Best Snacks for Burnout and Adrenal Fatigue

The struggle is real people. The struggle of burnout and exhaustion and Adrenal fatigue is so real.  It’s so easy to slip into the burnout without really noticing until your body is screaming at you.

This is a condition where the adrenal glands, pituitary glands, and hypothalamus are functioning below their optimal levels. Usually resulting from emotional and chronic stress, this condition is more common than you think and can affect anyone.  

Symptoms varying from low levels of energy – insert exhaustion, increased weight, weak immune system, and inability to properly handle stressful scenarios, as well as cravings for sugary and salty foods. 

Those experiencing this burnout and adrenal fatigue also feel very weak; find it hard to concentrate on things and can even battle to string a sentence together; and become forgetful, easily confused, depressed, and stressed. They also have trouble sleeping at night, so they rely mostly on naps during the day.  

The good news is - yes there is good news, there are ways to overcome this condition and support your health. Eating healthy and well-balanced meals at least every 90 minutes to 2 hours can help you effectively recover your health. 

This amasing technique really works since frequent smaller meals keep blood sugar steady all throughout the day.  As long as glucose levels are not dropping, your adrenal glands don’t have to interfere. This gives your adrenal glands some rest, allowing you more energy to focus on restoring and healing yourself. 

Snacks can do wonders for your burnout and can give you amasing results. Your meal should ideally contain a balance of sodium, potassium, and natural sugar from fruit. 

The perfect combination of snacks that promote ultimate adrenal health include the following: 

• Apple slices, carrot, celery and hummus or tahini dip

• Dates, pistachio’s and pear

• Apple, Nut Butter and cinnamon

• Hard boiled eggs with apricots

• Trail mix - almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sultanas

• Avocado, cucumber, lemon juice and pepper

• Banana - drizzle with a little honey or nut butter

• Sweet potato - sliced in rounds and baked

• Celery with nuts and figs, nuts (of your choice)

• Coconut water - something other than water

• Yoghurt and berries

These are just a few of the many healthy snack combinations for adrenal support that you can try and incorporate into your eating plan. 

Ok, I hear what you’re saying - I just want a piece of cake/chocolate/chips every now and again. And I say…..go for it - every now and again!

Treating Burnout and Fatigue with Healthy Snacks 

Eating plant-based snacks such as vegetables, low-glycemic fruits, and leafy greens as well as drinking lots of water, can help you overcome adrenal fatigue. 

Adding green, leafy foods like romaine lettuce, kale, and spinach plays a vital role in promoting an ideal balance both physically and emotionally. If you add more greens into your snacks, cravings for salty and sugary foods will be less. 

You will actually see lots of different things suggested for adrenal health, and the success of these depends on your commitment tom get results, your doctor and your wellness specialist.

To start though, you need to get rid of processed foods and sugars, alcohol, and caffeine.  Sugar is known to disrupt the insulin function of the body, resulting in problems with blood sugar that can affect your adrenals and kidneys. 

Stick to the healthiest snacks for burnout and adrenal fatigue and you’ll feel better and your health will recover more naturally. 

If any of this sounds like you or you’d like to discuss your health further, you can download my 3 ways to naturally get rid of Adrenal Fatigue booklet, book an appointment or your complimentary 30 minute call so that we get you feeling more of you again. 

9 Ways to have More Energy for the Modern and Busy Woman

 How much do you look forward to a Nana nap, every afternoon?  You’ve made it to 3pm, but your mind and body are screaming at you – No More!  I can’t do it! I just need to sit and maybe have a little sleep!

There is still so much to do, you can’t remember when you ate last because you’ve been caring for everyone else, but you’re not even hungry anyway, you’ve gone past it.  

Thank goodness, there’s some easy and affordable ways to shake off exhaustion and naturally increase your energy levels.  

So, skip those extra cups of coffee and try these 9 easy ways to boost your energy levels.

1.     Eating healthy – no brainer, I know, but making sure you have a balanced, varied diet will reduce weight, increased immunity and raise energy levels as your body will receive all the relevant vitamins and minerals it needs to stay healthy.  

Complex Carbs-or fibre as I like to call it.  Wholes grains, leafy and some starchy vegetables, oats, quinoa and brown rice.

Proteins– fish, chicken, legumes, nuts, eggs etc

Good Fats–know the difference between good and bad. Fat is not the enemy; we need it for production of Vitamins D and K as well as brain tissue and energy.  Avoid the synthetic products like canola, sunflower and vegetable oils, rice bran and margarine.

Vegetable and fruits- eat a rainbow.

2.     Get enough sleep -. to little can impact your mood, food choices, relationships as well as energy.  

Set up a routine: Go to bed and rise at the same time every day. Switch off technology an hour before bed. Meditate or read to slow down. Sleep in a cool, dark bedroom.

3.     Magnesium - increase your intake, especially if you’re having trouble relaxing and sleeping at night.  Magnesium is responsible for over 300 biochemical processes in the body, including the breakdown of glucose into energy.  Our RDI of magnesium is 300-400 milligrams per day and stress can deplete magnesium.  Add these foods to increase your levels:

Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds. 
Whole grains, coconut, brown rice.
Avocado, prunes, green beans, cheese, apricots, parsley.
Fish, prawns, kelp.

4.     Avoid – you guessed it.  We need to avoid a few things that suck the energy out of us. So here they are:

Limit Caffeine and alcohol
Smoking
Sugar /processed foods
Soft drinks

5.     Stress – reduce it - Uh huh, right!!  I know we can’t get rid of daily stress but can manage how we deal with it, so it doesn’t rule our lives:

Go out for a walk.

Sleep well.

Take deep breaths– all the way to the belly.  

Smile– more often and laugh.  It will make you feel happy and reduce stress. 

Music– calm, loud, upbeat of slow. Find what works for you.

Heat– put some heat pads on your neck or shoulders to relax them or if you have time, take a nice warm shower or bath.

Massage– book one now.  You deserve it. You need it.  See if you can swap with a friend and look after each-other’s kids while you do this. You’ll be so thankful.

Grateful– being and feeling positive will reduce your stress.  It doesn’t have to be big things, sometimes just being grateful for the sun is enough.  

6.     Exercise – most people who exercise, benefit in more ways than staying fit.   The habit of exercising keeps your body and mind fit as well as boosting your energy levels.  Find what you love – walking, running, yoga, Qigong, swimming, cycling, hiking etc.

7.     Meditation – has such a positive effect on your attitude and quiets the mind.  It allows you to be in the moment and not feel anxious about the past or future.  

8.     Smoothie – add one of these to your day.  The extra nutrients that you pack into smoothie can boost your energy levels.  Make sure you include in each one:

Protein – oats, spinach, hemp, pumpkin seeds, nut butters, avocado, protein powder.

Fibre – psyllium husks, flax seeds, chia seeds, avocado.

Fruit – what-ever you feel like.

Something green – Spinach, basil, coriander, parsley, avocado, cucumber.

Healthy fats – coconut oil, avocado, almonds, nut butter, cocoa butter.

Liquid – water, ice, coconut water, milk of your choice.

Something special – Maca powder, hemp, goji berries, bee pollen, coconut oil.  

9.     Stay Hydrated – the earliest signs of dehydration is feeling exhausted and a lack of energy.  Make sure you’re drinking enough water.  I know you’ve heard this before but dehydration is still very common. At least 2 litres per day. If you can’t remember this one set an alarm in your phone – every two hours. 

These tips can help boost your energy levels and keep you happy and healthy. Incorporating these habits into your day can bring about consistent changes for good and stop the nana nap – unless you really just WANT one.

If you’re not sure about how to get your energy back or you’d like to discuss your health further, book your appointment or your complimentary 30 minute discovery call so that we get you feeling more of your old self again. If you feel your stress or exhaustion effecting the way you live, then have a book into my Adrenal Rescue Program to get you back

Best Juice for Thyroid Balancing

Green Juice: Best for Thyroid Balancing

Thyroid health is becoming an increasingly popular topic, along with sugar detox, inflammation, and belly fat. Some of you may already be familiar with this topic. But, if you are not, understanding this subject can be the best key to living a healthy life. 

Your thyroid has a major impact on immunity, weight control, metabolic rate, digestion, bone maintenance and mood. When under stress or having adrenal issue and poor diet, hormones such as cortisol can be released that impact on the way our thyroid works and slows it down. Also certain nutrient deficiencies can have the same effect.

So one way we can help our thyroid to perform better under times of stress or poor eating is with a smoothie, rich in the right ingredients.

Recent studies have shown that spinach, leafy greens, kale, and broccoli are beneficial in boosting your glutathione level, which helps support thyroid functions and may help prevent thyroid cancer. Other industry experts have discovered that green juice is very effective for thyroid balance.

When a green juice is paired with fresh organic food, whole real food, superfoods, spices, phytonutrients, foods that are rich in proteins, and anti-inflammatory food, it can work wonders. It can also help to restore and elevate your health. So what are some of the great effects of green juice on your health, especially for balancing the thyroid. Here are some important things to remember: 

•  Chlorophyll-rich greens can help cleanse the blood, boost the functions of immune system, and balance the Ph of your body. 

• Your thyroid is just like your brain in that it thrives on healthy fats. 

•  Eating every couple of hours kick starts your thyroid. You should keep your energy level up & fine tune your digestion system. 

• Selenium is essential for thyroid health because it helps to reduce inflammation, prevent chronic illnesses, and regulate immune responses. 

• It is important to balance the fats in your body by eating more leafy greens. One of the main reasons why leafy greens, particularly dark leafy greens, are essential for your health is because they help to counteract the properties of the various fats in your body. 

Green juice can contribute a lot to your overall health, especially in balancing your thyroid. It can help increase vibrancy and help you reach an optimal level in life. Moreover, it highlights many superfood ingredients, such as the following:

Cucumber is an amazing superfood ingredient for green juice. It keeps you cool and hydrated and helps flush toxins from your body because it is packed with silicon, potassium, and magnesium. 

Pineapples are delicious and they help support your eyes, bones, and immune system.  Full of Vitamin C and Bromelain.

Lemon contains B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C, copper, flavonoids, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, fiber, potassium, iron, and citric acid which are all beneficial not only for your thyroid health but for your heart as well. 

Fennel is also an amazing food ingredient that can be found in some green juices. It can help in thyroid balancing and heart health because it contains Vitamin C, folate and potassium. 

Chlorophyll can decrease bacterial growth and inflammation, especially on your skin. It is a natural deodorant, detoxifier, and blood builder. 

Coriander is another good source of phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium, dietary fiber, Vitamin C and zinc, all beneficial not just to your thyroid, but to your overall health. 

Recipe - Thyroid Balancing Juice

Here is a Thyroid balancing, bloat fighting recipe that I love

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup Pawpaw (chopped)

• 1 cup Pineapple (chopped)

• 1 Cucumber (chopped)

• 5 Ice Cubes

• 1/2 cup Mint Leaves

• 1 cup Baby Spinach

• 2 tbsps Chia Seeds

• 1 cup Water

Directions

Add all the ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into glasses and enjoy

Notes

Likes it Sweet - Add a little raw honey.

More Protein - Add hemp seeds or a scoop of vanilla protein powder.

No PawPaw - Replace with Mango