Easy Adrenal Cocktail Recipe

Name: Easy Adrenal Cocktail Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup orange juice (from freshly squeezed oranges); 1/2 cup coconut water; 1/8 tsp sea salt

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This healthy adrenal cocktail is an easy-made refreshing drink that offers multiple benefits to your health. It has three essential ingredients and numerous add-on options to enhance its benefits further.

What is an Adrenal Cocktail?

There is much buzz about the adrenal cocktail. And just for the record, this is a non-alcoholic beverage, but I must admit it has a very fancy name 😉.

The building blocks of this cocktail are three simple ingredients, two of which you probably have in your kitchen (or maybe you have all three of them) – oranges, coconut water, and salt. Nobody in my family drinks coconut water, so I typically don’t have it in my pantry. But oranges and salt are always there.

Holistic practitioners sometimes recommend the adrenal cocktail if you suffer from adrenal fatigue. This is where the line gets blurred because medical doctors do not recognize this condition. So, how do you know if you have adrenal fatigue? And, by the way, what does adrenal fatigue mean anyways?

Is Adrenal Fatigue Real?

Our bodies produce many chemicals that are essential for our optimal health. Some of these crucial chemicals are hormones, alternatively known as chemical messengers. The purpose of these hormones is to send essential signals throughout our bodies. Some act locally within the tissue, and some travel long distances via the bloodstream. But, one thing is common for both. They signal the start of many vital processes in our bodies, such as breaking down the food we eat and making energy for normal functioning; they are responsible for growth and development and are essential in controlling our mood and emotions, affecting sleep and blood pressure.

So, any imbalance in hormone production leads to an imbalance and malfunctioning of some vital processes. One important example is excessive weight gain. Many people claim they don’t overeat but are gaining weight constantly. And in many cases, the main reason for this is that hormones that control hunger and satiety, as well as insulin that signals our cells to process incoming glucose, are not balanced.

Hormones are produced in various places in our bodies, including our adrenal glands (thus the name adrenal cocktail 😉). The hormones produced in adrenal glands are cortisol, aldosterone, adrenaline (epinephrine), and noradrenaline. Their primary function includes keeping blood pressure at a normal level, responding to stress and illness, managing blood glucose levels, and controlling the metabolism.

Some medically diagnosed adrenal gland disorders include underproduction or overproduction of these hormones. It is common practice to quantify the level of these hormones at the doctor’s office by testing the blood, urine, or saliva. However, these tests do not easily pick up any level fluctuations of these hormones, ruling out the actual adrenal gland disorders for many patients.

This is where the term adrenal fatigue comes in place. Since there are no unusual levels of the hormones mentioned above, the doctors can only conclude that there is nothing wrong with the adrenal glands. Nevertheless, the patients suffer from fatigue, chronic headache, dizziness, vomiting, and unexpected weight gain or loss, to name a few. But still, all tests come back normal.

Adrenal Cocktail to Fight Adrenal Fatigue

This led some researchers and holistic practitioners to assume that these symptoms might result from the hormone fluctuations most likely caused by chronic stress. Since we are all affected to some extent by chronic stress, we sometimes feel like all our energy is drained, and all we want to do is lay low and hide. And what is probably going on is that our adrenal glands are not producing a balanced amount of hormones (but still not below or above the threshold to be diagnosed as an actual disease).

One thing we can do to alleviate these symptoms is to supply nutrients to support the function of our adrenal glands. This is the idea behind the adrenal cocktail. It is not a magic potion of any kind (as some people might claim 😒). Still, it is a healthy addition to an already healthy diet comprising fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and lean cuts of meat and fish, proper hydration, and physical activity. In other words, it will not hurt to incorporate this drink into your daily routine. As a disclaimer, I have to mention that this might not be true for people with diabetes and heart disease since the recipe includes oranges as a sugar source and salt as a source of sodium. So, the best approach is to consult your doctor before introducing something new into your diet.

To learn more about a healthy diet and clean eating, read my AN EASY GUIDE ON NUTRITION BASICS and HOW TO START EATING CLEAN FOR BEGINNERS posts.

WHAT DOES AN ADRENAL COCKTAIL DO?

Adrenal cocktail contains three key ingredients – orange juice, coconut water, and sea salt. To work correctly and produce essential hormones, your adrenal glands need minerals, magnesium, sodium, and potassium to be readily available, along with vitamins C, B5, B6, and B12. Orange juice is an excellent source of vitamins, potassium, and magnesium. Coconut water is a natural source of minerals, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. Sea salt is an excellent source of sodium. Thus, an adrenal cocktail is an excellent source of the natural minerals and vitamins our adrenal glands need to produce essential hormones.

WHEN TO DRINK AN ADRENAL COCKTAIL?

If you start your day early in the morning, the chances are that your adrenal glands are running low on necessary ingredients by mid-morning to early afternoon. So, the best time to consume the adrenal cocktail would be between 10 am and 2 pm. This is also when many people will reach for a second cup of coffee, so some practitioners advise substituting the coffee with an adrenal cocktail. In my case, honestly, this won’t work – I need my caffeine ☺️. But I take an adrenal cocktail in addition to my mid-afternoon espresso.

DO ADRENAL COCKTAILS WORK?

This is a great question. Even though endocrinologists do not recognize adrenal fatigue as an actual disease, it makes perfect sense that any hormone fluctuations would cause our bodies to respond in a certain way. Fatigue, sleep disturbances, nervousness, and digestive problems are the most common. So, supplying ingredients by consuming an adrenal cocktail to support proper adrenal gland function can not harm in any way. But again, this has to be taken with an appropriate diet that includes vegetables and fruits, lean cuts of meat (or plant protein if you are vegetarian or vegan), plenty of hydration, and physical activity. Remember that all necessary ingredients come from a proper diet, so think of an adrenal cocktail as a healthy addition.

Adrenal Cocktail Ingredients

Orange Juice. It is best to use the juice of freshly squeezed oranges, with the pulp included. If you don’t like having pulp in your OJ, then pour the juice through a mesh strainer. This is the recipe for one cocktail with 1/2 cup of orange juice (about two freshly squeezed oranges).
Coconut water. Choosing any brand with as few ingredients as possible would be best. Of course it would be best to crack open a coconut and get the juice 😉. But, if you happen to live where no coconuts are readily available, the next best thing is to choose a healthy alternative.
Sea salt. Sea salt is recommended over table salt since sea salt has less sodium and works better for your heart health.
Optional – collagen powder. Some proponents of adrenal cocktails recommend adding collagen powder. And if your doctor recommends taking collagen powder, this is a good idea. My husband suffered from lower back pain and was advised to take collagen powder. He typically dissolves it in water and drinks it once daily, and every time he drinks it, he cringes and looks like he’s going to throw up. Yes, the collagen tastes awful 😏. So, one way to cover up this bad taste of collagen is to add it to your adrenal cocktail. Plus, you get the double benefit in one drink 😊.

Adrenal Cocktail Preparation Steps

Time needed: 10 minutes

This amount is for one cocktail.

Step 1
Squeeze the juice of about two oranges (this will provide 1/2 cup OJ). Pour into a glass.
Step 2
Pour 1/2 cup of coconut water into the orange juice.
Step 3
Add a pinch of sea salt (about 1/8 tsp).
Step 4
Mix well with a spoon, and enjoy!

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