Tired? Stressed? Moody? Why Your Adrenals a Date!
Adrenal fatigue is fast becoming a common issue. Adrenal fatigue is a collection of signs and symptoms, known as a syndrome, that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level. (Learn More)
Your adrenal glands produce a variety of hormones that are essential to life and are part of the body’s stress response. In today’s crazy high-stressed culture, these glands are being overworked.
Do you have any of these symptoms?
• Fatigue
• Nervousness
• Moodiness, irritability, or depression
• Brain fog
• Hair loss
• Weight gain
• Food cravings
• Body aches
• Sleep disturbances
• Digestive issues
If these sound familiar, you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue. I suffered from adrenal fatigue when my father passed away a number of years ago and then again recently due to a crazy season in my life. When I had adrenal fatigue years ago, it wreaked havoc on my life but the last time my doctor diagnosed me with it, it affected me differently. I did not have any serious signs of physical illness, but I was dragging through each day with a general sense I was not well. I was tired and experienced many days with “gray” feelings. I also experienced brain fog, cravings and hair loss.
Your adrenal glands are located right above your kidneys, and they are responsible for producing cortisol. Adrenal fatigue is a condition where the adrenals don’t produce enough cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that plays a role in managing stress and regulating metabolism, sleep, blood sugar and inflammation.
One little choice to improve adrenal fatigue is to include dates in your diet. These versatile sweet fruits have been a fresh and dried fruit favorite for centuries, and for good reason! They have a wonderfully sweet taste, and are packed full of health. They contain potent antioxidants which eliminate the free radicals from the body and keep your body safe from oxidative stress. They also improve cardiac health and a healthy heart can reduce stress also.
Besides containing antioxidants, dates also include anti-inflammatory agents which reduce the inflammation in the body and also in the brain. By reducing inflammation, your stress level will significantly decrease and your adrenal fatigue will improve.
Consuming dates on a daily basis will give you other benefits also;
• Promotes digestive health
• Improves bowel movements
• Reduces inflammation
• Regulates blood sugar levels
• Improves brain health
• Strengthens the nervous system
• Aids diabetic diets
• Improve cardiac health
• Helps chronic diarrhea
• Improves bone health
• Reduces risk of cancer
• Protects kidneys
• Beneficial for your skin
• Decreases hair loss
To experience the maximum benefit, eat four to six dates throughout the day. There are many ways to consume dates and numerous recipes that use it add a healthy sweetness. They are also very sticky, which makes them useful as a binder in baked goods, such as energy balls and bars.
You can pop them in your mouth for a sweet treat or enjoy them in a granola. Add them to your breakfast cereal such as oatmeal, millet, buckwheat, etc. Blend them into your yogurt, smoothies or chia puddings. Sprinkle date pieces over your salad or add them to your wraps. You can also eat at a few as a treat two hours before you plan to go to sleep to help give you a better night’s sleep.
