While it's essential to move to alleviate adrenal fatigue, it's equally essential to fuel that movement, whether you're planning a workout or just going through your day. That goes double if you have adrenal fatigue. Here are some simple guidelines that put you in control of your food choices:
Focus on what you can eat. It's easy to get caught up in a what-not-to-eat mode of thinking, but first focus on foods you should be eating more of; then weed out the rest over time.
Make a rainbow on your plate, with three to five servings of vegetables and fruits at every meal and pair them with your favorite protein foods to create satiety (satisfaction of your hunger).
Choose foods in their purest forms. Whole foods give you true flavors, unlike overprocessed and excessively refined foods that add in flavoring, additives, and coloring. Processed “food” doesn't really taste good, and it further complicates identifying your food sensitivities.
Prepare your own food. Meals don't have to be complicated to be nourishing and make your taste buds happy. Can't cook? Start with the basics: Cook a cup of rice, grill up vegetables and meats, and — ta-da! — you have a meal in under 25 minutes!
The answer is yes, you can cook. No one is asking you to turn into Julia Child or Emeril Lagasse. Slice up an avocado, hard-boil an egg, crunch on fresh almonds, chomp on an apple, and you can build a meal.
Seeking a splash of color or more intense flavor? Look to fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, chives, and thyme) and spices (cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, chilies, and garlic) to take your simple dish up a notch on the flavor scale.
Take time to enjoy your food choices. You can't enjoy a meal if you're distracted or rushed. Give yourself time to tune in to your food. Pace yourself at the plate and focus on the flavors.
Embrace food as your ally in your healing journey. Hippocrates said it best: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”