Foods To Avoid With Adrenal Fatigue

Human life these days has been reeling under extreme stress. Such stress includes all types of stress including mental, physical and emotional stress. Such stress when compiled with hard work certainly leads to fatigue. While fatigue is a broad term whose reasons are not specific, the term adrenal fatigue is a common type of fatigue referred by the medical practitioners these days. Let us understand what adrenal fatigue is and some methods to avoid such fatigue, including the foods which should be avoided in case of adrenal fatigue.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal Fatigue is a term coined by James Wilson, a naturopath and an expert in the field of alternative medicines, to describe a “group of related signs and symptoms (a syndrome) that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level”. Adrenal fatigue is usually associated with intense levels of stress and often followed with certain chronic infections such as pneumonia, flu, or bronchitis. Individuals suffering from Adrenal fatigue often complain of tiredness which does not improve even after adequate sleep. Such people also crave for salty snacks. Some other symptoms of adrenal fatigue include body aches, unexplained weight loss, low blood pressure, lightheadedness, loss of body hair, and skin discolouration (hyperpigmentation).

People tend to suffer from such a situation of adrenal fatigue usually in case they are subjected to a long term stressful situation such as a death of a family member. In such a long term stressful situation, the adrenal gland (small organs situated above the kidney which releases a hormone called cortisol (which is important for controlling blood pressure)) is unable to produce the extra cortisol which is needed to feel good and thus, adrenal fatigue sets in.

Adrenal fatigue cannot be detected by blood tests or other such detection tests. However, the only treatment of Adrenal Fatigue is through proper diet. People suffering from Adrenal Fatigue should consume a diet low in sugar while limiting the intake of caffeine and junk food. The individuals should further follow such restrictions with “targeted nutritional supplementation” including vitamins and minerals such as Vitamins B5, B6, and B12; Vitamin C; and Magnesium.

Foods To Avoid With Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue can be cured by proper diet and such diet places most important to the first meal or the breakfast of the day. Adrenal fatigue diet recipes need to have a balanced composition of high-protein foods, cruciferous vegetables (vegetables of the family Brassicaceae such as cauliflower, cabbage, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and similar green leafy vegetables), and whole grains so that healthy nutrient level can be increased in the body which would, in turn, improve the stress levels, thus promoting proper functioning of the adrenal glands.

While focusing more on a healthy and nutritious diet for curing adrenal fatigue, some of the foods which should be avoided in case an individual is suffering from Adrenal Fatigue include:

1. Food with High Sugar Content: Though individuals suffering from adrenal fatigue crave for high sugar products such as doughnuts, rolls, pies, cakes, cookies, crackers, candy bars, and soft drinks; this is the most important class of food products which needs to be avoided. Such food products are usually craved because people suffering from adrenal fatigue also suffer from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. But consumption of such products increases the levels of blood sugar enormously thus requiring higher production of insulin in order to regulate such increased sugar levels. Such excess levels of insulin lead to reducing blood sugar levels again leading to further hypoglycemic symptoms and thus more cravings and the vicious cycle continues.
2. Foods containing White Flour Products: Just like food with high sugar, food products made out of white flour are naked calories. The metabolism of such naked calories further depletes the human body (already depleted due to adrenal fatigue) out of essential vitamins and minerals.
3. Soy or Soy-based products since Soy tends to block iodine absorption in our bodies which thus leads to salt cravings which are a common symptom in case of adrenal fatigue
4. Hydrogenated Oils
5. Partially Hydrogenated Oils
6. Dairy products, especially in case the individual is lactose or casein intolerant
7. Gluten and Gluten based products, especially if the individual has a tendency of Gluten intolerance
8. Deep Fried Food because of high fat and sugar content along with the presence of hydrogenated oils
9. Fast Food due to their high sugar and white flour content apart from adulterated oils
10. Junk Food due to their high sugar and white flour content apart from adulterated oils
11. Allergic Food
12. Alcohol since it is again a naked carbohydrate which can take the blood sugar levels for a roller coaster ride thus worsening adrenal fatigue
13. Soda especially drinking soda
14. Processed food because of the high salt content
15. Foods containing artificial sweeteners since it can have a similar or even worse impact than consuming sugar-based products
16. Food that the individuals are sensitive to
17. Food products those are addictive and put more stress on adrenals
18. Caffeine and caffeine related products since caffeine tend to overstimulate the adrenals thus leading to further fatigue once caffeine wears off.

These foods that one needs to avoid with adrenal fatigue would help cure the problem of adrenal fatigue.