Noooooo!

I've been doing some more reading about adrenal fatigue, particularly in terms of what I should and shouldn't be doing for exercise, and what I should and shouldn't be eating. Oy.

Some of the foods on the "to eat" list are among my favourites and make regular appearances in my meals. The list includes: ground flax seed, extra virgin organic coconut oil, fish oil, wild caught salmon, minimal-mercury albacore tuna, sprouted walnuts, sprouts, green and black olives, peppers, spinach, celery and zucchini. I don't eat olives (I've tried!), I'm not a huge fan of salmon, and I haven't been sprouting my walnuts. Other than that, those are all things that are in my standard repertoire. The sad thing is the "don't eat" list. It includes raisins, dates, melons and bananas. But those are some of my favourites!

As I continued my reading, it became obvious that the ideal diet for healing my adrenals is free of processed foods, low-carb, high in quality fats, and low in sugar. That's pretty much the way I eat most of the time - except the sugar thing. I do eat a lot of fruit. And too many "Paleo treats" with honey or maple syrup.

Now I realize that eating an apple is not the same thing as eating a candy bar. There is far more nutritional value in an apple, but it's still sugar. It still raises blood sugar, which further taxes the adrenal glands.

I've been working on prioritizing my health and healing, but I realize now that I need to really get a grip on my sugar cravings. Even satisfying them with fruit isn't doing me any long-term favours as I try to recover. So, with slightly less enthusiasm than I had when beginning my Whole30s, I've now begun a 21-Day Sugar Detox. Sounds way more intense than it really is! There's no crazy detox-drink, no restriction in quantities, just the removal of sugar - in all its forms.

I'm continuing to take my vitamins and drink lots of licorice tea. I'm sticking to non-strenuous exercise right now, even though I miss my two favourite trainers a lot. I know my favourite work-out videos will still be there when I'm feeling up to it.