Nourishing Your Adrenals

The adrenal glands are critical parts of the endocrine system, a group of glands that produce the body's hormones. Nearly every facet of good health is a product of the delicate balance of these hormones. Many things disrupt this balance in today's fast-paced world, namely poor diets, environmental pollutants, and stress. Today I'm sharing how to better understand and care for your adrenal glands by resetting your internal rhythm with nourishing foods and implementing a powerful lifestyle approach.

Adrenal Fatigue = HPA Dysregulation

Before we talk about adrenal fatigue, let's clear up some confusion about the term itself. If you google "tired all the time," you'll probably get adrenal fatigue as a top hit. Some articles say adrenal fatigue is not real; it's a made-up condition. Adrenal fatigue is not a diagnosis in conventional medical terms, but HPA axis dysregulation (HPA) is. HPA stands for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. When we talk about adrenal fatigue, we're really talking about HPA axis dysregulation. They're mostly the same thing, but It's important to realize that HPA axis dysregulation is the correct term and gives you the bigger picture of what's going on.

Your Body On Stress

When we perceive a situation as challenging or threatening, the brain initiates a cascade of events involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is the primary driver of the stress response. This action results in an increase in cortisol referred to as the "stress hormone." Making cortisol is entirely biologically appropriate; it's something your body is designed to do. Are you running away from a bear? Prepping for an interview? You need that cortisol. But modern-day, everyday stress is where the problem comes in. The constant pressure has a significant impact on your HPA axis. Add in yo-yo dieting, over-eating, under-eating, poor sleep, traffic, loss of a loved one, and money problems, all of which are stressful on your body. Your HPA axis gets activated to the point where it starts to stop responding to the activation signal. You and your cellular receptors become less sensitive to the effects of cortisol and become cortisol resistant. The final stage ends up becoming what's called HPA axis dysfunction or burnt-out adrenals. Phew! So that's a brief behind the scenes biology lesson on how the body reacts when we get stressed out and a basic overview of what adrenal fatigue is.

Test Don't Guess

Testing your adrenal function is beneficial because you can see precisely where your cortisol levels are, morning, afternoon, and evening. You can test your cortisol levels with a salivary test from a lab. Two lab tests that I like are Labrix and DUTCH Plus. A healthcare practitioner can help guide you with their interpretation. Cortisol is ideally highest in the morning when you wake and lowest in the evening. If your cortisol is wonky, you may have low levels in the morning or get that "tired but wired" feeling at night.

Food Rehab for Adrenal Support

Cortisol plays a significant role in digestion, cravings, circadian rhythm, blood sugar, and blood pressure. When cortisol is out of balance, you are more susceptible to overeat, drink coffee and wine, have disrupted sleep, and gain weight. Chronically high cortisol slows metabolism. It does this by affecting thyroid hormone levels, creating inflammation, and inducing cravings (mostly for sugar), thus creating a big metabolic mess.

So what are nutritional tips for supporting adrenal health?

Find your sweet spot with food intake Over-eating, under-eating, eating too many refined carbs, or not having enough carbs are hard on your adrenals!

Dial-in your unique carb tolerance Experiment with how many and types of carbs you can eat while keeping your hormones in balance. The goal is to discover how much and what kind of food is best for your biochemistry. Generally speaking, carbs should make up 35-45 percent of calories, most of which should come from veggies, beans, low glycemic fruit, and intact whole grains. That translates to around 75-90 grams of carbs per day for adults who exercise under an hour per day. The best carbs to eat are fiber-rich and burn the most slowly, like leafy greens, broccoli, black beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and berries. Here are a few other vital things to consider:

Balance and Timing Your Macronutrients People with adrenal fatigue tend to have low levels of the hormones that help stabilize blood sugar, especially during fasting or between meals. Balancing each meal or snack with fiber-rich carbs, quality protein, and healthy fat is essential. Shoot for 3-4 meals/eating periods a day to provide slow and steady fuel. Start the day with a protein-rich meal with non-starchy carbs like an egg and spinach omelet or a berry protein smoothie. Save then the starchier carbs (like sweet potatoes or quinoa) later in the day as it often helps with cravings, mental function, focus, and sleep.

Eat Fiber Fiber is the part of carbohydrates we cannot digest and has significant health benefits. It helps us lose weight, removes toxins from our bodies, strengthens our immune system, reduces our risk of developing some cancers, and feeds the healthy bacteria in our intestinal tract. Concerning adrenal fatigue, fiber's most significant role is to help keep blood sugar balanced. A common problem with under-active adrenal glands is low blood sugar, especially between meals or while sleeping. Eating carbohydrate foods high in fiber and healthy fat and protein together at each meal are keys to achieving blood sugar balance.

Limit Disrupting Beverages Too much caffeine and alcohol can wreak havoc with cortisol. I know that eliminating coffee is not realistic for everyone. Still, if you have insomnia or daily agitation, you might want to consider replacing it with tea or limiting your consumption before 9 am. I highly recommend green tea, which has less caffeine and more antioxidants.

Salt If you are adrenal fatigued, you will likely need to honor your craving for salt. Say what? Yes, salt can increase blood pressure but only in the rare few (like 6% of the population), and low blood pressure (hypotension) is a common sign of adrenal fatigue—at all stages. In addition to salt cravings and low blood pressure, people with adrenal fatigue often experience light-headedness when first getting out of bed in the morning, irregular heartbeat, lethargy, muscle weakness, and increased thirst. These are all a result of an imbalance in sodium and other minerals, including potassium and magnesium. Increasing your intake of high-quality sea salt or other natural salts (not iodized table salt) is one way to help restore these imbalances.

Supplements for Adrenal Health

Please don't read an internet article about adrenal fatigue and then buy a bunch of adrenal supplements. I can't stress this enough. People take the wrong supplements for their particular stage of adrenal fatigue all the time. Confirming if you have high or low cortisol can change the way you deal with your symptoms. Testing will ensure the correct supplements for your cortisol patterns.

Vitamin C: Required for adrenal hormone production. I suggest getting a sufficient amount from both food and supplementation. Foods high in vitamin C include papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, and kiwifruit. I often supplement with 1,000-2,000mg a day. Note that too much will cause loose bowels.

Omega 3s: In clinical studies, taking fish oil a day for six weeks, lowered morning cortisol levels to healthier levels. Supplement dosing is between 1,000- 3,000 mg/ day. Foods rich in omega 3s include wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herring, and flaxseed.

Vitamins B3, B5, and B6: Each of these B vitamins is essential in varying quantities throughout the adrenal cascade and in many other processes, from mood to DNA synthesis to energy production. A good B- complex vitamin will support these nutrients.

Magnesium: Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, and 60% of Americans don't get enough. A good dose is between 250 and 400mg daily, taken with food. I recommend magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate if constipated.

Probiotics and prebiotics: Gut health is very connected to adrenal health. If you don't have good gut health, that can lead to HPA axis dysfunction. Mind your microbiome (if you want more info on this, I go into great detail in my book, Nourish Your Tribe).

Adaptogenic herbs or "adaptogens" have been used for centuries to help the body "adapt" to stress. Ashwagandha and Rhodiola have a long history of use in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. These can be wonderfully supportive in reducing anxiety and balancing cortisol.

Licorice One of the most useful herbs for under-active adrenal glands is licorice. Licorice increases circulating cortisol levels until the adrenal glands restore function. Licorice contains glycyrrhizic acid, a compound that stops the body from breaking down cortisol, enhancing stress resistance. It is best taken in the morning.

Lifestyle While food and supportive supplements are critical to healing adrenal fatigue; they will only get you halfway there. You must find strategies to help manage your stress, or else you will not recover fully. Stress is associated with just about every modern chronic disease you can think of, from cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes to autoimmune conditions such as Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis, and even the common cold. I highly recommend that you start prioritizing sleep and find ways to calm your inner spirit. For me, shutting down electronics at night and sticking to a nighttime routine dramatically helps. I also get great benefits from daily guided meditation. There are great apps like Insight Timer, Calm, and Headspace that can offer many different options to fit your schedule. In terms of exercise, endurance cardio can increase cortisol, so try adaptive workouts, such as yoga or pilates, to help lower cortisol. If you're going through a very stressful period, minimizing high-intensity activity while dealing with other stressors can help. It doesn't mean you can never do high-intensity exercise again; it just means you might take a break from it. Listening and honoring your body is the goal. Eating a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet will help you feel better and less stressed. That's you managing your cortisol levels and being kind to your adrenals.

Psssst: These general recommendations are meant to jump-start you in your adrenal healing. I always remind everyone that any significant lab testing and supplement changes should be made under your healthcare provider's care.