I’ve been reading tons and tons of stuff about adrenal fatigue, and one thing that keeps coming up, in everything I’ve read from the very first time I ever heard of this condition until today, is diet. Certain foods wreak havoc on the adrenals, and as much as I hate to admit it, I’m not going to feel 100% better until I address my consumption of sugar and processed foods.
While I’ve been making some modifications here and there in the last few months, I still found myself gorging on sugar-filled snacks at the end of the work day. And I hadn’t done jack about my coffee and/or diet coke habits. Last Friday I went to the nutritionist for a follow up, and the tests showed that my endocrine system is getting better (it’s no longer off-the-charts bad, it’s only in the sorta bad category), my liver has moved from the working swimmingly category into the sorta bad category.
These are all technical terms.
In any case, she said I am overworking my liver by ingesting crap foods, and I need to knock that shit off and concentrate on golf and eat some healthy stuff. LUCKILY, she had just the system for me – the Standard Process Purification Program, and it could be mine for the low, low price of… I’m not even going to tell you how much.
So, for the next 19.5 days (1.5 days down, woohoo) I’m going to subsist on vegetables, fruits, lean proteins (after the first 10 days, anyway), water and green tea. (Did you see diet coke and twizzlers on that list? Me either. It’s so sad.) I also have to take 21 pills a day for the first 10 days – pills that consist of dehydrated beets (which I like to pretend were grown by Dwight Schrute) and stuff. No chemicals, just food. But! I can eat Chipotle, and as long as I have Chipotle, everything is right in my world.
She swears my cravings will go away after day 4 and that I’ll feel great once my body is rid of the bad stuff. I shall believe it when I see it.
How about you, friends? Any sugar-giver-uppers out there who want to tell me how fantastic they look and feel? I’ll be anxiously awaiting your reply while I sit here and sip on liquefied turnips.
Every time I have given up processed sugar, I have felt fantastic. Unfortunately, much like Dylan McKay, I just enjoy “chasing the dragon” and I always go back to the white devil.
Can I go on an expletive-laden tirade about this? Like you did when I made BROCCOLI CAKES? Dubya tee fish! Encapsulated vegetables? I would SO puke up 21 pills a day.
I haven’t completely given up sugar, but since I’ve cut back a LOT, I do feel better. Cutting out the gluten is the reason (I believe) that despite slacking off on sugar or pop once in awhile, I haven’t gained back any of the weight I lost after the New Year. So once you are done cleansing yourself, I’d try to not go back on gluten either. It is, after all, the devil, which is why so many people can’t tolerate it any more.
Yay for you! My chiropractor wanted me to do the SP cleanse but it was SO expensive. I haven’t done it yet, but I have cut out most processed foods (except that darn diet coke!). I hope it works for you…and I have to agree with Jenny that being off gluten is probably best. I’ve tried adding in some grains (like rice and corn) and unless they are totally unprocessed (think just plain rice and popcorn vs. rice chex and tortilla chips) my blood sugar goes thru the roof and I can’t bring it down. I can’t imagine what gluten would do to me now…not sure how the adrenals are all interlinked with the pancreas and blood sugar regulation, but the more I read the more I realize how much damage my body has gone thru and how much work I have to do to get everything back in order (well, as much as possible for a type 1 diabetic)…
Please keep us updated on how you feel through all this. I am a horrible eater! And I know I would feel better if I cut all the crap out, but I don’t. I have zero willpower! I’m hoping that after I have my baby this summer that I will get healthy and lose weight.
Sad! UP
Eating natural, unpreserved and unprocessed wholesome foods is probably why all those people in the Bible lived so long!
On that note, since the new year I have drastically improved my eating habits and started dropping weight (following Weight Watchers). I have only had fried foods probably three times since the New Year and each time I have gotten severe heartburn. I don’t know how that connects, but our bodies so know what’s good and what’s bad…
I quit eating sugar/carbs about. 5 years ago. I have fibromyalgia and CFIDS. It took about 2 weeks to get through sugar withdrawal.
If I eat a piece of chocolate or a high carb snack, I feel awful! I get restless leg syndrome and feel like I am having DT’s. I have no desire for cookies/cakes/soda…..if I eat any of these I know what would follow, so no desire.
I might add, I lost about 35 lbs……no other diet changes. Although, I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
Oh, and rarely eat meat.
I get organic produce delivered every week from Fulton farms. If you want to start eating a more healthy diet, fresh organic produce is the way to go!