You could argue that stress is everywhere these days and is drastically affecting your life. In fact, stress may have persisted in your life for so long that you’re already suffering from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). If this is the case, making certain modifications to your daily diet can help. Start by adding some nut butter to your meals and you could absolutely be on your way to Adrenal Fatigue recovery.
Your body has a system in place to cope with stress known as the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response system.
The NEM stress response system is composed of various organs and systems that are interlinked and immediately take action the moment stress is detected. The bioenergetics circuit—liver, pancreas, and thyroid—is responsible for regulating your blood sugar levels and preventing hypoglycemia. When stress present, your thyroid gland produces hormones that signal an increase in your basal metabolic rate, thereby helping to ensure you have the energy you need to cope with the stress at hand.
At the same time, your pancreas produces insulin in response to stress, ensuring that your cells get the boost of energy required to face this stress. The liver is also responsible for storing glucose as glycogen—a form of glucose that can be used more easily by your body.
The moment stress is detected, your adrenal glands are triggered and start producing the main stress response hormone cortisol. Your adrenals are responsible for preparing your body for the fight or flight response and at the same time, cortisol inhibits insulin production to prevent glucose from being stored. This ensures additional energy is available as it may be required during times of stress. Therefore, a balance between the adrenal glands and pancreas exists in order to regulate your blood sugar levels.
Normally, all functions return to normal the moment a stressful episode has passed. However, if you’re dealing with prolonged or chronic stress, this may not be the case since your body becomes exhausted inside and out. Normal functions soon become compromised and your body is no longer able to meet energy requirements.
To support survival, your adrenal glands suppress both thyroid gland function and energy production to conserve your energy and allow your body to rest. However, as thyroid gland function is down-regulated, your thyroid hormone levels are also significantly reduced.
At the same time, the amount of cortisol your adrenal glands can produce in long run also drops significantly. In the end, your body falls into a state of hormonal imbalance. This, in turn, leads to Adrenal Fatigue.
When you’re already suffering from Adrenal Fatigue, your body’s ability to function normally becomes severely compromised. As a result, you may feel too exhausted and too weak to go about your normal daily routine. This, in turn, affects your quality of life. If you don’t do anything to combat the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue, your condition may worsen. In fact, you may end up suffering from various illnesses such as fibrocystic breast disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, Grave’s disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
The best way to stop Adrenal Fatigue from becoming more serious is by making modifications to your lifestyle. This typically starts with your daily diet. Changes to your diet can happen in two ways. First, you’ll need to remove or lessen certain foods that may be worsening your adrenal exhaustion. Next, it’s advisable to incorporate certain foods into your diet that can help you recover from Adrenal Fatigue, including nuts and nut butter.
Nuts help to regulate your blood sugar levels, which is critical if you’re already dealing with Adrenal Fatigue. This is also of particular importance since your body will become even more overworked if it needs to process excess sugar. Hence, bringing down your blood sugar levels by consuming nuts is a good way to starting to reverse the harmful effects of Adrenal Fatigue.
In fact, one study conducted at the University of South Australia showed that the magnesium and arginine found that nuts can help reduce oxidative stress, blood pressure, and inflammation. Moreover, nuts have also been shown to positively influence glucose homeostasis—the balance between glucagon and insulin. Another study conducted at the University of Toronto found that the consumption of nuts alongside carbohydrate-rich foods can dull the postprandial glycemic response caused by carbohydrates.
As you’ve probably gathered, adding a variety of nuts into your diet can improve your blood sugar levels and prevent your adrenal glands and NEM stress response circuits from being overworked. This, in turn, offers you a better chance of recovering from Adrenal Fatigue.
In addition to snacking on whole nuts, you also have the option of adding them to your diet in the form of nut butter, which is made by simply grinding nuts into a spreadable paste. Some nut butter also contains healthy oils, salt, spices, and natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. They can be spread on bread, crackers, fruit slices, or even vegetable crudités.
It’s always best to consult with your physician or nutritionist before you attempting to add any type of nut butter to your diet. There is a possibility you may an allergy or intolerance to certain types of nut, which could induce additional symptoms including difficulty swallowing, nausea, nasal congestion, shortness of breath, vomiting, skin rash, runny nose, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and swelling of the eyes or entire face. It’s recommended to have allergy or intolerance testing carried out before consuming nuts of any kind to avoid experiencing these symptoms.
Here are a number of nut butters that you can consume daily to help your body recover from Adrenal Fatigue.
Almonds are a great type of nut that have a lot of benefits for anyone suffering from Adrenal Fatigue. In fact, according to one study, primarily conducted at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a diet rich in almonds can help improve your insulin sensitivity. This can help reverse the effects of cortisol, which decreases your body's sensitivity to insulin during times of stress.
Furthermore, research conducted by the Nut Growers Association found that almond butter is a rich source of various vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients necessary for restoring your health. These include calcium, vitamin E, iron, and fiber.
Without a doubt, peanut butter is one of the most popular nut butters around and for good reason. According to The Peanut Institute, peanut butter is rich in antioxidants. In fact, it can reportedly reduce stress on your brain, so you can think better even during times of stress.
At the same time, peanut butter can also give you an energy boost, which is why it’s great to have with breakfast or even as an afternoon snack. And because peanuts are rich in fiber, they can help maintain your blood sugar levels throughout the day, preventing your body from becoming overworked. However, some people tend to experience increased inflammation from eating peanut butter compared to other butters. Some peanut butters have also been found to contain aflatoxin, which is toxic to the body and highly inflammatory.
Macadamia nuts can make for a delicious and addictive snack at any time of day. They also make a tasty macadamia butter, which you should consider adding to your daily diet. According to a study conducted at the University of Newcastle in 2007, consuming macadamia nuts can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
Forget popular chocolate hazelnut spreads and go for pure hazelnut butter instead. According to a study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences in 2013, regularly consuming hazelnuts can lead to lower fasting blood sugar levels.
Walnuts contain high levels of antioxidants, which can ease the various symptoms of anxiety disorders, according to Harvard Health. Moreover, another study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that walnuts may help lower blood sugar levels during times of stress.
In addition, another study from Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that eating walnuts can lead to increased feelings of satiation without increasing your body’s insulin resistance. This finding is quite significant since your insulin resistance may already be high if you’re suffering from Adrenal Fatigue.
Today, various types of nut butter exist and are readily available in supermarkets and health stores. Although ready-made nut butters are practical and tasty, you may want to consider making your own batch at home. This way, you know exactly what’s in the nut butter you’re eating and can adjust it to your preferred sweetness.
Here are some nut butter recipes that you can easily try right now.
Feel free to try making any of these nut butter recipes at home. You can make a big batch during the weekend and continue to enjoy it for a week or two. Also, try combining different types of nuts into a single nut butter for a unique flavor or add some seeds for some extra nutrition and added crunch.
Without a doubt, consuming nut butter can go a long way in improving your overall health and recovering from Adrenal Fatigue. Eating nut butter daily may also improve your overall mood and quality of life. With nut butter, your road to Adrenal Fatigue recovery will be pretty tasty.
Having some nut butter with your meal on a regular basis can help you manage your blood sugar levels. This is particularly important if you suffer from Adrenal Fatigue since elevated blood sugar levels can cause several body functions to become overworked.
