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7 Ways to Rebalance Your Adrenal Glands at Every Meal
7 Ways to Rebalance Your Adrenal Glands at Every Meal
Our adrenal glands may be tiny, but they have powerful abilities to affect how we feel each day. You may have heard of the terms, “adrenal burn-out” or “adrenal fatigue”, which mean that the adrenal glands have been pushed beyond their daily limits.
Normally, they process stress-related hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline to help regulate the body. During times of intense stress, your adrenals pump out these hormones to help your body respond and not just crash and burn. For instance, when you’re in a state of panic or trouble, your adrenals kick into action. However, the problem occurs if the glands start to do this when you’re not in real danger. For example, maybe you consistently feel stressed, no matter what you do to calm down. Or maybe every little thing overwhelms you; the smallest things stress you out and make your nerves go haywire.
When this occurs, it’s time to care for your adrenals and get your body back into balance. First, prioritize sleep. Most people with adrenal fatigue suffer insomnia, so look into taking magnesium before bed or a natural homeopathic supplement such as Calms Forte, which can both help you rest and don’t have any negative side effects. Make getting 8 hours of sleep your new goal no matter what, because no other treatment will work if you’re not getting enough rest.
Next, be sure you’re not overdoing it when you exercise. Some exercises can help with adrenal gland health, like walking and yoga, for example. These lower stress hormones and improve the anti-stress neurotransmitter in the brain known as GABA, an amino acid your body produces when you’re calm and relaxed. Overexercising stresses the body, even if it makes you feel good in the moment. Give yourself permission to stop those intense training sessions until you get your hormones balanced again.
Next, it’s time to turn to your diet. A diet high in stress-inducing chemicals, sugars and certain other substances directly affect your adrenal glands and can disrupt your sleep, hormone function, weight and mood.
Let’s take a look at seven things you can do right now to improve your meals to support your adrenals.
1. Start With Whole Foods
A no-brainer, but still one that must be said--whole foods are essential to healthy hormones and an overall healthy diet. It’s nearly impossible to balance your stress hormones when you eat processed foods, because just digesting these foods puts a great deal of stress on your system. The best foods for your adrenals are natural, organic, whole foods. Sugar, even if natural, directly assaults the adrenal glands as do refined grains . Highly processed food is also high in refined salt which taxes the adrenals; sea salt on the other hand is actually helpful because it retains all the raw minerals you need--magnesium, potassium, sodium and other necessary electrolytes. So remember, always choose whole foods at all your meals, or at least eliminate sugar and refined grains from your diet. Maximize your greens intake and you’ll automatically crave unhealthy options because greens are so rich in nutrition and bring balance to the body.
2. Ditch the Caffeine
Next, work on reducing the caffeine until you can ditch it completely. Caffeine makes the adrenal glands pump out more cortisol and adrenaline. If you love coffee, try drinking a roasted cocoa bean beverage instead; it's caffeine-free and similar in taste, or try a Chaga mushroom tea, which provides a host of benefits for the body. Green herbal teas are the best option, because they contain healing and calming properties. Plain water with lemon and ginger is naturally rejuvenating in the morning and healing to the body.
3. Eat B Vitamin-Rich Foods
B vitamins help you cope with stress and also provide energy. Do your best to get your B vitamins from whole foods first, but then take a plant-based B complex supplement if needed. Vitamin B12 is essential to healthy hormones, brain function, red blood cell function, and overall health; plant-based foods don't always supply the daily recommended amount.
4. Use Healing Spices and Herbs
Healing spices and herbs can help the body deal with stress. They can also heal the immune system which takes a hit during times of adrenal burnout. Some of the best include: ginger, turmeric, oregano, garlic, thyme, peppermint, spearmint, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander. Use these in and on most of your meals; some of them even come in the form of herbal teas as another option.
5. Stop When You’re Full, but Eat Enough to Stay Satisfied
Overeating also causes undue stress to the body; it slows down digestion, which can make you feel even more exhausted. Eat in a calm place. Eat your breakfast at home, not in the car. Eat dinner away from the television and focus on your meal instead. Eating in a mindful state does wonders for your hormones, digestion and your overall levels of stress. All of this will support your adrenals and help you achieve more balance.
6. Eat at Regular Intervals
While portion control and mindfulness are also important, so is not skipping meals. If you’re not hungry when you wake up, that’s okay. Wait an hour, but try not to wait more than that. It’s never smart to head off to work without something healthy in your stomach, nor is it helpful to your stress levels. And please — don’t skip lunch. That’s asking for low blood sugar and intense stress levels later in the afternoon. Your body needs food at regular intervals, and you’ll feel much less stressed when you honour that by giving it real foods on a consistent basis throughout the day.
7. Don’t Eat Right Before Bed
Finally, try not to eat and then go right to bed. It takes three hours for food to be digested after you eat, and the body can not rest and digest properly at the same time. Both rest and digestion suffer when you go right to bed after a meal, putting an unnecessary strain on the body.
There you have it. If your body is feeling the stress, don't reach for a chocolate bar or a soda. Head to a peaceful cafe offering wholesome, plant-based foods, like the ones featured on http://KindMeal.my.
Source: http://goo.gl/1lSfP7
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