The first step to calming your adrenal glands is to at least have an idea of the top foods to avoid with adrenal fatigue.
The term adrenal fatigue is not fully understood. It is not a medically diagnosable and treatable illness, unlike adrenal insufficiency or Addison’s disease.
Adrenal fatigue is a phrase used to describe a set of chronic symptoms of physical and emotional depletion or tiredness especially during/after a period of intense stress.
The theory is that the body sees that you are under so much stress that it makes the adrenal glands pump out adrenaline (which is a hormone released when the body senses that it is in danger).
This release of too much adrenaline takes a toll on the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys.
The adrenal glands can become depleted, forcing the body to start extracting energy from other hormones like cortisol (primary stress hormone) and progesterone (a main female reproductive hormone).
All this activity can make the whole body can become worn-out, causing adrenal fatigue symptoms.
Some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue experienced by people include:
- Feeling extremely tired for no reason
- Having a hard time going to sleep
- Having a hard time waking up, when you do go to sleep
- Feeling anxious all the time for no reason
- Having brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- Lightheadedness when standing up
- Feeling deenergized everyday yet the day has barely begun
- Gaining a muffin top or fat around your middle which you never had before
- Losing clumps of hair
- Losing the hair on your outer eyebrows
- Craving a lot of sugar and salt
- Loss of libido
- Not being able to exercise often or as hard as you used to
- Feeling sick or like you’re going to get a cold
- And more
List of Foods to Avoid with Adrenal Fatigue
Now let’s look at some of the foods to avoid with adrenal fatigue.
Note: It doesn’t mean you can completely cut out everything at once. You can try an elimination diet, seeing which particular food groups give you the most trouble and avoid them or restrict them.
1. White Sugar
There’s something about eating too much white sugar. Actually, there’s a lot:
For one, a high intake of sugar can contribute to nutrient deficiencies by depleting or reducing the absorption) of certain vitamins and minerals.
Secondly, consuming lot of sugar in the long-run contributes to low hormonal imbalance of estrogen and cortisol in the body.
Use natural sweeteners like agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar and others.
2. Alcohol
Even if you don’t have any health issues, you already know too much of alcohol is a bad thing. In fact, overconsumption of alcohol can lead to worse problems than adrenal fatigue in the long run.
Alcohol, first of all, is a stimulant which makes people crave it to wind-down. It has simple carbohydrates since it contains malt and these set off insulin to high levels quickly, causing the body to put stress on body organs including the adrenal glands.
3. Coffee
Coffee is another stimulant that when over consumed long-term can exhaust the adrenal system.
What makes it bad for the adrenals is its caffeine content which is a CNS (central nervous system) stimulant that provides quick surges of energy.
A moderate amount such as a cup or two a day cannot have a bad effect on adrenal function. But too much can lead to symptoms like heart palpitations, trembling, insomnia, headaches and dehydration.
The caffeine in coffee is also shown to increase the production of norepinephrine and epinephrine in the adrenal glands, which may cause adrenal fatigue.
4. Soy
Even if you don’t drink soy milk, soy is an ingredient found in most processed and packed foods. Just take a look at the ingredients list.
Soy is a natural phytoestrogen which means it can mimic estrogen found in the body. Too much estrogen is a bad thing because it causes hormonal imbalance issues in the body leading to weight gain, slow metabolism, low moods, and exhaustion.
Also, soy is an endocrine disruptor. Consuming too many soy products inhibits the absorption of an important nutrient in our bodies: iodine. That’s why people who are suspected to have adrenal fatigue crave salt in their diet. Low iodine can also lead to thyroid disorders.
5. GMO Foods
GMO is Genetically Modified Organisms. GM foods are basically products that contain DNA altered animal/plant ingredients. They are mainly factory produced and created in a lab. GMO foods don’t occur naturally.
Many crops are genetically modified such as corn and corn is found in many products under the disguise of high fructose corn syrup, an artificial sweetener.
Avoid GMO foods because they make the body go haywire by unbalancing hormones and disrupting normal functioning of organs like the adrenal glands.
Other Foods to Avoid with Adrenal Fatigue
- Hydrogenated oils
- Refined carbohydrates
- Canned soups
- Foods with artificial preservatives and food color
- Diet soda/drinks
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