Menu for November 5-11 and Spotlight on Adrenal Fatigue and Mitochondria Disfunction

Fatigue and Stress. Words that I am intimately acquainted with, yet I’m 100% sure I’m not alone. As a mom of 10, I’ve had a up close and personal relationship with fatigue and stress. Sleepless nights and stressful days, and as I get older, it doesn’t seem to be getting better. I’ve traded diapers and night time feedings for homeschooling, working full time, taking care of elderly parents, piano lessons and sports. We live in a chronically stressed out, tired and run down society. So, how do we mitigate against the damage that so much overwhelm has on our bodies?
First, I think, it’s important to understand if adrenal fatigue or mitochondrial disfunction, or both are responsible for your body’s run down state.
Adrenal Fatigue, which is also referred to as HPA axis disfunction is coupled with prolonged chronic stress, (real or perceived), irritability, dependence on caffeine, brain fog, cravings for sweet and salty foods and most importantly feeling tired when you wake up, but not being able to wind down at night.
So what’s happening? In simplest terms, the body’s HPA axis or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis triggers the adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol when the body is under stress. I remember this worked great when I had to get up in front of an audience of 500 and give a vocal performance. The increased adrenaline gave me the energy to belt out some really high notes. It’s not so great when the HPA is constantly releasing adrenaline and cortisol, because eventually that tank of cortisol gets empty. This may not seem to be a big deal, but low cortisol comes with side effects such as constant fatigue, thyroid issues, low blood sugar, depression, and sleep disturbances.
Mitochondrial disfunction, on the other hand, occurs when the mitochondria (or powerhouses of our cells) are not in optimal health. Mitochondria are found in almost all of the cells in the human body but are especially concentrated in places with high energy demands, such as the heart, liver, muscles and brain. Their main function is to create the energy our body needs to power through each day. Mitochondrial disfunction occurs when there are nutrient deficiencies, environmental toxins, stress and inflammation. In short, all the things that we all deal with in the modern world. It’s also related to aging and chronic disease and may be a contributing factor to diabetes, cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases. Mitochondria disfunction also appears to affect the HPA axis and may be a contributor to adrenal fatigue. It is definitely related to severe fatigue.
As a nutritional health coach, I am chiefly intrigued by the fact that nutrient deficiency is a key contributor to mitochondrial disfunction because for me, it connects some major dots. For example, if the food I’m eating is depleted of nutrients, or my digestive enzymes aren’t working optimally to extract nutrients for my body to use, than that, is directly linked to the health of my mitochondria. Although adrenal fatigue and mitochondrial disfunction are different they can’t help but be related, as everything in the body is. The unique and defining characteristics of both are extreme fatigue.
Here are some diet and nutrients that are required for our bodies to produce energy that would be a first step in reclaiming energy.
Vitamin B: All of the B vitamins are involved in converting food to energy and are necessary for biochemical reactions that create energy in the mitochondria.
Vitamin C….not just the “I’m feeling sick” vitamin. One of the first signs of Vitamin C deficiency is tiredness because Vitamin C is responsible for the synthesis of carnitine which transports fat to the mitochondria to be burned for energy.
Magnesium: Personally, I preach magnesium. I don’t feel like I’m often heard, but eventually I hope people will take this precious mineral seriously because it’s involved in hundreds of biochemical processes in the body and energy is one of them. “Magnesium is needed to convert carbohydrates and fats into energy and plays a crucial role in the actual structure of the form of energy that our mitochondria create, called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP binds to magnesium to create a functional form of energy our bodies can use. Magnesium is also required by certain enzymes that work within the mitochondria to maintain their health and normal function and deficiencies have been directly connected to the dysregulation of the HPA axis and anxiety.” (from Vitamin Cottage). Diet is also critical to restoring adrenal and mitochondrial health. Eating a diet of processed foods, hormone and antibiotic riddled dairy, gluten, and sugar as well as inflammatory seed oils are driving nutrient deficiencies and amping up inflammation. Cleaning up your diet is really low hanging fruit to restoring energy.
In addition, I want to address something called perceived stress. We have a tremendous ability to control our thoughts. Our immune cells listen to our mind. Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., presents this concept in “Biology of Belief.” Negative thoughts can, in fact, drive cortisol. As a Christian, I do think the Bible speaks to this in numerous places and I think I would be remiss to not mention verses like Philippians 4:6-9. I often find myself thinking that my problems are worse than anyone else’s problems, when in fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Evaluating the validity of my thoughts has been a key part of winning the stress battle. Clearly there are stressors we all face that are REAL but it’s worth evaluating each thought that passes our brain as true or not true. Focusing on having a positive grateful attitude no matter what the circumstances around you are will go a long way in improving overall health. Hope you have a fantastic week!

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

Breakfast: Soft Boiled Eggs with Ezekiel Toast

Lunch: Basic Salad with Protein

Supper: Coconut Crusted Chicken or Salmon

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday

Breakfast: Kefir Berry Smoothie

Lunch: “Chipotle” Bowl

Supper: Loaded Sweet Potato

Recipes:

Soft Boiled Eggs with Ezekiel Toast

Ingredients: 2 soft boiled eggs, 1 slice of Ezekiel Bread, (or other gluten free homemade bread), 1/4 avocado Instructions: 1. Boil your eggs for 5-7 minutes leaving yolk slightly soft. 2. Meanwhile toast your bread and prepare avocado. 3. When the egg is done, immediately split it in half and scoop out the inside onto your toast. Top with avocado. Note: When I was little, my mom used to make soft boiled eggs for us all the time. She would toast the bread, and then break it into small pieces in a bowl before scooping out the egg. The combination of crunchy bread and slightly runny eggs, topped with salt and pepper was so delicious. I hope you enjoy this timeless breakfast as much as I did.

Basic Salad Topped With Protein

Ingredients: Any organic greens (except Iceberg), toppings of choice may include: cucumber, beets, purple cabbage, jicama, and radish. Some kind protein may include: beef, chicken, a couple of hard boiled eggs or fish. (@ 4 ounces). 1 Tbsp olive oil, and 1 Tbsp Lemon juice.
Instructions: Wash and chop all necessary ingredients and toss together. Drizzle a Tbsp of olive oil and lemon if desired.

Coconut Crusted Chicken or Salmon (from Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook)

Ingredients: chicken tenderloins, eggs, dried unsweetened coconut, salt, parsley, onion and garlic powder. Instructions: 1. Dip thawed chicken or salmon into a couple of whisked eggs. 2. To make breading, place the following ingredients in a blender: 1 cup dried coconut, salt, pepper, parsley, onion powder and garlic powder. Blend until fine and pour out onto a large dinner plate. 3. Coat the chicken pieces generously by laying each side of chicken or salmon in the crumbs. 4. Grease a baking dish or two and lay the tenderloins singularly on the tray and bake at 350 degrees until the meat is tender.

Kefir Smoothie

Ingredients: Plain Kefir, Frozen Berries, and Chia Seeds. Non sugar sweetener of choice or small amounts of honey or maple syrup.
Instructions: Blend 1 cup of kefir, 1 cup frozen berries, 1 Tbsp chia seeds and sweetener together. Enjoy!

“Chipotle” Bowl

Ingredients: 2 bags of frozen cauliflower rice, 4 cups diced stew meat or diced chicken breast, 1 jar sugar free salsa, 4 cups chopped Romaine, 1 cup cheese (optional if dairy free), one bunch of chopped cilantro, 2 avocados chopped, 2 Tbsp avocado oil. Other optional ingredients: Primal Kitchen Queso.
Instructions: 1. Cook the meat and set aside in a warmer. 2. Put 2 Tbsp avocado oil in a skillet and dump in the cauliflower rice. Cook on low until excess water is cooked out. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. 3. Layer the cauliflower rice, meat, romaine, salsa, cheese and avocado. Top with Primal Kitchen queso.

Loaded Sweet Potato

Ingredients: A couple of sweet potatoes depending on how many people you’re serving, 4-6 oz lean protein.
Instructions: Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees until they begin to caramelize. Meanwhile cook your protein. I like to use white fish and blacken it in the oven. Top the potatoes with a piece of fish and enjoy!