Carbs, stress & weight management

Ever find yourself in a cycle of feeling tired, craving sweets or carbs for energy and subsequently putting on weight? Cara explains how this might be due to stress.

Carbohydrates in the right ratios can actually help you to manage stress levels and LOSE weight

Are you one of those people avoiding carbs at all costs to try and lose the extra kilos, without really seeing the results you deserve? This may be a sign that stress has taken a toll on your adrenals and causing stubborn weight gain and/or an inability to lose weight.

Exposure to toxins, processed foods and chronic stress all harmfully impact your adrenal glands. When the adrenals are stressed or depleted, it disrupts cortisol production – a stress hormone that directly affects your weight and energy.

So, how do carbs come into the mix? In a nutshell, carbohydrates lower cortisol. Cortisol should naturally be higher in the morning, as this is what gets you out of bed and fired up for the day. In the evenings, cortisol should decline to help you fall asleep. When the adrenals are struggling, you either don’t have enough cortisol in the morning and/or too much in the evening. In the long term, excess cortisol raises blood sugar and makes it difficult to lose weight.

Carb cycling involves adjusting your intake of carbohydrates throughout the day to help normalise cortisol production. This supports optimal adrenal function and natural weight release.

Try eating in the following way:

Breakfast – enjoy a high protein meal – this helps to keep cortisol elevated for a morning boost!

Lunch – high protein meal with no more than a 1/2 cup of high fibre carbohydrates such as starchy veggies.

Evening meal – enjoy up to 1 cup of carbohydrates to help lower cortisol before bed to release stress weight.

THE ADRENAL GLANDS CONTROL MANY ASPECTS OF YOUR HEALTH, INCLUDING:

  • Regulating hormones
  • Controlling inflammation
  • Fight or flight response
  • Sleep and waking cycles
  • Weight management
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