Are you a young Mom feeling too tired to enjoy your beautiful family?! You may have 1 , 2 , 3 or more little ones under 5 yrs and you drag yourself out of bed each morning and only wish you had a babysitter during the day so you could just take a nap, you get yourself through the busy day with coffee and fall exhausted into bed and really don’t achieve much of a restful sleep, you often feel teary through the day and don’t even know why and you’ve even gone to your GP for some help and advice only to be recommended antidepressants to help you get through this difficult time. If this is you? I can totally relate because it was me when my kids were little and I fixed it (naturally) and so can you - the cause can be any one of many things, but this is one of the top reasons - you may have adrenal fatigue. I am working with a lot with people with fatigue at the moment and it is important for us to understand that our adrenal glands have a huge impact on the way we feel. What’s the best way to keep your body functioning at its best? Eat healthy foods full of the essential nutrients your body needs. Food is, after all, the best medicine we have! A diet filled with whole, organic foods can help support your body and prevent any number of illnesses. Some foods are especially helpful in healing overtaxed adrenal glands. Others are best avoided to keep those adrenals healthy in the first place! When I had 3 small children I was extremely fatigued and diagnosed with depression. It was hard to only want to sleep all day with 3 very active children. I later found it was linked with stress and burnt out adrenals and numerous other things such as Leaky Gut and food allergies. What Are My Adrenal Glands and How Do They Impact My Health? Your adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys. These triangular shaped glands are small, but have large responsibilities. They produce essential hormones that impact many of your body’s functions, including metabolism and regulating the stress response. When the hormones produced by your adrenal glands are out of balance, your health can suffer. Low levels can cause chronic fatigue, weight loss, muscle weakness, lack of appetite and abdominal pain, irritability, joint pain, irregular periods, and low blood pressure. When levels are too high, symptoms include obesity in the upper body, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and excess hair growth in women. What exactly is Adrenal Fatigue? Adrenal fatigue is a term used to describe what happens when your adrenals can’t keep hormones balanced. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to heal your adrenal glands if they aren’t functioning as they should. The first step is paying attention to what you are eating! Previously I shared 5 food/drinks best to avoid – especially when you need to heal. Now I will discuss my 4 top foods that are particularly good for supporting your adrenals: 1. Pumpkin (and Other) Seeds - Seeds are chock full of minerals, particularly magnesium, which can help you sleep, thus reducing stress. As I’ve said many times, stress reduction is a key element in keeping your adrenal glands healthy. Seeds are also high in B vitamins, vitamin E, and omega-6 fatty acids. 2. Sea Salt - Salt has a bit of a bad reputation, and I think that’s unfortunate! While processed foods with excessive sodium aren’t good for you (for a whole lot of reasons), high-quality sea salt can help you rid toxins from your body. Toxins like mercury, lead, and arsenic can be stored in fat, increasing inflammations and taxing the adrenal glands. Of course, anyone with hypertension, kidney disease, or heart disease shouldn’t consume extra salt without talking to their doctor first. 3. Sardines (and Other Fatty Fish) - Sardines are great because, as a small fish lower down the food chain, they are far less likely to be contaminated with toxins that will make your adrenal problems worse, not better. Fatty fish in general is a great addition to your diet because of the omega-3 fatty acids they contain. So if you don’t like sardines, opt for wild-caught salmon, or mackerel. 4. Vegetables (Just Avoid the Starchy Ones) - Vegetables are so important, I can’t choose just one for this list. The more variety you get in the vegetables you choose, the more nutrients you’ll get. And those nutrients can keep your blood sugar regulated, reduce inflammation, and nourish your adrenal glands. Starchy vegetables will impact your blood sugar levels, so stick to other options – like carrots, celery, and dark leafy greens. Have at least one serving of vegetables at each meal, and try to add them to snacks as well. Leafy greens are great in smoothies! Don’t undo all your hard work by forgetting to be attentive to foods best avoided as discussed in my previous post. Even in the best of circumstances, it’s hard to give your body all the nutrients it needs in the food you eat alone. Industrial farming practices have diminished the nutrients present in the food you get from most supermarkets. If you’re battling hormonal imbalances and nutrient deficiencies, you might need a little help. I recommend that everyone take a high-quality multivitamin and EPA/DHA support. I can recommend some wonderful supplements for this. For severe symptoms, you may need a supplement to help balance cortisol levels. Food can both taste great and help you heal if you know what vitamins and minerals your body might need. The foods we consume can impact energy levels, sleep, your stress response, and inflammation. When you change your diet, you can change the way you feel. If you’ve been eating poorly for a long time, it will take time to notice the changes. But once you know which foods to avoid, and which you should be eating plenty of, you’re on the right path. I think you’ll find that you will feel so good, you won’t want to eat any other way! As I am working to improve several exhausted clients at the moment, I developed an exclusive “Fix Your Fatigue” program which will certainly put you on the path of better health. If you would like to learn more, feel free to comment below or directly message me or 0438 112 050. I have designed this program to teach people what I did to improve my health for the long-term. Please reach out to me - I would love to help you and therefore your family! Stayed tuned for some delicious recipes in favour of supporting your adrenal health, Maria X
