, spinach and kale! Don’t avoid these powerhouse veggies their benefits are tremendous – just lightly steam or sauté them and enjoy!

FRUIT:
Many people trying to get healthy go heavy on the fruits. Fruit is sweet, easy to eat and yummy. We get that. Try to go light on the fruit and incorporate fruits that support adrenals. Also try to buy organic as much as possible. You are healing your body, it is already overburdened with stress, don’t add more toxins! Some amazing fruits for the adrenals are: apples, cherries (very cleansing), kiwi (more vitamin C than oranges!), pears, plums, mango, papaya (more cleansing) and grapes, try for purple since we think it is the resveratrol. Fruit to avoid: oranges, grapefruit, dates, figs, raisins, bananas, strawberries and peaches. I do have half a banana each day.

GOOD FATS/ESSENTIAL FATS:
You must eat good fats if you want optimal health. It transports fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K throughout the body, cushions and protects internal organs, essential fatty acids (EFAs), benefit your heart, metabolism and immune system. Some EFAs are used by the body for structural, hormonal and electrical functions rather than for energy. These EFAs increase metabolic rate and increase fat burn off resulting in loss of weight. Be sure to include olive oil, coconut oil, avacado, nut butters, nuts, flax, chia, hemp seeds, and fatty fish in your diet. Your brain will thank you!

SALT
I get asked this question all the time because of the iodine issue and our thyroid. There has also been so much press about sodium. The sodium that is harmful is the type in processed foods and in fast food, restaurant cooking. The harmful sodium is even in many foods you wouldn’t even imagine – your cereals, cookies and even cottage cheese. The other problem with salt is the caking agents added to keep the salt from sticking together (like in the summer when it gets humid). Use Himalayan sea salt or Celtic salt, these two have wonderful nutrients in them. Many with adrenal fatigue have low blood pressure a using a little sea salt is helpful and always makes those veggies taste better.

WHOLE GRAINS:Whole grains are an excellent source of vitamins, fiber, and they regulate blood glucose. Grains have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and have been proven to reduce the risks of many cancers. The important tip is to make sure you are consuming whole grains. Many brown breads or even wheat breads – are processed wheat with food coloring. Make sure your label says ‘stone ground whole grain’ or has a stamp on the front. Steel cut oats, brown rice, barley, wild rice, bulgar, amaranth, whole rye, quinoa and sorghum are all good choices. While Millet is a whole grain it is not good for people with adrenal/thyroid issues as it is a goitrogen (foods that suppress thyroid function).

SEA VEGGIES:
Sea vegetables have been shown to help heal thyroid, and adrenal issues. They are rich in minerals that the body is lacking. Try adding nori stirps to soups and grains, sprinkling kelp flakes on your meals or rolling up some shrimp and veggies in a big piece of nori – like a hand roll!

RECAP – WHAT TO EAT:
-Eat 5-6 healthy meals a day
-Include protein and vegetables with every meal
-Eat whole grains – but try to eat them only in the morning if trying to lose weight
-If you eat eggs – eat the whole egg for a complete protein
-If you eat beans, eat them with brown rice or quinoa for a complete protein
-Limit your fruit – add it to your power smoothie!
-Incorporate sea vegetables and sea salt into your meals
-Eat your good fats – everyday, every meal
-Lots of clean water, green tea, herbal teas

WHAT YOU NEED TO AVOID:

JUNK IN THE TRUNK – PROCESSED FOODS AND ALL THAT WHITE STUFF…
Because our cortisol levels are often out of balance (cortisol is our stress hormone and adrenal fatigue is a result of stress) the one thing our fatigued bodies crave is the white stuff! Please read my piece on cravings, to find some great substitutes for those white processed foods you many have been filling up on. Just to be clear – this is anything made with sugar and/or white flour: bread, rolls, biscuits, scones, cakes, cookies, donuts, pies, candy bars, processed energy bars, soft drinks, diet soft drinks, juices, cereals, pastas, pizza. Your health goal is to balance your blood sugar, heal your adrenals and regain natural, authentic energy. Processed foods raise your blood sugar, causing an excess insulin release. The excess insulin causes blood sugar levels to crash, leading to hypoglycemic symptoms and more cravings, creating a dangerous cycle.

BAD FATS:
Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils. These are trans-fats, vegetable shortening, margerine and the oils used in non-organic, commercial peanut butters. Aside from clogging your arteries and leading to metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease when you eat foods containing hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats, they disrupt normal fatty acid metabolism in your body. These oils use up the enzymes that normally would be utilized by the good oils to help create high quality cell membranes and nerve sheaths.

FRIED FOODS:
Deep-fried foods are fried in hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats. These foods have the dangers of the bad fats but they also contain toxic free radicals formed by the high temperatures of the cooking oil. The oils break down with heat, and these toxic high-temp oils are rancid and become a carcinogen that can cause oxidative tissue damage throughout the body. Deep fried foods are all french fries, fried chicken, your favorite carnival dough, and all those chicken fingers so many children are eating! Also many restaurants use giant pans of oil to prepare food and often they reuse the same oil over and over again – a complete carcinogen!

COFFEE:
If you want to heal your adrenals you must give up coffee. Coffee wreaks havoc with your already exhausted adrenals. It gives you a jolt of adrenaline, which is what you are trying so hard to balance. Believe me, if there were a way this is ok, I would know about it. My personal recommendation, is quit cold turkey. You will sleep better, have less anxiety, less worry, feel less irritated, and you will soon regain authentic energy. Good-bye jittery, hello healthy.

ALCOHOL:
Alcohol is really poison for the adrenals. It lowers your energy in every way. Please try to avoid any alcohol while healing your adrenals.

Please visit Venus In Balance each day. Next week I will be sharing supplements and lifestyle tips for adrenal fatigue.

As always, remember to feel good!