9 Ways to Heal Adrenal Fatigue
Now that you know what adrenal fatigue is and some of the underlying factors, let’s learn about how you can heal! Here are 9 ways to support your adrenals and start to heal the root cause.
Balance Your Blood Sugar
When your blood sugar is unstable, this triggers an insulin spike and creates excess stress on the body, causing your adrenal glands to overproduce the stress hormone, cortisol. Work on balancing blood sugar levels by consuming adequate amounts of protein, fibre and fat, reducing snacking, getting 8 hours of sleep and avoiding refined carbohydrates, sugary foods, drinks and alcohol.
Quit Coffee
When you’re trying to heal adrenal fatigue, coffee is not your friend. The goal is to decrease the amount of stress on the adrenals, and coffee will do just the opposite by increasing cortisol levels.
Don’t Shy Away from Fat
Your hormones are made from fat, so the last thing you want to do is avoid it! The body uses cholesterol and omega-3 fatty acids to produce hormones, lower inflammation levels, decrease pain and support a healthy stress response.
Be sure to consume a variety of nuts and seeds like walnuts, pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts, choose fatty fish like wild-caught salmon or sardines and include other sources of fat such as coconut oil, olives and avocados. In addition to dietary fats, supplementing with an omega-3 is ideal to ensure adequate essential fatty acid intake and to help calm inflammation.
Get Enough Quality Protein
Amino acids from protein are also building blocks for hormones, so getting enough protein is essential. The quality of your protein matters though, so opt for natural sources whenever possible, such as organic, grass-fed beef or bison, and pasture-raised chicken and eggs.
Feed Your Adrenals with Mineral-Rich Foods
Adding himalayan or celtic sea salt to your food is a great way to boost your mineral intake. You can also add in natural seaweeds like dulse, nori or kelp, which are rich in magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and iodine.
It’s Always Best to Test
Every person is unique and testing your hormone levels helps give you and us an accurate picture of the underlying issues, including whether you have adrenal fatigue, and helps us plan the best course of action. Here at Winnipeg Nutrition we use salivary and urine hormone testing for the most accurate look into your hormones. Once we see your results, we can design a plan specific to your needs
Get on a Quality Adrenal Support
There are many options when it comes to supplements for adrenal support, and depending on what your unique labs show, we can choose the best option for you. Certain nutrients such as B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D3, magnesium and omega-3s help the body deal with stress and can be essential when healing adrenal fatigue.
Consider Intermittent Fasting
This should be done very gradually and under proper guidance by your health professional, but intermittent fasting can be an excellent tool for balancing hormones over time. Going shorter periods of time without eating, such as 12-16 hours, can help balance insulin, lower inflammation levels and support elimination of toxins and other stressors like underlying hidden infections.
Slow down & Rest More
This is usually the suggestion that most people don’t want to hear, but it’s a key factor in healing adrenal fatigue. Finding ways to slow down a little, giving yourself grace, sleeping more and earlier and changing your view of stress are important ways to support your hormones. Your lifestyle contributed to where you are today, but it’s going to help you heal also. Healing takes time, so be patient!
Asher Kleiber
Registered Holistic Nutritionist
