Adrenal Cocktails

Before we get into the fun part of discussing adrenal cocktail recipes (non-alcoholic), that you’ve likely heard about online or from a friend, and how to create different flavor combinations, it’s important we understand what the adrenal glands are and why they may need some support.

What Are Adrenal Glands?

The adrenal glands are triangular-shaped glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They have two main portions – the cortex and the medulla; each section is responsible for producing different hormones which include glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, progestins, androgens, and estrogens. The one people are most familiar with is the glucocorticoid cortisol (commonly known as the stress hormone).

Cortisol is an essential hormone released by the adrenal glands that, along with other hormones, plays a vital role in the stress response, but in a non-stress state it also helps to:

• Regulate immune function

• Lower inflammation

• Help your body manage carbs, protein, and fat (helpful for weight management)

• Keep blood pressure regulated

• Helps with sleep/wake cycles

• Increases energy

As you can see, cortisol plays a lot of roles and cortisol circulates through nearly every single organ and tissue in our bodies, so it’s important that the levels circulating are balanced.

How/Why Do Adrenal Glands Release Cortisol?

The adrenal glands are an important part of a system called the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis or HPA axis.

The hypothalamus and pituitary glands (located in the brain) sense the presence of stress and release hormones that travel to the adrenal glands, which results in them releasing cortisol. This is an important and healthy response that allows the body to mobilize glucose, increase the heart rate and blood pressure, and increase brain flow to vital organs such as the brain for high focus and alertness so the body has energy and focus to deal with the immediate threat in its state of fight or flight.

When the HPA axis is functioning optimally, the brain will sense that the threat is gone and communicate with the adrenal glands to stop making cortisol and the amount of circulating cortisol will decrease, and the body’s homeostasis is restored. But what happens when the HPA axis is no longer in balance?

Adrenal Fatigue (Not Specific to Pregnancy)

Adrenal fatigue is a term used to describe a body that has been under long-term stress with increased cortisol release over time.

As we said, when stress occurs in day-to-day life, cortisol levels increase to allow for the body to work optimally in a fight-or-flight scenario. That means things like digestion or immune function take a back seat to allow for vital organs to go into overdrive to protect itself.

***An important thing to note about the body’s response to stress is that the body (internally) responds the same to the threat of being chased by a lion or the stress of getting an email that had some really bad news. The brain doesn’t differentiate levels of stress, it simply recognizes stress and responds to cope with the stress at hand. If you think of a time when you’ve had a long week or month where things just haven’t gone to plan, have you noticed a common trend? Symptoms such as insomnia, constipation, difficulty concentrating, irritability, bloating, loss of appetite, etc. start to take front stage. While those are affected by nutrition, mindset, exercise, and stress management (topics for another day!), they are also impacted by the body’s overload of cortisol and its ability to regulate the fight or flight vs rest and digest functions.***

When the stress passes, cortisol levels should decrease and bodily functions should return to normal – digestion resumes, blood pressure lowers, heart rate decreases, etc. However, when stress occurs frequently and the brain continues to send/receive signals that tell the adrenal glands to release cortisol, the biofeedback system can get out of whack and cortisol levels remain high in the body. Remember how we said cortisol permeates nearly every organ and tissue in the body? The overload of cortisol can stress the body and that chronic stress has been found to decrease essential micronutrients the body needs to function. When this happens, a cascade of events can follow suit that can lead to symptoms such as:

• High blood pressure

• Compromised immune function

• Weight gain

• Insomnia

• Day-time fatigue

• Anxiety and depression

• Blood sugar imbalance

Essentially, the body gets stuck in a fight or flight mode even when no stress or danger is present. Overtime, key nutrients the adrenal gland needs to function, such as vitamin C, potassium, and electrolytes, can become depleted if stress is not managed and nutrients are not properly replenished.

Adrenal Demand in Pregnancy

In a normal pregnancy, the physiological “stress” of growing a baby increases the maternal cortisol levels that circulate. Remember, cortisol is an essential hormone that, when functioning optimally, helps the body work properly, so an increase is expected and good in pregnancy! As with many elements in pregnancy, volumes increase – fluid volumes, blood volumes, and hormone levels (including cortisol) all change and increase to protect the body as it performs the work of growing a baby!

Depending on your health and stress levels going into pregnancy, your HPA axis and adrenal glands may already be overworked and tired from prolonged stress. When adding on the natural effect of pregnancy, the demand of the adrenal glands increases and could tip the scale to a side of “adrenal fatigue.” Of note, true adrenal dysfunction or crisis requires medical intervention and is a rare occurrence.

So, what if life presents high stress circumstances that you can’t avoid? And what about the demands of pregnancy? Those aren’t going to decrease, so what do you do?

It’s important to remember 2 key points to avoid worry or *stress* when learning about adrenal glands and cortisol:

1. Your body is designed to be pregnant! It will do what it needs to do and your baby will take what he/she needs to take! Stressing about stress can creep in, so take a deep breath (no, really, take one! It’s actually really helpful) and continue reading to get to the fun part!

2. Regardless of your pre-pregnancy stress load, there are several actionable things we can all do, pregnant or not, to help mitigate the effects of stress in our lives because stress is inevitable! Let’s look at a few of those now:

• Deep breathing

  When we feel stressed, pausing to take deep breaths helps calm the nervous system and send signals to your brain that no real threat is present and can inhibit the signals to your adrenal glands that increased cortisol is needed. Take a few minutes and do box breathing

• A consistent sleep routine
  In pregnancy, insomnia is often a problem that arises and impacts women. Ways to help combat that are:

  • Early morning direct sun exposure (not through a window). This helps trigger proper rise and fall of melatonin in our bodies, as well as help regulate cortisol and serotonin.

  • Magnesium supplements prior to bed (see our Amazon storefront) o Blue blocking glasses at night (see our Amazon storefront)

  • Decreasing screen exposure for at least 1 hour before bed

  • Going to bed at a consistent time

• Therapy/Counseling
  When stress and anxiety/depression feel overwhelming or are impacting your day-to-day functioning, seek help from a qualified professional.

• Exercise
  Physical activity releases feel-good hormones that help reduce the impact of anxiety/depression and stress and helps increase your heart rate which helps to flush out toxins, improve circulation to you and your baby, improve brain function, and so much more. Movement is incredibly important! A few options for pregnancy that also don’t add any additional stress to the body (if you feel in an “adrenal fatigue” state) are:

  • Heart-rate increasing walks (walking at a pace that raises your heart rate but still allows you to hold a conversation)

  • Cycling

  • Swimming

  • Weight training (see my handout on safe practices)

• Eating Nourishing & Nutrient-Dense Foods
  Our bodies require a wide variety of macro and micronutrients to carry out all its functions. When thinking about the effects of stress on the body, we can mitigate a lot of the wear and tear on the body by giving it the proper fuel. These nutrients come from clean, whole foods that provide our cells and tissues what they need to function well. Jump over to my ‘Nutrition in Pregnancy’ resource for a deep dive on this topic!

  So How Do Adrenal Cocktails Help?

While there are no studies to show the use of adrenal cocktails directly improving adrenal function, the thought behind them makes sense and adding in essential nutrients and hydration throughout your day will only help, especially while pregnant! To function well, a few things the adrenal glands need are to be hydrated and to have glucose, electrolytes, and B vitamins. The B vitamins are readily found in foods like salmon, leafy greens, eggs, milk, and beef liver. An adrenal cocktail helps provide the rest of those ingredients in a tasty afternoon drink to help replenish/restore nutrients the body can use to function well.

The typical adrenal cocktail recipes include a citrus or fruit juice (vitamin C/glucose), coconut water (potassium and other electrolytes), and salt, but it’s fun to get a little creative with it!

There is some debate on the effects of juice on blood sugar in pregnancy as it can cause a spike. A great way to mitigate this while also increasing daily protein intake (a win-win) is to add a non-flavored collagen powder to your cocktail. A good time to drink them is between 10-11 AM or around 2-3 PM when you may hit an energy slump.

Recipe Suggestions:

• 1 cup watermelon

• 3-4 oz coconut water, unsweetened

• 4-5 strawberries

• 1-2 packets or scoops of electrolytes (Goodonya Hydrate, Relyte, or LMNT)

• 1 splash of full-fat coconut milk (alternative: 1 scoop collagen)

• Ice (optional)

Credit: Prenatal Nutritionist

• 1⁄2 cup orange juice

• 1⁄2 cup coconut water, unsweetened

• 1 scoop collagen

• 1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar

• A pinch of fine ground Himalayan pink salt (or fine ground sea salt)

•  2 tablespoons tart cherry juice

Credit: Tulips and Twill

• 1⁄2 cup orange juice

• Credit: Tulips and Twill

• 1⁄4 cup coconut water, unsweetened

• 1⁄4 teaspoon unprocessed sea salt

• 1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk

• 1 scoop collagen powder

Credit: Coconuts and Barbells

With each recipe, simply add the ingredients to a blender, mix, and enjoy! Add over ice, if you’d like!