Your adrenal glands must be working correctly in order for your thyroid to be producing the optimal amounts of hormones.
Your adrenal glands are critical for your body’s most basic, everyday functions, including balancing your hormones and helping your body recover from stress. How your adrenal glands perform is directly affected by the foods you do and don’t eat.
In order for our hormones to communicate with our cells, they both need to be healthy. Our cells need omega-6 and omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids to grow and develop properly. The hormones produced by the adrenals require healthy cholesterol, B vitamins, and minerals, so it is important to include foods in your diet that provide these things.
Here are some of the best foods for good adrenal health:
1. Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds, sometimes called “pepitas,” provide a wealth of minerals, including zinc, magnesium, and vitamins B and E.
2. Liver
Maybe your grandmother was on to something with her liver and onions. The liver is a goldmine of B vitamins, essential minerals, and healthy fats that are required for healthy cell function. I try to have liver at least twice a week. Be sure to find liver that has been either grass-fed or harvested from wild game; because they serve as the “cleaners,” the livers of factory-raised animals are more likely to be full of pesticides, antibiotics, and growth hormones.
3. Grass-fed Meat
Grass-fed meat and wild game generally contain more proportions of healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are necessary for brain and adrenal health. They are also less likely to be pumped with that antibiotics or growth hormones that lurk in so much of our food today.
4. Sardines
Sardines small wild fish; because of their size, they are less apt to absorb and retain many of the toxins found in larger fish. They are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which your body needs to function properly.
5. Sea salt
Many of us have high amounts of toxic metals, like lead, mercury, and arsenic, stored in our fat. Gradual increases of these metals can place a strain on the adrenal glands. Often, these metals will move into the bloodstream as substitutes for inadequate levels of good minerals. To prevent this, you need to make sure your body has enough of the essential minerals it needs. Using sea salt instead of iodized salt and taking Epsom salt baths are good ways to help restore your body’s natural mineral levels.
6. Clarified butter, or ghee
Ghee is clarified butter with the primary protein, casein, drained. The fat is rich in healthy cholesterol, which is a key building block for the adrenal glands. Because it is also grass-fed and all natural, it is absent the pesticides that may be found in commercial butter.
7. Non-starchy vegetables
The better the variety of vegetables, the better. They help reduce inflammation, balance glucose levels, reduce insulin production, and place less overall strain on your adrenals.
I know I didn’t pay attention to my adrenal glands until their poor function began to affect my overall health. Your body is meant to run like a well-oiled machine, with all parts being properly cared for. Take the time to take care of your adrenal glands!
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