Last updated on May 11th, 2023 at 03:42 pm
A nutrient-dense whole-food diet is one of the most powerful tools to add to your healthy living toolbox. Vitamins and minerals are essential in navigating, supporting, and healing adrenal fatigue. I prefer a food-first approach, but deficiencies are often so great that adrenal fatigue supplements help to take the edge off – for a time and a season.
A word of caution – supplements are not a magic pill. After all, Americans think of supplements as they think of prescription medication. The name supplement describes its role so well – supplements are a “supplement” a nutrient-dense diet and a mindfully healthy lifestyle. Often supplements are the missing piece of the puzzle for many of my clients. Still, I don’t want you to think that taking supplements is an excuse to eat all processed food and let stress rule your life. Furthermore, I want you to understand the powerful role they can play in your own health journey.
Why do we need supplements?
- Unfortunately, our food supply is not what it once was. As a result, the nutrient content of foods is decreasing due to poor soil quality, long transportation distances, harvesting practices, pesticides, and other toxins.
- Stress is a one-way ticket to nutrient depletion. When the body is in a chronic stress state, it burns through the stored-up nutrients much faster.
- Supplements are often needed to help restore nutrient balance within the body.
The basics of supplements can boil down to targeted support to heal, encourage nutrient balance, and restore the body’s natural nutrient stores.
Adrenal fatigue supplements for supportive healing
|supplements, minerals, and vitamins|
Even natural solutions and remedies tend to have a few caveats, and it often depends on your state of health and healing. Some supplements might not be suitable for you. Working with a trained and skilled practitioner to help you find your best fit is very important. Always consult your primary care physician before starting any new protocol..
This list is not an extensive (or all-inclusive) list but a great starting point to determine what is suitable for your specific needs.
*I don’t recommend ordering supplements from places like Amazon. Simply, because tests on some supplements show that the packaging is legit. However, the content is full of synthetic and potentially harmful supplements.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential part of the adrenal cascade, and the adrenal cortex uses it. The adrenal cortex is the part of the adrenal glands responsible for creating the hormones mediating the body’s stress response. In times of stress, the body uses vitamin C rather quickly to make cortisol and other stress hormones. Additionally, vitamin C is fantastic for helping minimize some of the effects of stress and can be a helpful tool in assisting a person to bounce back from stressful circumstances more rapidly.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin – meaning the body eliminates whatever it doesn’t need. With that being said, I recommend increasing your dosage and spreading them throughout the day (by taking it in the morning and evening) during times of high stress or when working on healing adrenal fatigue.
Not all supplements on the market are equal. This is especially true for vitamin C. Bioflavonoids make vitamin C so effective, and you need both flavonoids to metabolize and utilize the ascorbic acid. Whole food forms of vitamin C are the way to go.
Supplement recommendations: Pure Radiance C or Acerola Vitamin C Superfood, Camu Camu
Food sources: kiwi, citrus, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, parsley, pineapple, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, tomatoes.
Vitamin B Complex
B vitamins are some of my favorite vitamins. They have many different bodily roles, including cell metabolism and central nervous system protection. This is why they are the “anti-stress” supplement. Moreover, B vitamins are vital for adrenal healing and support as the adrenal cascade uses them in every process. The body tends to speed up cell metabolism to meet the stress level, thus causing the body to burn through more nutrients faster. Exhaustion, adrenal imbalance, hypothyroidism, headaches, mood swings, brain fog, and difficulty concentrating can all be signs of a deficiency in B complex vitamins.
Consuming B-vitamin in the proper ratio is important, hence the B complex vitamins’ name on the supplement bottle.
Supplement recommendations: Beef Liver Capsules, Multi-Organ Capsules, Energi +
Food sources: egg yolks, 100% pastured beef, cooked leafy greens (with lots of healthy fats)
Adaptogens
Adaptogens are fabulous herbal and natural tools to help mediate and adapt to incoming stress and environmental changes. Depending on the circumstances, they can produce a calming or stimulating effect. These herbs tend to be “non-specific” and can, therefore, affect and support many different systems in the body.
My favorite adaptogenic adrenal fatigue supplements:
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a calming adaptogen. It is traditionally used for insomnia, anxiety, exhaustion, nervousness, thyroid dysfunction, and some autoimmune conditions. Moreover, ashwagandha is unique because it can calm or stimulate when needed.
Supplement recommendations: Ashwagandha Powder
Reishi
Reishi is my all-time favorite. It is a robust anti-inflammatory mushroom that can support and boost your mental and emotional clarity, support the immune system, improve sleep, decrease feelings of overwhelm, and help the cells function optimally.
Supplement recommendations: Reishi Powder (fruiting body + spores), The Mushroom Tonic
Sodium
One of the adrenal glands’ many jobs includes regulating blood pressure and electrolyte balance. Common adrenal fatigue symptoms include low blood pressure, muscle weakness, electrolyte imbalance, and dehydration.
It is common to crave salt and salty foods when in a state of adrenal fatigue. This craving is to help replenish the body’s sodium stores. After all, the body is brilliantly designed, and this is its way to signal that the adrenal glands need more minerals to regulate.
Mineral-rich sea salt is a simple choice because it’s readily available, extremely rich in minerals, and has the right electrolyte balance to stay hydrated when drinking water. Dehydration is another common symptom of adrenal fatigue.
Supplement recommendations: Quinton Seawater (available on my Fullscript dispensary), JigSaw Adrenal Cocktail Powder (available on my Fullscript dispensary)
Food sources: kelp, seaweed, olives, swiss chard
Healing and supporting the adrenal glands can sometimes seem overwhelming, and it is best to take it step by step. The body is brilliant, designed, and capable of healing itself when given all the right tools and support to navigate the process.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the first mineral it burns through when the body is stressed out (chronic fight and flight mode). In fact, magnesium deficiency is a big thing in the population. Moreover, this vital mineral is calming and soothing to the central nervous system. Additionally, magnesium deficiency is often caused by the over-consumption of processed foods and sugar, high stress, or a chronic sympathetic state.
Supplement recommendations: magnesium bath flakes, magnesium lotion, Smidge Morning and Evening Magnesium (available on my Fullscript dispensary), liquid magnesium
Food sources: kelp, brewer’s yeast, molasses, wild-caught fatty fish, cooked leafy greens, avocado
As you can see above, many adrenal fatigue supplements and food sources can be very nurturing, calming, and supportive of the adrenal glands. Furthermore, healing and bringing the adrenals back into balance requires mindfulness and awareness to make better dietary and lifestyle choices. However, it is possible, so don’t give up, but understand it can take 6-18 months.
More to read: “18 Natural Tips To Support And Balance Adrenal Dysfunction” and “5 Adrenal Fatigue Signs And What You Can Do About It”
Disclaimer: This post is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and is for educational purposes only.
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