8 Foods For Adrenal Fatigue You Should Eat (and Which To Avoid)

Table of Contents

When you’re dealing with adrenal fatigue, having essential coping strategies on hand helps you feel better. That’s why incorporating the right foods for adrenal fatigue into your diet makes a huge difference!

With adrenal fatigue, you may experience hair loss, trouble sleeping, extreme tiredness during the day, weight fluctuation, and increased cravings. You might even take longer to recover when you get sick, so taking care of your body and immune system is a must.

Your diet will always influence your health and the way you feel. If you’re dealing with symptoms of adrenal fatigue, changing up your diet could help!

What Is Adrenal Fatigue?

The adrenal glands are located in your kidneys. These glands produce regulatory hormones, like cortisol, which regulates your blood pressure, metabolism, and even your nervous system.

But the biggest thing cortisol is known for is the body’s response to stress.

When we face stressful situations, our bodies produce cortisol to help us respond. But when we’re dealing with chronic stress or anxiety, our adrenal glands can’t create enough cortisol.

This leads to adrenal insufficiency. And while adrenal insufficiency is a medical diagnosis, adrenal fatigue is not. But many doctors recognize adrenal fatigue as being caused by sustained stress, anxiety, and that dreaded adrenal insufficiency!

If you have adrenal fatigue, you might:

Have body aches
Experience chronic fatigue
Deal with poor digestion
Lose some of your hair
Feel lightheaded
Have low blood pressure
Feel nervous or anxious frequently
Lose unhealthy amounts of weight

What Is An Adrenal Fatigue Diet?

An adrenal fatigue diet helps reduce strain on your adrenal glands. The right foods for adrenal fatigue naturally increase your body’s energy levels so that stored nutrients are not burned through too quickly.

When you add foods for adrenal fatigue to your diet, you’ll likely experience:

Healthy blood pressure levels
Lower stress levels
Added healthy nutrients for your body
Improved performance of your adrenal glands

Like many healthy diets, an adrenal fatigue diet should include vegetables, whole grains, and lots of extra protein.

While there hasn’t been too much official research on an adrenal fatigue diet, adjusting your diet to boost nutrient levels is always a good idea. Healthier habits can give your mental and physical health a boost!

8 Best Foods For Adrenal Fatigue

For a well balanced diet, doctors recommend a healthy balance of protein, healthy fats, and nutrient-dense carbs. You’ll also want to eat foods with vitamins C and B along with minerals like magnesium.

To encourage healthy adrenal glands and reduce your symptoms, these foods for adrenal fatigue are a good idea. Let’s do a quick overview of foods to add to your diet, and then explore some specific foods for adrenal fatigue you should try!

For anyone with adrenal fatigue, these foods will help boost your energy, alleviate stress, and support your adrenal glands.

Dairy, eggs, fish, and lean meats are a good starting point. Then, add in leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats. Make sure to always drink plenty of water. You can also incorporate low-sugar fruits for great nutrition!

Here are some more specific foods for adrenal fatigue to help support your adrenal glands.

1. Oysters

Oysters really are a superfood, but most of us don’t realize how beneficial they are!

They’re packed with vitamins and minerals to support your body, like Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and zinc.

And zinc has so many amazing benefits, especially if you’re dealing with adrenal fatigue. Since zinc works with copper in your body to protect your neurotransmitters, you’ll actually experience less symptoms of anxiety and stress when you have enough zinc!

2. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens like kale, spinach, collard greens, and swiss chard are really amazing foods for adrenal fatigue. These greens are high in magnesium, which helps you manage stress more effectively and relax during the day.

As a bonus, the magnesium boost you’ll get from leafy greens will help you fall asleep easier, which combats some of the exhaustion associated with adrenal fatigue.

3. Avocados

Although lots of people try to avoid eating fats at all cost, that’s totally the wrong strategy for those with and without adrenal fatigue.

Healthy fats are so important to keeping your body on track. They help you produce those essential hormones, like cortisol, which means you have less of a chance of experiencing adrenal fatigue!

Avocados are one of the easiest healthy fats to incorporate into your diet. Aside from being delicious, they’re full of monounsaturated fats, which reduce the risk of heart disease. They also have lots of fiber to boost digestion!

4. Organic Turkey

You need to eat lots of protein to help your body recover from adrenal fatigue symptoms. Organic turkey is one of the best foods for adrenal fatigue because it contains the amino acid tryptophan.

Tryptophan helps your body produce and maintain proteins, muscles, enzymes, and neurotransmitters.

This amino acid also reduces stress so you feel calmer! It works in tandem with serotonin, a neurotransmitter that balances your mood while helping you feel less anxious.

Since tryptophan is an essential amino acid, it cannot be made in the body, which means we must get it from our diets. And organic turkey is an easy, delicious way to get it! It’s also affordable and versatile to add to your daily routine.

5. Asparagus

Did you know that asparagus is one of the best foods for adrenal fatigue?

It’s rich with nutrients like folate. This is an essential vitamin that helps reduce the strain of hormonal imbalances, which alleviates the impact of adrenal fatigue.

6. Wild-Caught Fish

If you’re looking for protein and healthy fats, wild-caught fish like salmon and sardines are your best bet.

Fish helps reduce inflammation, and they give your brain health a nice boost!

It’s also an incredible protein source, and by now, it’s clear how helpful protein can be for adrenal fatigue.

7. Pumpkin Seeds

For a more nutritious snack option, pumpkin seeds pack a powerful punch.

They have lots of great benefits from magnesium and Vitamins E and B. Pumpkin seeds also give your thyroids a little extra support!

8. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is one of the most versatile foods for adrenal fatigue because you can bake with it, roast veggies with it, or even use it as a substitute for other oils in your regular recipes!

It’s a great source of fat that helps your brain function properly—and when your brain is at its peak, so is the rest of your body.

Foods for Adrenal Fatigue You Should Avoid Eating

Now that you know the best foods to add to your diet, what foods should you avoid?

First, try to limit highly processed foods with lots of refined sugar or unhealthy fats.

Then, try to steer clear of these foods on a regular basis. Occasionally, they’ll be fine, but in moderation! They don’t help you like the other foods for adrenal fatigue on our list will, and can even worsen your symptoms.

Avoid these foods and drinks whenever possible:

Caffeine
Alcohol
Fried foods
Fast food
Artificial sweeteners
White sugar
White flour
Soda

Make sure to pay attention to how frequently you eat! Start the day with a balanced, nutrient-rich breakfast.

Then, continue to eat regularly throughout the day to give your body the nutrients and energy it needs to produce cortisol, respond appropriately to stress, and prevent adrenal fatigue.

Are you ready to start healing your adrenal fatigue? Knowing which foods to enjoy and which to avoid is the first step to an adrenal fatigue-free lifestyle. Eating better is the first step to feeling better and balancing your body.

Adding the right foods for adrenal fatigue to your diet (and avoiding others) is a good way to prevent and heal your symptoms.

8 Foods For Adrenal Fatigue You Should Eat (and Which To Avoid)