138: Is Adrenal Fatigue Causing Your Food Cravings?

What are the causes of food cravings? Could it be stress, burnout, adrenal fatigue? In this episode, I’m breaking down food cravings and how they relate to your struggles with low energy, brain fog, and more.

The Root of Your Food Cravings

Stress and Food: Stress increases appetite through cortisol. When we’re under stress, we crave “feel good foods” high in fat, sugar, and salt.
Sleep, Stress, and Ghrelin: Beyond stress, sleep influences your appetite as well. Restless and disrupted sleep is very common for people struggling with burnout and adrenal fatigue. The hunger hormone, ghrelin has been shown to increase during the day following a poor night of sleep.
Electrolyte Imbalances and Appetite: the adrenals secrete a hormone called aldosterone which is responsible for maintaining bodily fluid levels through electrolytes like sodium. Because poor adrenal function can throw electrolyte balance out of whack, it can also cause cravings for salt! We love replenishing with our Hydration Superfood Energy powder.
Fatigue and Food Cravings: when you are struggling with energy, your body naturally craves fast energy sources like sugar. The problem with this is that it creates a massive blood sugar spike and crash causing inflammation in the body and further fatigue.
Women and Stress Eating: Women are more susceptible than men to stress-eating, and the weight gain that comes with it. Adrenal fatigue and burnout that is plaguing women is leading to a lot of stress eating.