If you experience moderate to high stress in your daily life (this is most of us, right?!), then this adrenal cocktail may be just what you need to replenish the nutrients your body is using up quickly during these stressful times and provide you stable and balanced energy.
Drinking an adrenal cocktail is a really simple and easy way to nourish the adrenal glands and keep your minerals balanced. In times of stress - work stress, life stress, new baby, family life, etc., I recommend drinking an adrenal cocktail daily in the mid-afternoon (around 3:00 pm) when you typically feel an energy crash. If you typically feel your energy crash in the morning, drinking it between breakfast and lunch may be a better time for you. There are no real rules! This drink is also amazing for postpartum mamas. This is a great time to nourish your body and focus on your adrenals as your stress is high and you are definitely not getting the rest and sleep you need.
What are adrenals and what do they do?
Our adrenal glands are small glands that sit on top of the kidneys. Their main role is to produce and secrete certain hormones including cortisol which is responsible for and supports our metabolism and stress response, adrenaline which also helps your body to react to stress, and aldosterone which helps maintain our water/salt balance helping to control blood pressure.
How AND why you should support your adrenals
Given the many stressors we’re exposed to daily, our adrenal glands are workhorses and use up a lot of nutrients when trying to regulate our stress. The main nutrients that our adrenal gland utilizes include potassium, sodium, and vitamin C.
There are many ways to support your adrenals like eating balanced meals and eating regularly, getting enough rest and sleep, and sticking with lower stress exercises like walking, yoga, and pilates. The adrenal cocktail is a nice complement to these strategies and is a great way to help replenish the lost nutrients and support your adrenals quickly.
Here is the basic formula and how you can swap in some other ingredients that you may prefer or just happen to have on hand. I love this recipe because it contains the replenishing whole-food nutrients and electrolytes needed to support the adrenals along with protein and fat to help blood sugar balance.
Vitamin C - 100%, (fresh-squeezed if possible)orange juice or any other citrus fruit, tart cherry juice is a nice option too
Potassium - coconut water, pure aloe vera juice, water with a pinch of cream of tartar all work
Sodium - sea salt, pink salt, Celtic salt
Protein - grass-fed collagen peptides or your favorite protein powder (optional)
Fat - coconut milk from a can, coconut cream, heavy cream
Prep time: less than 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
4 Ounces orange juice (Trader Joe’s makes a great fresh-squeezed option in the refrigerated section)
4 Ounces plain coconut water
2 Tablespoons canned, unsweetened coconut milk or coconut cream
1 Serving /scoop of grass-fed collagen peptides or protein powder of choice
1/4 Teaspoon high-quality sea salt ( I love Real Salt)
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together in a blender or froth with a handheld frother and enjoy!