An Adrenal Fatigue Diet
is a Low Carb Diet
An adrenal fatigue diet requires a low sugar or low carb diet. Maintaining blood sugar balance is a function of the adrenal glands. The more work you give the adrenals by over eating sugars and starches, the more stress you will put on your adrenal glands every single day no matter what else you do.
Hypoglycemia, hyperinsulinism, and fast oxidation all benefit from a lower carbohydrate and higher fat diet. Fat is the only major food component that does not raise the blood sugar and it will buffer the effects of carbohydrate and protein. A low or lower carb diet can prevent the development of diabetes in those who are already exhibiting the signs of glucose intolerance, hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinism. Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic in this country and for most people, the first major sign is obesity. 80% of type 2 diabetics are overweight.
There is a large range of carb and sugar sensitivity among individuals. For some, all sugars and starches cause difficulties of some kind and they need a strict low carb diet. For others, it is only the simple sugars including those from fruits that need to be controlled.
In other cases, whole grains and starchy vegetables are fine, but flours tend to convert to sugar too rapidly. In general, most children can handle moderate amounts of whole grain flour products and starchy vegetables. For some children, all starches must be eliminated. The older you get and the more adrenal impairment there is, the stricter you need to be.
High impact carbs which cause quick rises in blood sugar levels because they enter the blood stream so rapidly, are a major source of daily adrenal stress. High blood sugar causes cellular damage and is considered an emergency by the body. Any emergency will call on the adrenals, the primary stress gland. In fact, this is where the "sugar rush" comes from. It is activating the adrenals just the way stimulants such as caffeine and amphetamine do.
With copper and other metal toxicities, adrenal recovery is essential to restore the ability to eliminate metal effectively. Constantly stimulating the adrenals with sugar, keeping them over active, will not allow them to rest and rebuild. Just as "speed kills" because it is so exhausting to the body, so does sugar.
Dr. Atkins
When I am asked what diet I follow, I always say with pride, Dr. Atkins. He deserves great credit for his pioneering work in controlled carbohydrate nutrition at a time when he was being constantly attacked for it. He was one of the first doctors to publicly challenge the hypothesis that eating cholesterol and so-called saturated fat, in other words, animal-based fats, raised blood cholesterol and caused heart disease. This hypothesis has been thoroughly discredited now although the media has still not caught up to that fact.
What many do not understand about Dr. Atkins diet, is that it is an elimination diet for carbohydrates. I have made use of elimination diets for many years to identify various causes of adrenal fatigue such as food sensitivities and candidiasis [overgrowth of candida albicans in the intestinal tract and elsewhere in the body] . They are called elimination diets because you eliminate the possibly offending items, usually for about two weeks or until symptoms improve, then systematically reintroduce them to observe any reactions or effects.
Atkins Induction is exactly that. Carbohydrate intake is reduced to a small amount of green, non-starchy vegetables, and held at that level for about two weeks, and then slowly and in a systematic manner, carbohydrate foods are reintroduced at the rate of 5 grams of carbs per week. Starting with the most easily tolerated carbohydrate foods, such as additional vegetables, you work up to trying the more troublesome ones such as fruit and grains, to determine your individual carbohydrate tolerance. Individual tolerance can vary from under 20 to over 100 carbs per day. See Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution for the details and especially Chapter 4 where he explains the conditions which benefit from controlling carbohydrate intake.
Hyperinsulinism
A controlled carbohydrate diet is specifically geared to sufferers of hyperinsulinism meaning that you over-secrete insulin in response to sugars and starches in the diet. How can you tell that you have the problem? Reactive hypoglycemia, uncontrolled appetite and food cravings, adrenal fatigue, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity with one or more of these problems all are strong signs of blood sugar imbalances and high insulin. These problems are mainly due to over eating carbohydrate beyond your personal tolerance level. Adrenal fatigue is the main cause of the reduced tolerance. A low carb diet puts the least stress on the adrenals by permitting them to recuperate and function with top efficiency.
Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal fatigue is caused by prolonged or severe stress or trauma. The adrenal glands produce the glucocorticoid hormones whose job it is to stabilize the blood sugar. Imbalances in their production, can cause or worsen carbohydrate intolerance. Adrenal fatigue is becoming much more common as our society takes long work hours and high stress levels as a normal part of life. Over eating carbohydrates, especially simple sugars and refined starches, is itself a cause of adrenal stress and fatigue. For many, an adrenal fatigue diet of lower carbs and the elimination of all other stimulants is essential in order to allow the adrenal glands to rest and recover.
Oxidation Rate
The oxidation rate, fast or slow, is crucial in determining the nutrient mix. Hair tissue mineral analysis testing will determine your oxidation rate and indicate the basic dietary recommendations for your type. Both slow and fast oxidation are due to different stages of adrenal stress and balancing the oxidation rate is an essential part of an adrenal fatigue diet. Using the Atkins method to test your own carbohydrate tolerance levels is the surest way to get it right.
This issue is particularly important for fast oxidizers as their need for higher fat and protein goes against the bulk of dietary advice for the past 50 years and they can struggle with many health problems while following a so-called healthy low fat diet. Many of the fast oxidizer symptoms are mental and emotional and higher fat and protein can be very stabilizing and calming for fast oxidizers who struggle with strong mood swings and physical crashing.
The Dawn Phenomenon
There are other subtle problems that can slow or stop progress in weight loss and health gains for those with a strong glucose intolerance. As Dr. Bernstein explains in his excellent book, Dr. Bernsteins Diabetes Solution, we all clear insulin from our blood streams at a higher rate first thing in the morning. He calls this the Dawn Phenomenon. For diabetics, this explains why the blood sugar can rise in the morning with no food intake. But for hypogycemics and other sufferers of hyperinsulinism, this can explain why we have a stronger reaction to glycemic foods first thing in the morning.
The morning clearing of insulin from the blood allows the blood sugar to get higher with less carb and the higher the blood sugar spike, the higher the insulin release. If this happens first thing in the morning, a person with glucose intolerance will experience blood sugar swings and increased appetite and cravings for the rest of the day. In my experience, it will not calm down until the next morning. Therefore, it is important to be the most cautious with any food that can cause a glycemic [sugar] effect on the blood including protein foods, first thing in the morning. Foods that are not a problem in the afternoon and evening can throw your blood sugar off for the rest of the day when eaten at breakfast. The more severe your hypoglycemia or the more resistant to fat loss you are, the more important a high fat breakfast becomes because fat is the only food that does not cause a rise in blood sugar. Cheesecake or coconut pie are particularly helpful in promoting more blood sugar stability. (See Cookbook.)
Insulin Resistance
Hypoglycemics and others with glucose intolerance secrete high levels of insulin in response to blood sugar spikes (a fast rise in blood sugar due to ingestion of simple carbs). In many cases, the blood insulin is always above normal. For others, the adrenal weakness is the main cause of blood sugar swings. As the condition progresses, insulin resistance develops and worsens. The body must secrete more and more insulin to get the same response from the cells. The more chronically high your insulin levels are, the more resistant to fat loss your body becomes because insulin is a fat storing hormone. The Schwartzbein Principle by Diana Schwartzbein, M.D., has a very good discussion of why and how insulin resistance develops. Her chapter on the effect of insulin on the brain is the best I have seen and her nutritional recommendations for the mental effects are quite effective. In general, her recommended dietary carb levels can be high for some people so testing with Atkins will give you your particular levels.
The Chinese Restaurant Effect
Another more subtle issue that Dr. Bernstein explains is the Chinese Restaurant Effect, which is that large amounts of even very low carb foods can cause a rise in blood sugar. For those with hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinism, this can be a problem due to the rise in blood sugar. Anything that causes a fast rise, a blood sugar spike, will cause over-secretion of insulin and adrenal stress.
The subsequent blood sugar drops will keep you on the blood sugar roller coaster and will increase appetite and resistance to fat loss. If your hypoglycemia is not stabilizing and your hunger is still excessive as shown by an inability to lose excess fat, the chances are that your meals are too large for your metabolism. You are simply eating too much at one time which actually makes you hungrier later on and increases your overall food intake. This is where the well-known recommendation to eat 4 to 5 small meals per day comes in. You can eat less with a more stable blood sugar. You will lose fat and have more energy as your food goes to produce energy instead of going into storage as fat. About 300 to 500 calories per meal is the maximum to avoid the Chinese Restaurant Effect with low carb meals.
Cookbook
I have developed many low carb and food allergy recipes over the years which I feel are superior to many that are usually available. They are low carb but also grain free, soy free and in many cases, dairy free. Go to the Cookbook to see the recipes.