How Gluten-Free Pizza Can be a Better Choice if You Have Adrenal Fatigue

When it comes to your overall health, the kind of foods that you eat matters. This is because it is the nutrients present in food that your body depends on for its daily nourishment. Without the right type of foods, you can easily risk having a significant lack of essential vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, eating the wrong kinds of foods can also have some dangerous consequences for your health. For instance, eating foods that have a high gluten content can adversely affect your health and even make your condition worse if you are suffering from adrenal fatigue. Hence, it may be time to consider revising your daily diet to stay away from gluten altogether. Fortunately, you don’t have to give up most of the foods you enjoy. For instance, you can easily have gluten-free pizza as part of your regular meals.

Understanding Gluten

Gluten essentially refers to the protein that is found in wheat, barley, rye, and triticale. When a person has gluten sensitivity or intolerance, their bodies tend to produce an abnormal immune response while trying to break down gluten during the process of digestion.

As a result, this immune response may end up damaging the intestines which prevents them from absorbing any vital nutrients from food. At the same time, those suffering from gluten intolerance or sensitivity may also experience cramping, bloating, and diarrhea after eating a food containing gluten. In cases like this, physicians usually recommend that patients completely remove gluten from their daily diet.

Gluten and Adrenal Fatigue

Gluten has a tendency to affect the body and its ability to respond to outside stress more effectively. In fact, the consumption of gluten itself can cause internal stress in the body to the point that your systems are compromised and hormonal imbalance occurs. As a result, due to the imbalance and fatigue, you suffer from Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS).

Typically, the body uses its very own NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response system to cope with any type of stress that it encounters. The NEM stress response system is made of six organs or system circuits that work both independently and together.

The effects of gluten can be seen in the body’s inflammation response to stress. When a person is suffering from gluten sensitivity or intolerance, the consumption of gluten triggers an immune response wherein the antibodies perceive gluten proteins as a threat and attack them. This causes development of inflammation in the body and if this remains unchecked, chronic inflammation can occur. This, in turn, increases the permeability of your gut lining, making it easier for toxins to invade your system and cause depression in your central nervous system.

At the same time, gluten can also cause damage in the intestinal tract. Because of this, it becomes harder for the body to absorb nutrients necessary in combatting adrenal fatigue. This also greatly affects the body’s bioenergetics circuit which deals with the proper conversion of food into energy.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

As you can see, gluten may pose further difficulties to your condition if you are already suffering from adrenal fatigue. And while you may have to stay away from gluten, that doesn’t mean you have to give up favorite foods like pizza altogether. You just have to prepare them gluten-free.

Before you make pizza without gluten on your own though, consult with your physician or nutritionist first. This way, you can also avoid other ingredients you are allergic to.

That said, here is an easy gluten-free pizza dough recipe that is also healthy for the adrenal glands:

Gluten-Free Dough

Ingredients A:

• 2 cups + 3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1 package active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients B:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ tablespoons melted butter

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine ingredients A and mix everything well together.
2. Add in ingredients B and continue to mix until everything is combined.
3. Form the dough into a ball and put back inside the bowl.
4. Cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap and set the dough aside for 30 minutes.
5. Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into four and make four dough balls. Wrap these individually and store until you are ready to make pizza.

To add more flavor to your pizza dough, feel free to add in freshly chopped herbs such as rosemary, oregano, and thyme. They not only make your pizza dough taste better, but they also help in the healing process of adrenal fatigue.

In fact, rosemary is known for its remarkable anti-inflammatory properties. Meanwhile, oregano and thyme are known to be effective in aiding digestion. Hence, adding these into your dough can help reduce certain symptoms of adrenal fatigue that you may be experiencing.

Easy Gluten-Free Pizza Recipes for Adrenal Fatigue

Now that you know how to make a perfect pizza dough that is free of gluten, it’s time to discover healthy adrenal pizza flavors that you can easily make at home any day of the week. This way, your weekly meals would have more flavor variety. Even better, you would be able to enjoy a slice of pizza without feeling any signs of gluten intolerance.

Here are some pizza flavors that are incredibly delicious, gluten-free, and adrenal-friendly:

Turkey Pizza

Prepared gluten-free pizza dough

Ingredients A:

• 2 cups cooked turkey, skinned and chopped
• ½ cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ½ cup organic provolone cheese, shredded

Ingredients B:

• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1¾ cups crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper, crushed

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°C.
2. Combine all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan. Mix everything well together and allow to boil.
3. Once the sauce boils, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for around 15 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Once it has thickened, stir ingredients B and remove the sauce from the heat. Allow this to cool completely.
4. Prepare your pizza dough on your pizza pan. Start by flattening the dough ball and gently pushing it towards the rim of the pizza pan.
5. Partially bake your pizza dough for around 10 minutes.
6. Once the crust is partially baked, remove from oven. Spread some sauce on the crust and proceed to add ingredients A. Make sure the toppings are spread evenly throughout the pizza.
7. Bake the pizza for around 25 minutes and serve.

Caramelized Fennel and Olives Pizza

Prepared gluten-free pizza dough

Ingredients A:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Ingredients B:

• 4 cups fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 2 cups white onion, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

Ingredients C:

• Prepared tomato sauce
• ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°C.
2. To make the caramelized fennel, heat ingredients A in a pan and add in ingredients B. Cook the mixture for around 20 minutes or until it turns golden while stirring constantly. Once the caramelized fennel is done, set aside.
3. Partially bake your crust for around 10 minutes.
4. Once done, remove from the oven and spread the ingredients C on top, starting with the sauce.
5. Spread the caramelized fennel all over the pizza.
6. Bake the pizza for around 18 minutes and serve.

Go ahead and try any of these amazing gluten-free pizza recipes for any of your meals. Feel free to also make some changes to these recipes according to your preference. You can add freshly chopped herbs or top it with slices of lean protein. As you can see, going gluten-free is fun, remarkably tasty, and adrenal-friendly.

 
© Copyright 2019 Michael Lam, M.D. All Rights Reserved.

Dr. Lam's Key Question