Ask a Health Coach: Why YouҲe Confused About What (and When) to Eat

Hi everyone, this week Erin is back to answer more of your health and wellness questions. If youҲe confused about carb intake, curious if you should really eat breakfast, or wondering how to stay on track during the holidays, read on for this weekҳ edition of Ask a Health Coach. Got a question for Erin? Post it in the comments below or over in the Markҳ Daily Apple Facebook group. ࠍelissa asked: ӉҶe been hearing a lot about carbs now being good for you, especially if you have adrenal issues. I thought carbs were supposed to be bad. Whatҳ the straight answer?Ԡࠔhereҳ nothing I love more than to rehash the old ӧood foods/bad foodsԠdebate that diet culture continually smothers us with. Internet influencers try to demonize whole food groups and steer us in the all-or-nothing camp so often, itҳ no wonder people are confused about what they should be eating. The truth is, many foods, good and bad, contain carbohydrates (cookies, cakes, kale, carrots, green beans, bagels, beetsŴhe list goes on). And when you consume those foods, your digestive system breaks the carbs down into glucose, aka sugar, which enters the bloodstream. As blood sugar levels rise, the hormone insulin is released, prompting your cells to absorb sugar from the blood. When blood sugar starts to get low, another hormone, called glucagon, takes that absorbed sugar and uses it for energy. Our bodies are seriously miraculous, arenҴ they? Managing Adrenal Fatigue with Food The thinking behind recommending more carbs for those with adrenal issues, is that it can be more difficult for your body to metabolize protein and fat for energy. That being said, when you consume more carbohydrates than your body needs, or highly processed, sugary foods, your blood sugar rises higher and crashes lower (going beyond normal the insulin-glucagon response) and causes a spike in the stress hormone, cortisol. YouҲe inadvertently causing more stress in your body נnot something you want to do if youҲe trying to manage adrenal dysfunction. Do this on a regular basis and youҬl be on a metabolic rollercoaster that makes your adrenals work even harder. Even conventional medicine agrees that processed foods and refined sugars increase cortisol and can lead to unhealthy crashes. The goal, really for everyone, is to keep your blood sugar stable. And the best way to do that is to eat nutrient dense foods at every meal. Notice I said ӭealԠand not ӳnackԠsince under-eating is another form of stress on the body. Focus on consuming protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, root veggies, and leafy greens. If you tried eating low carb for a while and it made your symptoms worse, eat more. Yes, even if youҲe creeping into the 100ֱ50-gram range. Eating a ton of carbs and still feel like crap? Eat fewer. And if youҲe loading up on processed energy bars, assuming that theyҲe healthy, swap them out for whole foods for a few weeks. As a ŠContinue reading "Ask a Health Coach: Why YouҲe Confused About What (and When) to Eat"The post Ask a Health Coach: Why YouҲe Confused About What (and When) to Eat appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple