Adrenal fatigue is modern day epidemic due to our stressful lifestyle and poor diet.  Even those who eat an extremely healthy diet are at risk for developing adrenal fatigue.

For those unaware, the adrenal glands are located on the top of each kidney.  Their main role in the body is to produce hormones that help the body function properly.  They also help the body react appropriately to stress.

If the adrenal glands become overworked due to too much stress and poor diet, health problems begin to arise in the body. Those with adrenal fatigue typically have extreme difficulty dealing with stress. Tasks that once took only a few minutes may now take an hour for those with adrenal fatigue.  Also, those who exercise vigorously without giving the body adequate rest are also at risk for developing adrenal fatigue.  Both physical and mental stress takes their toll on the adrenal glands if done in excess.

Luckily, there are some simple diet changes you can make that can improve an adrenal fatigue disorder.

Below are the top 5 recommendations for overcoming adrenal fatigue.

1. Sea Salt Helps With Adrenal Fatigue

With low salt diets being the latest craze, many are unknowingly putting their body at risk.  Rene Quinton, a French physiologist of the 1800’s, was the first to discover that ocean water was remarkably similar to human blood.  In fact, many of his patients were given diluted ocean plasma in order to overcome severe illnesses (1).

Long story short, sea salt comes from the ocean and is remarkable similar to human blood when it’s in ionic form.   Furthermore, the adrenals require sodium to function properly. In fact, without sodium in the diet we would all die.  Sea salt has natural anti stress properties and is extremely good at lowering aldosterone, cortisol and adrenaline.

These hormones are typically high in those with adrenal fatigue and are often raised during the “flight or fight” response.  We personally like Grey Celtic Sea Salt for our salt needs because it contains the most magnesium out of any other salt.  Unlike table salt, sea salt comes with an array of minerals that help bring balance to the body.

**NOTE: Always use sea salts or rock salts for your salt needs.  Table salt is pure poison and will cause major problems in the body if used long enough.

2. Incorporate Super Foods into Your Diet

Super foods are a definite must for anyone with adrenal fatigue symptoms.  We personally like Maca Root for those with adrenal fatigue.  Maca has been shown in studies to both balance hormones and the HPA-Axis in the body (2).  Those who have undergone high amounts of stress often have an unbalanced HPA-Axis and this contributes to adrenal fatigue.  We also like Bee Pollen for its high bio availability of B vitamins which help protect against stress.

Introduce Collagen into Your Diet

Ninety percent of the body is made out of collagen.  Sore joints, back aches, pain, arthritis are all signs that the body is lacking in collagen (3).  Collagen also helps seal the gut lining ensuring no harmful food particles enter the blood stream which can contribute to allergies.

It also contains an abundance of amino acids that are in a highly bio available form.  In fact, it contains 20 essential amino acids that a required for good health.  These amino acids can help the body repair and lower stress levels in the body. Homemade bone broths or quality collagen supplements from grass fed animals would be best.

If you’re interested in trying a collagen supplement, you can learn more in our post about the health benefits of collagen.

Increase Your Vitamin C Intake

Vitamin C is a necessary nutrient required by the adrenal glands in order to function properly.  Stress and illness will naturally deplete vitamin C levels in the body.  When vitamin C levels are low, the adrenals are forced to work twice as hard.  Luckily, we have written about the best vitamin C sources for the body previously.  It’s important to always choose a whole food vitamin C source.  Synthetic vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can lower stomach acid levels in the body when used long term.  Low stomach acid will lead to further health problems down the road.

Replace Sugar with Quality Animal Protein

Sugar should be avoided at all costs by both those with and without adrenal fatigue.   Sugar is extremely acidifying to the human body and often causes mineral deficiencies.  It always raises blood sugar levels extremely high and puts the body on a constant roller coaster of highs and lows. This is extremely detrimental towards overall health.

Start incorporating more organic animal products into your diet in place of sugar.  The fat and protein are extremely nourishing for the human body and give you steady and balanced energy throughout the day.  Pastured eggs, grass fed beef, wild caught fish, grass fed cheeses and homemade broths are all great options.  Make sure to always choose organic and grass fed as these will be the most beneficial for the body.