At some point in our lives, most of us have experienced the pain of trying to shed those extra pounds. Many women will also understand the annoyance of gaining those extra premenstrual pounds of body fat due to hormonal fluctuations. The truth is, the extra weight most people are carrying around is due to a combination of factors. Lifestyle and diet are two important issues, but there are numerous other factors that should also be taken into account, such as illness and other stressors. Stress is not something that only affects us psychologically, stress can also be caused by physiological and environmental triggers. Moreover, any type of stress can result in body fat accumulation.
During times of stress, many people tend to gain body fat. Often, this weight increase is due to hormonal changes that occur as a result of the stress. To deal with stress, your body’s NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response kicks in, associated with the well-known ‘fight or flight’ response. This automatic response is governed by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, through which chemical messengers are sent around the body to increase the production of cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine—the hormones responsible for readying your body to cope with stress.
The problem is not just with the production of extra cortisol—cortisol plays a very important role in your body’s ability to handle stress—but with regards to your immune system and inflammatory response. When cortisol levels rise due to stress, your body focuses only on survival and during this period, other bodily functions may be minimized or even suspended. Then, once the stressful situation has passed, your cortisol production and bodily functions return to normal.
However, chronic stress causes elevated cortisol production over a prolonged period, with cortisol production possibly increasing even more, which can have a cascading effect on your entire body, especially your hormones.
Under stress, your body requires more energy and to provide this extra energy, cortisol stimulates the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. The extra energy is presented in the form of glucose and extra glucose—i.e., increased blood sugar levels—causes your pancreas to secrete more insulin in order to balance your blood sugar levels. The result is a possible increase in appetite and cravings for certain high energy foods. You may find yourself eating comfort foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugar. So instead of having a healthy snack when you’re hungry, such as an apple or even a salad, you reach for French fries or the cookie jar, or you may even find yourself cooking up some macaroni and cheese. This is how the pounds start to pile on.
As you continue to gain weight, your adrenals battle to keep up with the increased, prolonged cortisol production and you may start to develop a set of symptoms quite common during the initial stages of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). For example, it’s not uncommon for overweight individuals to develop diabetes due to insulin resistance. As you progress through the different stages of Adrenal Fatigue, you may find new symptoms popping up as older ones increase in severity. At some point, if you don’t make some drastic changes to improve your health, your adrenal glands may become worn out, producing less cortisol, until at some stage, your cortisol production reaches an extremely low level. Although this may sound like a good thing, low cortisol levels can be even more debilitating and could ultimately lead to death.
When your adrenal glands start producing less cortisol, your body looks for other means to do so—often fat. As a result, your body begins to store more fat, especially around the abdominal area, which has been strongly associated with cardiovascular disease and stroke.
The problem with stress and increasing body fat is that it creates a vicious cycle. You become stressed and cortisol production increases. You experience cravings and your weight increases, which leads more stress… and the cycle continues.
There are three things you can do to stop the vicious fat cycle: address your stressors, exercise, and change your diet.
Managing your stressors is probably the most basic thing you can do when it comes to stress and cortisol. This means identifying stressors and either getting rid of them or doing something to manage them. Once you confront your issues and devise a plan to get rid of them, you’re on the way to victory. Practicing meditation or performing breathing exercises can also be extremely beneficial.
Exercise not only helps burn calories, decrease cholesterol levels, and lose weight, but also releases endorphins, i.e., the feelgood hormones. These hormones provide feelings similar to the ones you get from eating comfort foods, so you’ll eat less. Gentle exercise such as walking, yoga, or Pilates is preferable. You won’t get hurt easily and you won’t increase your cortisol levels like vigorous exercise can do.
Of course, diet is an important factor as well. Maintaining a diet filled with comfort foods isn’t going to do your adrenal glands or your overall health a lot of good. The Adrenal Fatigue Diet is an excellent choice if you’re currently in this situation. Not only does it support your adrenal health but will help you lose body fat too.
The Adrenal Fatigue Diet suggests that 40 percent of your diet should be made up of fresh vegetables, up to 30 percent should be lean protein, and the other 30 percent healthy fats, seeds, and nuts. Any remainder should be made up of whole grains, legumes, beans, and fruits. Ideally, vegetables should be eaten raw or lightly steamed.
The radish is a cruciferous vegetable with numerous positive health benefits and weight loss is one of them. Other benefits of radishes include:
The many health benefits of the radish are clear, but how exactly do radishes help with weight loss?
Radishes are high in dietary fiber and extremely low in calories. Therefore, radishes will fill you up without you adding any bulk, i.e., body fat. The high fiber content also promotes good bowel movements. In addition, a number of the health benefits of radishes prevent stress-related symptoms many of us suffer from, including those of Adrenal Fatigue. So, let’s take a look in a little more detail.
Radishes are high in glucosinolates—compounds containing sulfur—that work at a cellular level protecting your cells from some of the genetic mutations that cause cancer. Glucosinolates also help rid your body of any potentially cancerous cells and active sulfur compounds fight skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and acne. Both skin conditions and cancer are associated with Adrenal Fatigue. Furthermore, studies have shown that high body fat is often associated with a diet low in sulfur, because sulfur plays a role in supplying oxygen to the various parts of your body. Sulfur compounds also have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic, and antibiotic properties, thus aiding in disease prevention and moderating your appetite.
The sulfur in radishes therefore helps relieve your body of certain physical stressors, thereby supporting your adrenal health. By supporting your adrenal glands, sulfur indirectly promotes weight loss.
Radishes contain a large amount of vitamin C, which can improve your cardiovascular health by controlling cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is often associated with a high percentage of body fat and Adrenal Fatigue. Vitamin C is necessary for producing collagen, required by blood vessel walls, and for maintaining your metabolic health by helping turn fat into energy. As a powerful antioxidant, vitamin C is involved in cortisol production, acts as an immune system booster, and is an essential building block for adrenal recovery.
Furthermore, studies have indicated that vitamin C reduces the amount of body fat deposited by your body, improves insulin sensitivity, reduces blood glucose levels, and gets rid of the chemicals that cause inflammation.
This one little vegetable certainly seems to pack a punch in the health department! But radishes don’t have to be eaten raw in salads, they can also be cooked.
If you’re tired of eating radishes in salad, here’s a novel idea—roast them! Then add them to your main meal as a side dish.
Roasted radishes are best served warm or at room temperature.
© Copyright 2018 Michael Lam, M.D. All Rights Reserved.
The accumulation of body fat may be ascribed to a number of different causes. Indeed, Adrenal Fatigue and the accompanying cascading effect on your entire body may be one of the causes. This is primarily due to higher cortisol production and its effect on your hormones.
