Yuri Elkaim – Eating for Energy [3 PDFs, 1 M4V, 3 WAVs, 15 M4As]

The adrenal glands are your “fight or flight” organs – releasing cortisol and adrenaline during periods of stress. Interestingly, these same hormones are secreted when STIMULANTS (like caffeine and sugar) enter your bloodstream.

Here’s how this scenario plays out…

When you become stressed (or ingest stimulants), your adrenals start ramping up their activity. So, they release adrenaline and cortisol – two “catabolic” hormones which break down your energy reserves for immediate use. Remember, your body thinks it’s in a state where it needs to FIGHT or FLEE – so it needs that readily available energy.

Cortisol, when chronically present in your bloodstream, is a detrimental hormone leading to quick glycogen depletion, a rise in blood sugar, and eventually weight gain. Adrenaline has similar energy-depleting effects. It also raises your heart rate and increases your blood pressure. As you can tell, having these 2 hormones constantly circulating at high levels is not a desirable situation.

The other problem with having high levels of these hormones is that since they breakdown your stored carbohydrates for energy, releasing glucose (sugar) into the blood for immediate use, your pancreas is then called into action.

Your pancreas – as you may know – secretes INSULIN to remove glucose out of the blood to be stored in your muscle, liver, and fat cells.

So, if this cycle of rising and falling blood sugar persists you end up with low blood sugar (or hypoglycaemia). In this state, all “normal” decision making is thrown out the window as all you can think of is “I need sugar. I need sugar.” And that’s when most people seek out their next quick fix – a mid-day coffee, chocolate bar, or Red Bull.

But that’s not all because this scenario also drains your adrenal glands – setting you up for all-day fatigue in the future.

eating for energy

Chronic stimulation (ie. stress, sugar, coffee) of your adrenals wears them down and can eventually lead to adrenal fatigue. That’s one of the reasons that many people feel “drained” almost instantly when dealing with stress. Their adrenals simply can’t handle it anymore.

At the same time, sugar cravings (and salt cravings) come part and parcel with this situation.

So, hopefully by now, you can see that eating for energy via high-sugar foods, energy drinks, and coffee is a surefire to wear down your body. Not a great trade-off for a quick hour surge of energy, if you ask me.