Trying To Do Too Much? Adrenal Fatigue May Be Waiting…

Let’s face it—daily living can be stressful. Our days are filled with work, friends, social media, appointments, bills, feeding and bathing, and the basics of keeping house. Sometimes it can feel like we have to do it all. Are you packing your days full in order to try and fit it all in? Do you sometimes feel like a superhero without the extra special outfit? Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are mortal.
It’s okay. You can take off your invisible superhero cape (I won’t think any less of you, promise!). The world won’t collapse if you slow down, give yourself a break, and do what you need to do to avoid the train wreck ahead. If you keep going at this speed, that’s exactly where you’re headed.
That train wreck has a name—adrenal fatigue.
Your adrenal glands may seem insignificant, but these little triangular organs have the power to influence your life in big ways.
The adrenal glands are endocrine glands responsible for secreting important hormones directly into the blood stream. They sit on top of the kidney, and are mainly responsible for regulating your body’s stress response by making hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
Studies have shown that these hormones are only meant to be in the body for short periods of time. When there is an excess of these two hormones for an extended period of time, it can be toxic for the body, and lead to adrenal fatigue as well as other diseases.
In short, adrenal fatigue is no one’s best friend.
Without knowing it, I suffered from adrenal fatigue for many years. I was always pushing myself, piling too much on my plate, and had a very strong “superwoman complex”—I can, therefore have to do everything myself. Remind you of anyone you know?
I had no idea why I got tired so quickly, why I couldn’t handle alcohol or sugar, why my blood-sugar levels were always out of whack, and why the dark circles under my eyes never went away. Only once I stepped back to take a look at my approach to life did it start to make sense that I had gone down a path to an undesirable destination—adrenal fatigue.
I want you to be familiar with some of the “red flags” and warnings, know how to identify the most common symptoms, and have a few ideas of where to begin remedying the problem.
Awareness is the first step.
Here are some warning signs that you could be on the path to adrenal fatigue:
You’re always “on.”
You’re “plugged in” to multiple devices at all times. You’re always reachable by text, phone, Facebook, and email. You are there for your kids, your family, your job, your partner, your neighbor, and your 500+ friends on Facebook, even if it means putting your own needs aside. Taking some much needed “You Time”…HA! Fat chance.
Your schedule is always full.
It’s an unusual day when you aren’t running from home to work to appointments to social gathering and back again. Sure, you may be having the time of your life, but there’s no room in your schedule for spontaneity, for down time, or for much-needed self-care—things like joyous movement, time for being creative, or investing in yourself with a course or workshop.
You have a “just push through it” attitude.
There’s a healthy way to push through obstacles and challenges but if that is the constant reality of your life, it may be time to reevaluate. It’s true, sometimes you need to just get through it—like when you’re courageously forging a new career path, pursuing your dreams, starting a new business, or going to graduate school. But if your life just seems to be filled with things that need to be pushed through with sheer willpower, maybe you are actually going against the flow and making everything harder than it needs to be.
You view sleep as a luxury.
Sleep isn’t something you reward yourself with for doing everything on your to-do list. It’s something sacred, something necessary, and something essential for a sustainable and fulfilling life. When you sleep, your systems detoxify, your cells repair themselves, your immune system rejuvenates, and your organs get a chance to come back into balance. This isn’t a luxury, but a bare minimum for maintaining overall health.
You depend on stimulants to get you through the day.
Coffee or black tea in the morning to get you going, energy drink to get you through lunch, soda to ward off the 3:00pm slump, and dessert to help you let go of the day. These stimulants are just a stand-in for the natural energy you don’t have. Imagine what your life could be like if you had an abundance of energy and didn’t need to weaken your adrenals in order to show up for your day.
When the adrenals are tired, over-worked, or exhausted, it may show up in the body in a number of different ways.
Common symptoms of exhausted adrenal glands:

Dark circles under the eyes
Lack of libido
Low stamina for stress
Easily irritated
Lower back pain, especially on the sides of the body
Dry, unhealthy skin
A craving for salt
Low blood sugar
Cravings for sweets and carbs, intolerance to alcohol
Excessive mood responses after eating carbs (e.g. pasta, breads and sugar)
Tired but wired feeling
Poor sleep
Dizziness
Muscle twitches
Heart palpitations
Sensitivity to light, or difficulty seeing at night
Excessive sweating or perspiration from little activity
Chronic infections (bacterial, viral, fungal, yeast)
Low blood pressure
Light-headedness on standing up
Premature aging
Cystic breasts
Tendency to startle easily
Negative response to thyroid hormone

If you think you might be experiencing adrenal fatigue, or possibly on the brink of it, it’s best that you address the problem pronto. Your adrenals need you, and you need them.
5 Things You Can Do To Help
1.  Sleep
Your body repairs itself and gets ready for the busy day ahead while you are in dreamland. Cut that time short and you stop your body from fully recharging. Getting enough sleep means going to bed before 11:00pm (10:00pm is ideal, if you can do it). If you make this a priority and stick with it, your adrenals will get their beauty rest.
2.  Ditch the sugar and processed foods.
Foods loaded with sugar and simple carbohydrates put stress on your adrenals. Your adrenal glands are responsible for regulating your blood sugar, and when you ingest a massive does of sugary junk, you adrenals have to work hard to deal with the influx.
3.  Eat healthy
Include a diversity of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, and whole grains. Choosing organic and local whenever possible is ideal, as it reduces the toxins in the food you eat and the impact on the environment. There are many ways to eat healthy when you’re busy. It isn’t as hard as you’d think.
4.  Quit coffee
Caffeine of any kind causes your adrenal glands to produce adrenaline, a jolt that kicks your butt into gear in the morning and keeps you going in the afternoon when you’re falling asleep at your desk. If you require your adrenals to give you this “hit” multiple times a day, every day, they’re going to get tired.  If you want to reduce or get off coffee for good, there are superfoods and teas that can help.
5.  Drink water
Make sure you’re drinking plenty of fresh, filtered water every day. The amount will vary depending on your body weight and activity level—the more active you are, the more sweat and toxins you release, and the more water you need. Hydration is key to healthy and happy adrenals.
If you’re not there yet but see some warning signs, trust me, you’ll thank yourself for taking some preventative measures. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at alani@radianthealthlink.com if you need some support. That’s what I’m here for. In making necessary shifts in your diet and lifestyle, not only will you be nourishing your adrenals and supporting them in coming back into balance, but you’ll be living a healthier life as well.
Win-win.

“I Can Stop Anytime, I Just Don’t Want To”…Says Your Sugar Addiction

Can we really stop eating sugar, or do we just want to believe that sugar doesn’t have us in its sticky grasp, wrapped around its “Butterfinger?” The mind is a powerful thing, and so is the all-to-common resistance to unpacking the reality behind our sugar cravings.
A moment of honesty…Who doesn’t like to enjoy a dessert with friends, a piece of cake at a birthday party, or an ice cream on a hot day. I sure do. But could these sweet indulgences be distracting you from what lies beneath the sugar coating, and damaging your body in the process?
You bet.
Here’s what you need to know about what sugar does for you and what you can do to reduce your cravings.
Sugar can ruin your health.
Let’s break it down and take an honest look at how your sugar intake affects that beautiful body of yours. Experts have found that…

Sugar can suppress the immune system.
Sugar interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium, two essential vitamins.
Sugar contributes to diabetes.
Sugar contributes to obesity.
Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
Sugar can cause depression.
Sugar can cause a fast increase in adrenaline levels in children (ADHD anyone?)
Sugar can cause arthritis.
Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
Sugar can increase cholesterol.
Sugar can lead to uncontrolled growth of Candida in the body (yeast infections)

So if sugar has all these negative effects on the one precious body we’re given, why do we keep going back to it?
Sugar activates the “feel good” response, and makes you craves more.
Stress relief. Comfort. Relaxation. The temporary “ahhhhhh” feeling.
When we eat things that contain a lot of sugar, our body releases a large amount of dopamine—the same “feel good” chemical that’s released with cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines—into the “reward center” of the brain.  Consuming large amounts of sugar actually reduces the number of dopamine receptors. Here’s the problem.
Every time you eat sugar-containing foods, the dopamine effects are lessened, and we have to eat more in order to get the same feeling. Hello addiction!
Sugar is a popular reward.
“If I ____ (insert task or goal), I’ll give myself a treat.”
How often do you reward or treat yourself with a beet salad, your favorite yoga class, or anything that’s actually healthy for you? We tend to reward ourselves with things that we consider to be “bad” or naughty, and tell ourselves “I work hard and deserve it.” But what are you actually rewarding yourself with, honestly?
An increased risk in chronic disease? Wild fluctuations in energy and mood? Hmmm, doesn’t sound like a reward to me.
We already know that sugar acts directly on the reward center of the brain, making it an easy go-to reward. How can we break this pattern?
Find healthy food substitutes or shift your reward systems away from food-related things all together.
It can completely change your relationship to what it means to treat yourselves. Rewarding becomes a true act of self-love, of nourishing your body, and of giving yourself something that will actually enrich your life and fulfill you on a more holistic level.
Sugar cravings can be a message about a deeper soul craving or unfulfilled desire.
Pay attention to your patterns. Do you crave sugar at a certain time of day, when you’re feeling lonely, when you’re stressed or when you’re tired.
I’ve discovered that when I crave sugar, I’m actually craving protein or love/connection. It’s most often the later of the two. Can you relate?
Whenever I have a craving, I ask myself “What is it that I’m actually craving? What desire lies beneath this craving that is not being fulfilled? What can I do to get that deeper need met.”
I always thank my body for communicating with me, and give myself a pat on the back for accurately translating the messages of my cravings.
Your sugar cravings may be related to something else entirely. Everyone is different. I encourage you to explore those connections, to ask yourself questions, and to approach your cravings as you would a secret message written in code—with excitement and curiosity.
Ways to deal with your sugar addiction:
Drink more water.
Cravings for sweet-tasting things are sometimes a sign of dehydration. Next time you find yourself reaching for something sweet, drink a glass of water, wait a few minutes, and see if the desire is still there. Soda and juice don’t count as water, as most of them have tons of added sugar.
Eat sweet vegetables and fruits.
They provide the sweet taste you’re after without all the negative side effects (bonus!). They’re naturally sweet, delicious, and good for you too. Adding them into your diet, especially earlier in the day (get that sweet quota taken care of), can decrease your sugar cravings significantly. Try eating more of these: carrots, onions, corn, winter squash, beets, apples, pears, bananas, berries, and stone fruits.
Get more R & R.
Sugar and simple carbohydrates are the quickest form of energy for the body, especially when your body and mind are tired. When you’re chronically stressed, suffering from lack of sleep, have exhausted adrenal glands and no “Me Time,” the body often craves the fastest form of energy to keep you going: sugar. Getting more rest and relaxation can help break your dependence on sugar by giving your body what it’s actually craving.
Move your body.
You don’t have to go crazy. You can start out with simple things like walking, yoga, or biking to the park, and gradually increase the duration and types of physical activities you do. Being physically active helps your body balance blood sugar levels, increases your mood, boosts your energy, and releases stress. Remember: if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it!
Use natural sweeteners.
Processed foods often contain high amounts of artificial sweeteners and added sugar, which both contribute to inflammation in the body. Try using natural or gentler sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, stevia or dried fruit.
Decrease or eliminate caffeine.
Caffeine not only causes dehydration, but it usually results in big ups and downs in energy. This will cause your sugar cravings to be more frequent and powerful as your body seeks balance. If you can’t start the day without a “Cup of Joe” or a latte, there are some highly effective ways to go off coffee. The effects on your life will astound you.
Look at how much animal food/salty food you eat.
From the perspective of the yin/yang principles (energetics of food art link) of eating (such as in Macrobiotics and Traditional Chinese Medicine), having too much of one energy can lead to cravings for the other.
Thus, if you eat too much animal food/salty food (yang and contracting), you will crave sweet foods (yin and expansive) to come back into balance. Everyone’s body is unique in its need for certain foods, so use your intuition and your understanding of your own bio-individuality to find your own balance.
Cook with sweetening spices.
There are quite a few spices that naturally sweeten dishes and bring out the sweet flavor in your cooking. Experiment around with spices such as cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom to see how they affect your cravings.
Find the sweetness in life!
Sugar cravings aren’t always about sugar itself. More often than not, they are about something deeper than food—a “primary food” (relationships, career, movement, spirituality) that is not being met. Cravings normally have a psychological and emotional component to them as well.
By identifying the mental and emotional causes behind your cravings, you can make meaningful changes to your lifestyle and relationships in order to get those deeper needs met. Sometimes it’s as simple as having a conversation with a friend, mentor or coach, establishing a joyous health routine, or paying attention to the sweetness of life around you.
When your life tastes sweet and your deepest desires are fulfilled, you know that no amount of sugar will ever come close to that level of satisfaction.

Dumpster Diving

Though it offends most people, I admit I have never had much passion for food and have often regarded eating as an interruption or a chore.  I derive a certain pleasure from foods that are nourishing and tasty, but not in the way that other people seem to do. Conversations about cooking, flavor and taste bore me severely.
 Where food is concerned, I am more interested in the ethics of production and how it can benefit my health – in that order.
This story is not about what to eat; there are no recipes attached and no dietetic advice here.
This is about dumpster-diving—obtaining food from the bin.
Beginning with the bins
Roughly a year ago I began dumpster-diving regularly. Needing to sustain my housemates and me, I wanted to gather as much stray food from bins of various supermarkets, bakeries, catering companies and restaurants.  I had a little car that was cheap to run and by spending between two and six hours per week driving to various bins and rifling through the trash of corporate food suppliers, I was able to feed the household of four hungry young men, usually with better or more food than we otherwise could have afforded. The bin always provided quality food and only on occasion was it a laborious process.
 
Becoming “Freegan”
At first the goal was to be completely “freegan,” to only consume food found in bins, not buying any food at all. Despite occasional small purchases, I soon discovered that this wasn’t difficult.  We lived in abundance, regularly eating steak, salmon, brie, fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs and bread – lots of bread.

I would also go to a certain chain of convenience store to find “dirty treats” like meat pies, salami sticks and Krispy Kreme donuts. I knew the stores were contractually obliged to discard excess donuts and pies daily and so took advantage of this.
I considered myself ‘basically freegan’, but if a situation presented itself where I was socially obliged to eat food that wasn’t from a bin, such as at a friend’s place or a restaurant, I was otherwise vegetarian for ethical reasons. I had very little concern for my own health and made my choices regarding food consumption mostly on the basis of environmental sustainability, animal welfare and taste.
The goal was to subvert as much waste as possible, to take as much as I could out of the bins, rather than putting so much in.
This exercise educated me on the level of wasted food in my local area and I found it shocking and deplorable, especially considering the people going hungry in other parts of the world.
 
Wasted Energy
After a while I stopped bothering to check the bins at the convenience store. I realized I could feed my entire household without having to subject ourselves to what I found in those bins. Pies and donuts didn’t make us feel good and I began to question the benefit of eating them.

 That was when the word ‘waste’ changed for me. It seemed more of a waste to put that ‘food’ in my body than to leave it out.
 Now I have become more prudent with how and where I dumpster-dive.

 I get most of my food from the bins of gourmet supermarkets and usually only take what will be beneficial to consume.
 I no longer have a car which has forced me to be more selective about what I am willing to carry home.
 I usually find fruit and vegetables, bread, sometimes cheese and if I’m lucky some rice or couscous, and generally buy nuts, legumes and olive oil, as well as other odd luxuries.

I think it would be better for the environment to buy nothing at all and live from the scraps of a wasteful society, but eating processed cakes and low-grade meat is not beneficial. It feels like those ‘foods’ do more harm than good to my body and brain.
 
Finding Balance
Now I try to balance low impact living with sensible consumerism.  To buy something is to support the production of it. I could quite easily live without buying any food at all but I choose to buy certain products.
The goal now is to dumpster-dive as much good food as possible and, when I can’t find nutrients in the bin, to buy foods that are ethically sourced and healthy.
I still believe eating ethically should be the most important stipulation of sourcing your food, but I have also learned that some things aren’t worth putting in my body.
 
This fantastic food story was contributed by Eat.co community member, Nat Kassel.  To follow more of his daring dumpster diving tales, visit his blog at www.natkassel.wordpress.com
 
Inspired by this story? Do you now dare to dive into bins seeking the discards of perfectly healthy and nutritional foods or other valued items?  Let us know your conquests and experiences in the comments below.  Remember, one man’s trash in another man’s treasure!

 

Sweet Carrot Hummus Dip

Chickpeas are your best friends. You can mix them with whatever comes to your mind and you will get a delicious and filling Hummus. Yes, it’s that simple. Just think about a dish you fancy and make it a Hummus. So did I yesterday, when my high school friend came over for lunch. I wanted to make a light snack, that we could just crunch on while talking about our life’s journeys. I remembered him preparing a “quick snack” during break one day.
I was sitting at his kitchen table trying hopelessly to finish the last chapter of a book for homework before class while he was busy cooking and talking about how good carrots are for the eyes . He would accurately cut them, fry them in a pan with butter and add some honey at the end. I would watch him patiently, thinking why we can’t just through some deep frozen pizza into the oven instead of trying to bring these tasteless vegetables alive (sorry, I was a teenager). But when I tried his caramelized carrots I suddenly felt the bliss of a good surprise.
Holy shit, that was some good stuff. He was the first person to inspire me to experiment with food, with good food (thank’s man!). Anyway, back to Hummus. I prepared a wonderful sweet carrot Hummus for his visit. A little healthy snack that shows my appreciation (and how good of a cook I am). He came, he ate and he loved it. When I told him about my inspiration we were right back down memory lane for a whole afternoon. Thank’s food!
Recipe: Sweet Carrot Hummus Dip


2  medium sized carrots

sugar or honey of your choice

2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups of chickpeas (soaked overnight and cooked or can)
1-2 tablespoons of tahini
2 garlic cloves
1-2 tablespoons Juice of fresh lemon or lime
Cumin
Salt


Pepper

Cut carrots in any form (not too small not too big). In a pan let them fry in coconut oil for a few minutes until they get this golden color. That’s when you add some sugar or drizzle some honey to it. Wait another minute and stir carefully so it doesn’t burn. Your carrots should have a golden brownish crust on them. Now bring them to dance in your blender together with chickpeas and tahini and then slowly add the other ingredients. Don’t put everything at once, better taste yourself through the flavors to find a good balance. Once finished garnish with carrot sticks and have it with some yummy pita bread.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

One Mean Stove

Zoning out within the kitchen, camera close by, while my pot of soaking legumes caught my eye. Click.

This is my contribution to Black and White Wednesday, week #49. This popular weekly culinary picture occasion turned into started out by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and is still going robust. As Susan talked about when she announced the occasion, black and white photographs truly do not get enough recognize. Well, when you see the array of innovative pix presented every week, you'll see that while shade pics are lovely and usually desired, especially with regards to culinary imagery, monochromatic snap shots may be simply as sensual, striking and creative, if now not extra so, depending at the photographer at the back of the lens. As Susan notes, "Black and white can dramatically impact your photographs and educate your eye to view highlights, shadows, and midtones in an entire new mild.."

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste

The same standards that practice to creating your own spice blends at home similarly follow to homemade pastes, chutneys and sauces. Jarred and/or canned varieties to be had at your neighborhood marketplace lack the freshness and flare that you could without difficulty attain by means of making your own staples at home. Certainly every other advantage is you have got total manipulate over the amount and excellent of the components used. The system is less complicated than you may initially assume ? Specifically if your kitchen is stocked with a spice grinder or food processor ? And if saved in tightly sealed jars, spice blends will stay fresh for months on quit, even as maximum pastes, chutneys and sauces will keep well in the fridge for some weeks or longer.

As I am exploring Thai cooking in extra depth these days, it appears crucial that I have some sparkling curry pastes available as they are an vital addition to such a lot of Thai dishes. Many of the economic ready-made Thai curry pastes which you discover on grocery keep shelves contain fish sauce making them incorrect for vegetarians and vegans, so there may be a further incentive to make your own. In addition to Thai inexperienced curry paste, this crimson curry paste is now a frequent occupant on the second floor of my refrigerator. Used sparingly, your soups, sauces and curries will benefit from the lingering sensation of hot chilies, clean galangal or ginger, and lemongrass. Those with passionate palates may also workout much less restraint for a greater febrile experience.

More pastes you are are positive to experience from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Homemade Massaman Curry Paste

Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste

Red Chili and Vinegar Paste

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Paste

Indian-Style Spicy Cheese Scones

One of my specialties and favourite creations to tug from a steaming warm oven are simply quick breads including biscuits, scones, muffins and loaves. The aroma tantalizes the senses and stimulates the appetite. I constantly discover the transition from summer to fall alternatively tough to conform to and turning on the oven warms the feet. The most effective drawback is having the endurance to revel in one until it's far cool sufficient to consume. Generally talking, I decide on savory to candy. I am additionally a spice enthusiast so it regarded herbal for me to provide you with a highly spiced savory biscuit, or scone in case you decide upon.

Now, I don't want to begin a discussion at the confusion and controversy over what constitutes a scone as opposed to a biscuit, nor get into what a cracker, cookie or shortbread manner. A few years back Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe tried to make experience of this rather complex culinary depend. Really, it seems to depend upon the location of the sector you are living in or what you were brought as much as apprehend by using learning the word connected to object positioned in front of you. To make matters even greater perplexing, right here in North America the terms biscuit and scones are often used interchangeably, as are cracker and biscuit, and occasionally they're candy and now and again no longer.

But sufficient about that. Scone or biscuit, what without a doubt matters right here is this highly spiced baked pleasure that has simply enough heat to thrill highly spiced-minded palates but diffused enough for even the more timid among us. The cheese enables cool the masala blend and compliments the moist and flaky layered texture of the biscuit. Of route, if you are like me you'll be inclined to increase the amount of spice. The opportunities are countless ? A simple scone dough is a blank canvas to be explored and decorated.

Some tips: Much like cakes, over-mixing consequences in difficult biscuits or scones. You want quality flaky biscuits as a way to upward push. On the other hand, don't be terrified of the dough either. Biscuits which can be underworked may also flip out crumblier than you want and that would be ? Crummy! A combination of mild kneading and folding over the dough some times until clean is the important thing to a biscuit as a way to be wet, flaky, and rise to perfection. For softer biscuits, place the shaped dough closer collectively at the baking sheet. For crisper biscuits, place the rounds about an inch aside.

Of course, exercise makes perfect and certainly friends and family might not thoughts coming round to assess your check batches.

More highly spiced treats you could experience from Lisa's Kitchen:

Cayenne Peanut Butter Cookies

Spicy Parmesan Crackers

Jalapeno Cheddar Scones

On the top of the reading stack: Mortality by Christopher Hitchens

Audio Accompaniment: Robert Fripp