If you struggle with morning fatigue and need a cup of coffee to get going, it may be because your hormones are off.
It’s important to eat in a way that supports hormone health in the morning. This will help you wake up more easily and support better energy throughout the day.
In this blog, we are going to discuss how balancing blood sugar supports hormone health. We will go over one step you can take to support healthy blood sugar balance in the morning.
Balancing Blood Sugar Supports Adrenal Health
The adrenal glands, an endocrine gland that releases hormones, are responsible for helping manage blood sugar.
The adrenal glands have three major functions in the body:
- The adrenal glands help regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, otherwise known as the body’s wake-sleep cycle. The adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol. The rise in cortisol helps wake a person up in the morning. When cortisol rises and peaks as it should, it leads to healthy energy in the morning.
- The adrenal glands help manage the body’s fight or flight response. When a person is stressed out, they release the hormone cortisol to help the body prepare to either fight or flee from a potential threat.
- The adrenal glands help manage your body’s blood sugar. When blood sugar gets too low, the adrenal glands release cortisol. The surge of cortisol can cause sugar cravings.
If blood sugar continues to remain low, the hormone signals the body to convert muscle and liver tissue into blood sugar.
After fasting overnight, blood sugar drops. A person can either eat breakfast to raise blood sugar or the adrenal glands will signal the body to make it.
Since the adrenal glands already manage the body’s circadian rhythm and stress response, this can be taxing on the endocrine gland.
If the adrenal glands are constantly activated to balance blood sugar in addition to their other duties, it can lead to symptoms of adrenal fatigue, such as fatigue, salt and sugar cravings, poor sleep, irritability, and poor focus.
This is why I recommend learning how to support healthy blood sugar levels to avoid this overload.
Can I Intermittent Fast in the Morning?
Intermittent fasting recommends fasting in the morning to support weight loss.
Although intermittent fasting can be a tactful strategy for weight loss, I typically do not recommend intermittent fasting because people often skip breakfast and/or lunch, eating the bulk of their food at night.
With my clients, I have found that this slows metabolism and makes it harder to lose weight—not easier.
Intermittent fasting is a specific, advanced strategy that I do not recommend to most clients. For women, you must fast based on your menstrual cycle, and if you are already experiencing symptoms of adrenal fatigue, intermittent fasting may make you feel worse, not better.
Intermittent fasting is stressful on the adrenal glands. It forces the adrenal glands to manage your blood sugar. If you are someone who has a stressful job or is in a constant state of stress, I do not recommend intermittent fasting.
The go-go, skip breakfast, run on coffee, put out fires all day, American lifestyle is stressful on the body. This is why breakfast is my general go-to recommendation. Here’s why!
The Benefit of Eating Breakfast
Eating breakfast can actually increase your metabolism! Here’s how: When we wake in the morning, the body is in a catabolic state, meaning it’s ready to break down food into energy.
Breakfast can jump-start your metabolism. It turns on your digestive system, making your body feel more hungry during the day rather than later at night.
In the morning, the body is in a catabolic state due to the surge of cortisol. Remember, cortisol is responsible for your wake-sleep cycle. A healthy cortisol rise in the morning helps the body naturally wake up without stimulants like coffee.
Cortisol peaks around 7-8 a.m., or about two hours after a person wakes up. It begins to rise at daybreak, mirroring the pattern of the sun.
Since cortisol is catabolic, it turns the foods you eat into energy for your cells.
I recommend starting the day with a high-protein meal like eggs or a protein shake. This can help prevent sugar cravings later in the day and reduce snacking between meals because protein is more satiating and helps to balance blood sugar.
Step 1: Eat Breakfast
If you are eating carbohydrates with breakfast, I recommend eating the protein first, followed by the carbohydrate. This will help prevent a large blood sugar spike after the meal. For example, if you’re eating eggs and potatoes, eat the eggs before the potatoes.
We’ll discuss this in more depth in Part 4. Optional carbs you can eat with breakfast include beans, sweet potatoes, potato hash, oatmeal, or toast.
I personally eat carbs with all of my breakfasts. If you’re not used to eating breakfast, you may want to start with a high-protein meal without carbs. As your appetite increases, you can add carbohydrates.
Ideas for Breakfast
- 2 eggs + 2 ounces of protein + sautéed spinach + optional carb of choice
- Avocado egg salad with optional pickled onions + optional carb of choice
- ½ avocado topped with 2 eggs, 2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds + 1 cup sauerkraut + optional carb of choice
- 3 eggs + ⅔ cup white beans or pinto beans + diced tomatoes + optional carb of choice
- High-protein smoothie
- Greek yogurt with ground flaxseed, nut butter, keto/low-carb granola, and blueberries
- Oatmeal + yogurt or nut butter + nuts and a sweetener like honey or agave
- Sourdough or Ezekiel toast with nut butter or avocado
- 4 ounces of dinner leftover protein (chicken/beef) + a starch of your choice
- Overnight oats
- Chia pudding
Will Eating Breakfast Cause Me to Gain Weight?
If you’re concerned that eating breakfast will cause you to gain weight, it will not. As you incorporate a high-protein breakfast into your morning routine, you may notice you feel hungrier more often throughout the day. This is a sign that your thyroid is functioning optimally.
The goal is to eat more at meals like breakfast and less at meals like dinner. Our bodies are more catabolic in the morning, meaning they turn food into energy right away. At night, our bodies want to conserve food for energy for the next day.
By focusing on eating the majority of your calories during the day, you’ll support your body’s energy demands and help maintain healthy hormone levels, which in turn helps to balance blood sugar.
If you struggle to make time for breakfast, I recommend preparing it in advance. You can try making egg muffins, smoothies, or protein oatmeal bread for quick and easy, on-the-go options.
In Part 3 of this blog post series How to Balance Blood Sugar, learn three more practical steps you can take to balance your blood sugar!