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The Adrenal Reset Diet: Strategically Cycle Carbs and Proteins to Lose Weight, Balance Hormones, and Move from Stressed to Thriving
Go from wired and tired to lean and thriving with The Adrenal Reset Diet Why are people gaining weight faster than ever before? The idea that people simply eat too much is no longer supported by science. The emerging idea is that weight gain is a survival response: Our bodies are under attack from all directions—an overabundance of processed food, a polluted world, and the pressures of daily life all take their toll. These attacks hit a very important set of glands, the adrenals, particularly hard. The adrenal glands maintain a normal cortisol rhythm (cortisol is a hormone associated with both stress and fat storage). When this rhythm is off, we can become overwhelmed more quickly, fatigued, gain weight, and eventually, develop even more severe health issues such as heart disease or diabetes. In The Adrenal Reset Diet , Dr. Alan Christianson provides a pioneering plan for optimal function of these small but powerful organs. His patient-tested weight-loss program is the culmination of decades of clinical experience and over 75,000 patient-care visits. In a study at his clinic, participants on the Adrenal Reset Diet reset their cortisol levels by over 50% while losing an average of over 2 inches off their waists and 9 pounds of weight in 30 days . What can you expect? • Learn whether your adrenals are Stressed, Wired and Tired, or Crashed and which adrenal tonics, exercises, and foods are best for you
• The clinically proven shakes, juices, and other delicious recipes, to use for your Reset
• New ways to turn off the triggers of weight gain with carbohydrate cycling, circadian repair, and simple breathing exercises
• An easy 7-day ARD eating plan to move your and your adrenals from Surviving to Thriving
• The clinically proven shakes, juices, and other delicious recipes, to use for your Reset
• New ways to turn off the triggers of weight gain with carbohydrate cycling, circadian repair, and simple breathing exercises
• An easy 7-day ARD eating plan to move your and your adrenals from Surviving to Thriving
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 30, 2014
544 people are currently reading
1179 people want to read
About the author
Alan Christianson
15 books34 followersDr Alan Christianson, NMD, is a naturopathic medical doctor who specializes in natural endocrinology with a focus on thyroid disorders. He founded Integrative Health, a physician group dedicated to helping people with thyroid disease and weight-loss resistance regain their health.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 111 reviews
October 12, 2017
Feb 20, 2015: I gave this four stars instead of five because I felt he made himself out to be an expert on everything and no one is an expert on everything. That said, I saw myself completely in what he described about adrenal fatigue (ended up being "crashed") and I immediately instituted the basic protein shake recipe for breakfast and the salad basic recipe for lunch. I cannot believe the difference in how I feel all day long. I have gone from three cups of caffeine per morning to one or none. I eat now because I am hungry, not because I feel faint. Daily afternoon sugar cravings-gone.
I thought the transition to a shake for breakfast would be very challenging for me. I have always had whole grain cereal etc for breakfast. And while my breakfasts before were not unhealthy at all, they were too much carb for my system. It took me literally one-two days to be a believer.
The best part: I feel much better and have energy again.
Nice side benefit: I am losing about a pound a week.
Next step: healthier dinners
I highly recommend the book for those who are truly tired and not getting out of life what they want. It's easy changes for better living!
Update 10/20/16: Still doing the protein shakes and salads from this book for lunch each day. Still feeling all the benefits I mentioned above in addition to the nice sidebar of keeping weight off. This was a lifestyle change not just a knee-jerk reaction to reading the book close to two years ago.
Update 10/12/17: Ditto what I said on 10/20/16.
I thought the transition to a shake for breakfast would be very challenging for me. I have always had whole grain cereal etc for breakfast. And while my breakfasts before were not unhealthy at all, they were too much carb for my system. It took me literally one-two days to be a believer.
The best part: I feel much better and have energy again.
Nice side benefit: I am losing about a pound a week.
Next step: healthier dinners
I highly recommend the book for those who are truly tired and not getting out of life what they want. It's easy changes for better living!
Update 10/20/16: Still doing the protein shakes and salads from this book for lunch each day. Still feeling all the benefits I mentioned above in addition to the nice sidebar of keeping weight off. This was a lifestyle change not just a knee-jerk reaction to reading the book close to two years ago.
Update 10/12/17: Ditto what I said on 10/20/16.
January 4, 2015
My latest choice from Blogging for Books is a bit outside of my normal cookbook routine. However, I have a love of non-fiction self-help books from long ago. I debated about this one for quite some time because I am not a diet book fan. I don't like the latest crazes, easy fixes or some book that is going to fix everything and everyone in your life with three simple steps.
Do you know why I don't like these books? Because I've used them and they don't work. There is no easy fix. In fact, I'm convinced now, more than ever, that no fix is ever needed. And really, that comes from my presumption that we are truly whole already, we just don't always know it and we don't always practice the walk that creates the experience of that wholeness. Thus, I'm not really a lover of self-help fix-it books, but I do like books that provide introspection and a new perspective on who we are, why we choose what we do, and how we can alter those choices.
This is one of those books.
In the world of diet and self-help books, fix-it sells. So, there's a small amount of that present in this book - in the marketing. By reading it thoroughly and at a leisurely pace, I can clearly see and feel that the author has the best intentions. The marketers scream, "Lose weight!" But the naturopathic physician - the true identity of this author - is all about health, wellness, and resetting the many premises that have lead us to feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, overweight, and overdone. That is clarity I can appreciate.
I chose this book for a few reasons, mostly personal, but for some time, I have known that my adrenals are incredibly sensitive to many things and a few times in the past, I have overworked them. However, after reading his book, I realize that most of us have overworked adrenals just from the lives we live that include daily stress and pressures, poor food choices that include processed foods or even home-baked goods, and eating either too much of the wrong kinds of proteins or not enough. I have read many of the slightly scientific health books like the Zone Diet, the Genotype Diet, the Blood Type diet, the Hormone cure, all with a grain of salt. What I wanted was a more in-depth analysis of how our bodies work and what we can do to make all of that function at its peak. I'm not interested in the drop-ten-pounds diet, the look-great-naked diet, or the stop-eating-this-eat-that diet. However, they all sort of coincide. It just depends on what you are looking for, what your body might need, and if you like the science of symptoms. I do. I follow Dr. Sara Gottfried for this reason. She's an MD that writes extensively about the co-mersion of Western medicine and Eastern philosophies, as well as hormonal balancing. In truth, after having read many, many books about health and wellness, they all pretty much say the same thing, but with slightly different premises (and I'm not talking about the quick-fix diet books here): eat whole foods, primarily vegetables and some fruits, eat whole grains, listen to your body, eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full, avoid allergens. And sometimes, they include breathing exercises, meditation, journaling, affirmations, etc. To me, our food and body issues have arisen because we stopped listening to ourselves and our bodies. My interest has always been about understanding the body better and the choices that I make that either feed it's brilliant ability to self-heal or prevent that. The Adrenal Reset Diet is just another piece of that.
The book's premise lies in an easy set-up: understand what the adrenals do for your body, figure out where you are on the adrenal spectrum (Thriving, Stressed, Wired and Tired, Crashed), then understand how to reset yourself back to a state of Thriving where your body's cortisol levels, adrenal function and overall hormonal balance comes back into a balanced state. Dr. Christianson's concept comes from years of being an adrenal and thyroid specialist. His practice led him to question how we could reset adrenal function to a point where the body can do all that it needs to do in order to maintain harmony. He experimented on himself first, then a few willing and aware patients. From there, he expanded out to more clients willing to try simple and easy things that might reset their adrenal overload. He met with great success. When he started with personal experimentation, he tried to opposite of his diet strategy plan and found that it created an increase in cortisol and adrenal production (which he tested at specific intervals), as well as weight gain, sleep issues, and a myriad of other problems. This, along with patient trials, convinced him of the overall effectiveness of this Adrenal Reset Diet (ARD) plan.
The basics of the ARD premise is simple: eat more protein, choose healthy fats, and cycle your carbs throughout the day in a specific way.
Simple. Basic. Yet, with the interesting science behind this theory, intriguing.
(The complexities of each level of adrenal function and the coinciding chapter offer many more ways to reset your adrenals including herbs, breathing exercises, light therapy, outdoor/nature experiences, sleep patterns, specific foods, etc. It's up to you how in-depth or how simplistic you want the ARD to be.)
I took this book with me on a recent vacation back to see my family. I wanted to do a little experiment of my own. If we made just a couple of changes, would we see or feel anything akin to what he describes? Would our adrenals become more supported and thus, decrease our cortisol levels and all the problems that go with high cortisol? Well, there's no way to fully know the latter of these two without adrenal and cortisol testing. We didn't do that, like Dr. Christianson does with patients. Instead, we went solely on sleep and feel, as well as potential body aches, pains, blood sugar, brain fog, and other assorted adrenal spectrum ailments. In fact, this is how Dr. Christianson suggests readers accomplish this. Follow the ARD, then retake the ARD test every few weeks or monthly until you are Thriving.
Here's what we did: we added the protein shake or a protein-based breakfast with organic veggies and minimal carbs for breakfast (according to the ARD). We added more carbs as the day went on, as per the ARD suggestions. We did nothing else because it was too hard to coordinate three people and their light needs, their sleep patterns, etc. I just wanted to see if what Dr. Christianson suggested to one of his patients - three simple changes: add 25 mg of protein to breakfast, diffuse some of the stress patterns, and turn off all artificial light, except a reading light, by 9pm - if only a few things would make a difference. It's all about changing the circadian rhythms to balance the adrenals. I was able to consistently make meals that increased the protein and vegetables, as well as the fiber content, while cycling the carbs (less in the morning, more in the evening) and for myself, I increased the natural light exposure early in the morning. We also made sure to eat within one hour of waking. And for one week, we followed those simple parts of the ARD.
What came of it all?
I noticed I slept better, as did my family members. One family member in his 70's wakes up repeatedly at night. He tends to be a night owl and late riser, as well as a restless sleeper, which remained the same, but during nearly the entire week, he stayed asleep throughout the night. And he didn't nod off as much throughout the day. I also noticed the emotional energy was softer. We have a lot of big personalities in my family and oftentimes, when the stress gets high, the emotions grow too. They feed each other. This seemed more minimal overall, as though everyone was better able to deal with the stressful situations. The situations didn't really change, but our response to them did, for the most part. (A definite cortisol reaction.) I also noticed that my mind felt clearer most of the day. We all noticed we wanted to eat less (felt full more of the day), craved carbs and sugar less, and everything we ate tasted really good. We still ate sugar and treats, and went to bed late, but I did see changes. And incorporating more veggies and proteins into our meals turned out to be rather easy.
The tiny experiment makes me want to know more and go a little deeper into the ARD suggestions. Dr.Christianson has more specifics for each adrenal level and I am planning on incorporating more into my day. Long before I knew about the Adrenal Reset Diet book, I started to make some of the changes he suggests because I could feel how they changed my body's response to certain experiences - shut off computers and tablets a few hours before bedtime (turns out they speed up brainwaves and trigger cortisol); eat carbs in the evening (turns out slow-release carbs raise blood sugar slowly which makes us sleep better, but cortisol should be low in the evening or we get too ramped up to sleep well); licorice root tea in the morning and chamomile at night (supports the adrenals in the am and calms them at night); rely on whole foods (self-explanatory). He has a lot of other suggestions to support the body and the hormones that it uses to maintain itself. I found this book intriguing, not too overly wordy or science-y for those who aren't looking to become doctors, and a good source of information to understand the delicate endocrine system. By reading the book, I can tell he isn't a strong-and-fast stickler about all that he suggests. It's about balance, not discipline. And maybe the very things that are haunting us can be balanced with much greater ease than we think.
Author's note: There's a lot more to this book than in this review. He has some pretty great insight into what makes us gain weight, unable to lose weight, hormonal imbalances, etc. For me, these books are best reviewed based on personal experience because there are tons of books out there with the same sorts of information. That's why I just chose to dive right in. I want to see if this works for me or if I can incorporate pieces into my life that make sense. If you feel stressed, frazzled, overwhelmed, overworked, tired, worn out, angry, emotional all the time, or can't seem to lose weight, I would suggest you at least take a look into this book to see if it fits for you. Talk to your doctor or naturopath. There are no prescriptions in here or huge life changes - it's about listening to yourself, hearing your body, eating foods that make sense, and learning to simplify so you can feel better. There's nothing radical here. Just a return to simplicity in our world of overexposure to pretty much everything. Some things are going to resonate; some are not. It's not a quick-fix because whatever life-long patterns you have built that created where you are will continue to create where you are until you change them. Starvation doesn't work; extreme diets don't work; life changes do. And it's not about giving up everything. It's about finding peace in yourself and finding out who you truly are.
This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
http://divine-by-nature.blogspot.com/...
Do you know why I don't like these books? Because I've used them and they don't work. There is no easy fix. In fact, I'm convinced now, more than ever, that no fix is ever needed. And really, that comes from my presumption that we are truly whole already, we just don't always know it and we don't always practice the walk that creates the experience of that wholeness. Thus, I'm not really a lover of self-help fix-it books, but I do like books that provide introspection and a new perspective on who we are, why we choose what we do, and how we can alter those choices.
This is one of those books.
In the world of diet and self-help books, fix-it sells. So, there's a small amount of that present in this book - in the marketing. By reading it thoroughly and at a leisurely pace, I can clearly see and feel that the author has the best intentions. The marketers scream, "Lose weight!" But the naturopathic physician - the true identity of this author - is all about health, wellness, and resetting the many premises that have lead us to feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, overweight, and overdone. That is clarity I can appreciate.
I chose this book for a few reasons, mostly personal, but for some time, I have known that my adrenals are incredibly sensitive to many things and a few times in the past, I have overworked them. However, after reading his book, I realize that most of us have overworked adrenals just from the lives we live that include daily stress and pressures, poor food choices that include processed foods or even home-baked goods, and eating either too much of the wrong kinds of proteins or not enough. I have read many of the slightly scientific health books like the Zone Diet, the Genotype Diet, the Blood Type diet, the Hormone cure, all with a grain of salt. What I wanted was a more in-depth analysis of how our bodies work and what we can do to make all of that function at its peak. I'm not interested in the drop-ten-pounds diet, the look-great-naked diet, or the stop-eating-this-eat-that diet. However, they all sort of coincide. It just depends on what you are looking for, what your body might need, and if you like the science of symptoms. I do. I follow Dr. Sara Gottfried for this reason. She's an MD that writes extensively about the co-mersion of Western medicine and Eastern philosophies, as well as hormonal balancing. In truth, after having read many, many books about health and wellness, they all pretty much say the same thing, but with slightly different premises (and I'm not talking about the quick-fix diet books here): eat whole foods, primarily vegetables and some fruits, eat whole grains, listen to your body, eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full, avoid allergens. And sometimes, they include breathing exercises, meditation, journaling, affirmations, etc. To me, our food and body issues have arisen because we stopped listening to ourselves and our bodies. My interest has always been about understanding the body better and the choices that I make that either feed it's brilliant ability to self-heal or prevent that. The Adrenal Reset Diet is just another piece of that.
The book's premise lies in an easy set-up: understand what the adrenals do for your body, figure out where you are on the adrenal spectrum (Thriving, Stressed, Wired and Tired, Crashed), then understand how to reset yourself back to a state of Thriving where your body's cortisol levels, adrenal function and overall hormonal balance comes back into a balanced state. Dr. Christianson's concept comes from years of being an adrenal and thyroid specialist. His practice led him to question how we could reset adrenal function to a point where the body can do all that it needs to do in order to maintain harmony. He experimented on himself first, then a few willing and aware patients. From there, he expanded out to more clients willing to try simple and easy things that might reset their adrenal overload. He met with great success. When he started with personal experimentation, he tried to opposite of his diet strategy plan and found that it created an increase in cortisol and adrenal production (which he tested at specific intervals), as well as weight gain, sleep issues, and a myriad of other problems. This, along with patient trials, convinced him of the overall effectiveness of this Adrenal Reset Diet (ARD) plan.
The basics of the ARD premise is simple: eat more protein, choose healthy fats, and cycle your carbs throughout the day in a specific way.
Simple. Basic. Yet, with the interesting science behind this theory, intriguing.
(The complexities of each level of adrenal function and the coinciding chapter offer many more ways to reset your adrenals including herbs, breathing exercises, light therapy, outdoor/nature experiences, sleep patterns, specific foods, etc. It's up to you how in-depth or how simplistic you want the ARD to be.)
I took this book with me on a recent vacation back to see my family. I wanted to do a little experiment of my own. If we made just a couple of changes, would we see or feel anything akin to what he describes? Would our adrenals become more supported and thus, decrease our cortisol levels and all the problems that go with high cortisol? Well, there's no way to fully know the latter of these two without adrenal and cortisol testing. We didn't do that, like Dr. Christianson does with patients. Instead, we went solely on sleep and feel, as well as potential body aches, pains, blood sugar, brain fog, and other assorted adrenal spectrum ailments. In fact, this is how Dr. Christianson suggests readers accomplish this. Follow the ARD, then retake the ARD test every few weeks or monthly until you are Thriving.
Here's what we did: we added the protein shake or a protein-based breakfast with organic veggies and minimal carbs for breakfast (according to the ARD). We added more carbs as the day went on, as per the ARD suggestions. We did nothing else because it was too hard to coordinate three people and their light needs, their sleep patterns, etc. I just wanted to see if what Dr. Christianson suggested to one of his patients - three simple changes: add 25 mg of protein to breakfast, diffuse some of the stress patterns, and turn off all artificial light, except a reading light, by 9pm - if only a few things would make a difference. It's all about changing the circadian rhythms to balance the adrenals. I was able to consistently make meals that increased the protein and vegetables, as well as the fiber content, while cycling the carbs (less in the morning, more in the evening) and for myself, I increased the natural light exposure early in the morning. We also made sure to eat within one hour of waking. And for one week, we followed those simple parts of the ARD.
What came of it all?
I noticed I slept better, as did my family members. One family member in his 70's wakes up repeatedly at night. He tends to be a night owl and late riser, as well as a restless sleeper, which remained the same, but during nearly the entire week, he stayed asleep throughout the night. And he didn't nod off as much throughout the day. I also noticed the emotional energy was softer. We have a lot of big personalities in my family and oftentimes, when the stress gets high, the emotions grow too. They feed each other. This seemed more minimal overall, as though everyone was better able to deal with the stressful situations. The situations didn't really change, but our response to them did, for the most part. (A definite cortisol reaction.) I also noticed that my mind felt clearer most of the day. We all noticed we wanted to eat less (felt full more of the day), craved carbs and sugar less, and everything we ate tasted really good. We still ate sugar and treats, and went to bed late, but I did see changes. And incorporating more veggies and proteins into our meals turned out to be rather easy.
The tiny experiment makes me want to know more and go a little deeper into the ARD suggestions. Dr.Christianson has more specifics for each adrenal level and I am planning on incorporating more into my day. Long before I knew about the Adrenal Reset Diet book, I started to make some of the changes he suggests because I could feel how they changed my body's response to certain experiences - shut off computers and tablets a few hours before bedtime (turns out they speed up brainwaves and trigger cortisol); eat carbs in the evening (turns out slow-release carbs raise blood sugar slowly which makes us sleep better, but cortisol should be low in the evening or we get too ramped up to sleep well); licorice root tea in the morning and chamomile at night (supports the adrenals in the am and calms them at night); rely on whole foods (self-explanatory). He has a lot of other suggestions to support the body and the hormones that it uses to maintain itself. I found this book intriguing, not too overly wordy or science-y for those who aren't looking to become doctors, and a good source of information to understand the delicate endocrine system. By reading the book, I can tell he isn't a strong-and-fast stickler about all that he suggests. It's about balance, not discipline. And maybe the very things that are haunting us can be balanced with much greater ease than we think.
Author's note: There's a lot more to this book than in this review. He has some pretty great insight into what makes us gain weight, unable to lose weight, hormonal imbalances, etc. For me, these books are best reviewed based on personal experience because there are tons of books out there with the same sorts of information. That's why I just chose to dive right in. I want to see if this works for me or if I can incorporate pieces into my life that make sense. If you feel stressed, frazzled, overwhelmed, overworked, tired, worn out, angry, emotional all the time, or can't seem to lose weight, I would suggest you at least take a look into this book to see if it fits for you. Talk to your doctor or naturopath. There are no prescriptions in here or huge life changes - it's about listening to yourself, hearing your body, eating foods that make sense, and learning to simplify so you can feel better. There's nothing radical here. Just a return to simplicity in our world of overexposure to pretty much everything. Some things are going to resonate; some are not. It's not a quick-fix because whatever life-long patterns you have built that created where you are will continue to create where you are until you change them. Starvation doesn't work; extreme diets don't work; life changes do. And it's not about giving up everything. It's about finding peace in yourself and finding out who you truly are.
This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
http://divine-by-nature.blogspot.com/...
September 27, 2019
I understand the premise of the book very well due to personal adrenal failure and the weight gain that comes with it. I do think this is a real problem that a lot of people don’t realize they have. However, I don’t think our world is obese solely because of adrenal dysfunction. I didn’t really learn a whole lot besides eating a low carb/ high protein breakfast (30g) and eating more carbs at night to help you sleep. I can definitely tell a difference in my energy when I fuel it well! However to lose weight solely on this principle seems unlikely and has not worked for me.
November 14, 2014
How good is this book? Well, without having finsihed it, I had already mentioned it and recommended it to two seperate people. I really like how this book lays out a plan for people in different stages of adtenal fatigue. It makes a lot of sense, while reading about the symptoms of stress and fatigue.
"The adrenal reset diet" explains how to reset your adrenals depending on what stage of stress you're in, through diet, light therapy, carb cycling, and meditation. It's a really interesting book. I'm looking forward to testing some of the methods in this book!
"The adrenal reset diet" explains how to reset your adrenals depending on what stage of stress you're in, through diet, light therapy, carb cycling, and meditation. It's a really interesting book. I'm looking forward to testing some of the methods in this book!
July 15, 2015
Starting this book I had no intention of doing the actual diet. After finishing, I may try some of the recipes. I really enjoyed this book. I came across Dr. Christianson when looking up info for those who are optimally treated for Hypothyroidism but still occasionally symptomatic - me. The science totally makes sense to me and going forward I'm trying to cycle my carbs better. I'm having an issue with protein in the morning since I tend to be sensitive to dairy and eggs.
March 17, 2023
I do wish there were more citations for some of the information that Christianson rattles off. That said, I’m going to give the “diet” (more of a lifestyle change) and recommendations a try. I will update my review in another month or two.
Update (3/16/23): I know it hasn’t been a month, but I’m going to update anyway because this diet didn’t work for me. From what I’ve been reading in Dr. Sara Gottfried’s books, his serving sizes for fat are much too small. Personally, I’ve found I need a lot more fat to keep me satiated. I get the vibe that he’s a fan of personalized medicine, but that doesn’t come across nearly as well as Dr. Gottfried’s books. She’s proved to be a much better resource for me.
Update (3/16/23): I know it hasn’t been a month, but I’m going to update anyway because this diet didn’t work for me. From what I’ve been reading in Dr. Sara Gottfried’s books, his serving sizes for fat are much too small. Personally, I’ve found I need a lot more fat to keep me satiated. I get the vibe that he’s a fan of personalized medicine, but that doesn’t come across nearly as well as Dr. Gottfried’s books. She’s proved to be a much better resource for me.
May 24, 2023
I read this when learning more about my body’s recent out of whack stress response. I’m not planning to utilize the strict diet guidelines here, and wasn’t expecting much from this book. It seemed to be written for people seeking weight loss foremost. While that’s generally helpful, I was much more interested in hearing his perspective on hormone balancing and repairing faulty cortisol response patterns.
I was pleasantly surprised with a lot of the content, though. This author recommended a lot of the supports such as supplements or routines in a well balanced way (specific breathing recommendations, daily schedule on how to incorporate based on the profiles he outlines, suggested foods or supplements with rationale). Many of his suggestions are supported in the scientific literature, too. I struggle to find a balance between the health suggestions being woo woo and not rooted in science or being problematic in other ways. Many non naturopath/non functional medicine doctors don’t know much about nutrition, supplements, etc. I’m tired of people referring individuals out to a million specialists for endocrine, mental health, nutrition, etc. I appreciated the well rounded, whole person approach in this book. Take what seems useful, but I gained several useful tips and learnings from this one. Again, specific to those out of whack on cortisol response and the body’s stress response, though I bet many could benefit from several of these suggestions.
I was pleasantly surprised with a lot of the content, though. This author recommended a lot of the supports such as supplements or routines in a well balanced way (specific breathing recommendations, daily schedule on how to incorporate based on the profiles he outlines, suggested foods or supplements with rationale). Many of his suggestions are supported in the scientific literature, too. I struggle to find a balance between the health suggestions being woo woo and not rooted in science or being problematic in other ways. Many non naturopath/non functional medicine doctors don’t know much about nutrition, supplements, etc. I’m tired of people referring individuals out to a million specialists for endocrine, mental health, nutrition, etc. I appreciated the well rounded, whole person approach in this book. Take what seems useful, but I gained several useful tips and learnings from this one. Again, specific to those out of whack on cortisol response and the body’s stress response, though I bet many could benefit from several of these suggestions.
May 11, 2015
I came upon the idea of reading this book online one time when someone said it was a helpful idea to 'cycle carbs' when you're trying to lose weight. And hey, anything that limits the consumption of unhealthy foods will work if you want to get healthier and lose weight. Especially if it has a positive effect on adrenal function, which as the book correctly suggests, can effect your cortisol levels and lead to gaining dangerous visceral fat. My interest was piqued.
This book lost me before I even got to page 25. Anytime someone uses the word 'toxins' (or more hilariously in this book, 'toxicants') I know it's junk science. What are the specific toxins? We usually never find out. I am also highly skeptical of people who tell you that counting calories is not effective or necessary for losing weight. That is ridiculous. Worse still is when someone tries to tell you your obesity or overweight-ness is solely a product of our food culture with its readily available processed foods and excessive carbs and dairy. Also a big no there. You choose what you eat. Maybe it's as hard as being an alcoholic at a bar, there's lots of temptation, sure, but nobody's forcing you to get a beer instead of a ginger ale. It's always about YOUR caloric choices, actually. A meta study of various studies on diet and exercise proved that time and time again the only way people lose weight and keep it off is to weigh yourself daily and count calories. It doesn't mater if it's Atkins, paleo, Mediterranean, some juice cleanse, or any other kind of specific diet. And I can speak to personal experience when I say that if you stop counting calories after you reach your goal weight, you'll gain back the weight- without accounting for what you can eat, you eat what your instinct tells you to: enough calories to maintain an equilibrium far closer to your original weight. And if getting on the scale everyday and seeing tiny setbacks from a bad day or water bloat is too discouraging, you don't have the mindset yet to do this right. Weight loss is hard and full of disappointment. You have to be able to face yourself, without denial, to fix yourself.
This book lost me before I even got to page 25. Anytime someone uses the word 'toxins' (or more hilariously in this book, 'toxicants') I know it's junk science. What are the specific toxins? We usually never find out. I am also highly skeptical of people who tell you that counting calories is not effective or necessary for losing weight. That is ridiculous. Worse still is when someone tries to tell you your obesity or overweight-ness is solely a product of our food culture with its readily available processed foods and excessive carbs and dairy. Also a big no there. You choose what you eat. Maybe it's as hard as being an alcoholic at a bar, there's lots of temptation, sure, but nobody's forcing you to get a beer instead of a ginger ale. It's always about YOUR caloric choices, actually. A meta study of various studies on diet and exercise proved that time and time again the only way people lose weight and keep it off is to weigh yourself daily and count calories. It doesn't mater if it's Atkins, paleo, Mediterranean, some juice cleanse, or any other kind of specific diet. And I can speak to personal experience when I say that if you stop counting calories after you reach your goal weight, you'll gain back the weight- without accounting for what you can eat, you eat what your instinct tells you to: enough calories to maintain an equilibrium far closer to your original weight. And if getting on the scale everyday and seeing tiny setbacks from a bad day or water bloat is too discouraging, you don't have the mindset yet to do this right. Weight loss is hard and full of disappointment. You have to be able to face yourself, without denial, to fix yourself.
May 9, 2015
Filled with useful information (that's supported by what I've been told by my naturopath for the past year, although she never once mentioned this book) and easy to understand, this book gives me hope for my adrenal fatigue issues. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to improve their health, weight-loss-oriented or not. The diet plan is simple in concept and I'm sure it'll be easy to follow. Hopefully, I'll see positive change after a few months- but if I don't, at least I have a better understanding of how my adrenals affect my body.
September 30, 2014
I find books like this very interesting, as I believe there is more to weight than calories in/calories out. Endocrinologist Dr Christianson has a unique plan that is very easy to make into a lifestyle change. He backs his theories up with studies and his own experiences, along with those of his patients. For those of us who are constantly on the go and running up to our limits, this is a good place to start if you want to feel better.
May 4, 2015
Easy to read, good ideas, but his "daily routines" are laughable for anyone with a full time job and the recipes all look unimpressive. I like the idea of carb cycling though.
March 27, 2024
I really enjoyed this book and found it encouraging to live a healthy lifestyle. The information isn't overly scientific. I thought it was a very balanced approach to health and wellness. He addresses diet, exercise, and managing stress. Maintaining proper cortisol levels by eating the right amount of carbs at certain times of the day just makes so much sense. Have already tried several of the simple tips and suggestions from this book. I am looking forward to trying more and hopefully increasing my energy and mental clarity.
Read
December 30, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
The Adrenal Reset Diet takes a very different but also very intelligent stance on obesity: that processed foods, pollutants, and stress/pressures in life have caused our adrenal glands to kick into survival mode: their 'switch' is turned permanently toward converting food into fat rather than energy. This diet plan addresses the adrenal hormones to put the body back into proper focus and making the best use of the food we eat.The plan has four distinctions that set it apart from most other diet books: 1) It is not a 'low anything' diet. The author takes the stance that food is the cure, not the enemy. 2) Carbs are not forbidden. The plan cycles through carbs to make the best use of them for your body and ensure they are made into energy rather than fat. 3) Sleep issues are addressed and fixed since that is often a huge problem with not taking weight off (addressing circadian rhythms). 4) Clarity is restored through 5 minute rituals to stop pressure and stress from fooling the body into making fat.
The book makes the point that weight loss is not about willpower or courage. Rather, the weight has come on as a result of improper signals caused by processed food, pollution, and stress/pressures of modern life; those have turned the body into survival rather than thrive mode. Author Christianson believes almost all of the problems causing many individuals' weight issues are controlled through the adrenal glands; eating effectively and smartly will reset those adrenal signals to consume rather than store fat.
At heart, the book says that the reason to target the adrenal glands is because they regulate other hormones (including inflammation control, sleep/waking, blood sugar control). Those end up a huge factor in controlling weight since the adrenal hormones control whether energy goes toward muscles or fat. By cycling carbohydrates and eating the right food at the right time, the body will make the most of its food. There is, of course, a lot more to it than that (e.g., cortisol control) but it is all explained in the book in detail. As well, fine tuning other diets, such as paleo, to fit within the Adrenal Reset Diet ethos is discussed.
The diet itself does have one drawback in that you really do have to be very mindful of what you eat - and when. It's a new way of looking at meals that is very nitpicky in many ways but also can be frustrating in the minutiae since there is no comprehensive, mindless, "eat only low carb' or 'eat like a caveman' type of rule. Rather, it's about learning to eat fiber, protein, carbs, in various combos in very specific times of the day to achieve the best results. Although there are substitutions, it is a very specific diet that may defeat some dieters in its level of complexity and their desire to go into autopilot to lose weight. The Adrenal Reset Diet is both a very specific but also a very open plan - it's not about the recipes, just the times that you eat and in what fiber/protein/fat ratios.
A large portion of the book is dedicated to dealing with stress/pressure and sleep issues. I found a lot of the information in there fascinating (if a bit hard to put into actual application). Everything from avoiding sunlight for two hours after waking up (and the suggestion of wearing dark glasses if you have to go to work) - to getting a full 2 hours of sunlight every morning to help with circadian rhythms. It sounds nice ideally but honestly some applications are fairly impractical. This is another reason the diet plan here is both excellent and yet also daunting.
Since there is no 'low' anything, the recipes are fairly typical items: stir fry beef to breakfast shakes. There aren't many of them - the plan is open enough that it is more about thinking about what you eat and when you eat it than the items you are eating or portions. There is, of course, a list of foods to avoid - mostly processed or high sugar ingredients, toxic proteins, etc. There are also discussions about gluten free, vegan, beans, sweeteners.
Since this is such a unique perspective on dieting and such a different plan, I really do feel this is worth a read. A lot of what is in here does make sense and the author takes the time to explain it all in a no-nonsense but friendly manner. It's a very different take on why we can't seem to lose weight but keep packing it on in the modern world. As with most diets now, the focus is on lifestyle management and long term benefits. Unlike most diets, there really isn't a lot of 'fluff' discussion about the diseases caused by obesity or the epidemic itself. Most of the book is focused on the science of the adrenal glands and their role of converting food into fat.
Reviewed from an ARC provided by the publisher.
February 8, 2015
Didn't realize this wasn't just a diet book. The title is not accurate. The book started out pretty good, but then it didn't really provide solid information about "cycling carbs." In fact, it looks like there were editing issues with the book and one of the tables that was meant to clarify it was just a repeat of the previous "wrong thing to do" table. When I thought I'd get more details later in the book, it started to go into getting enough sleep and trying light therapy and meditation. The categories a person might be at with metabolism were hazily and hastily explained, so that I was left not understanding what I was and what I was supposed to do about it. The recipes are for the most part, kind of weird, but I'm taking from it to get more real food and less fake food into my diet, to eat complex carbohydrates instead of simple ones. I do need to cut back on sugar, but I don't know if replacing it with monk fruit is a good idea - why is that any better than Aspartame or Saccharine? I actually didn't technically finish the book, because it just kept getting lamer and lamer.
November 15, 2016
I had seen this book reviewed on the Wellness Mama website in the midst of my personal crash with adrenal fatigue.
I had skimmed several other books on adrenal fatigue, but none were clearer on the causes, symptoms, and healing protocols than this one.
Although written by a doctor, I found the language incredibly easy to understand, and I began to implement many of his tips right away.
I actually re-skimmed this book and re-took the adrenal fatigue assessment the other day, and I was over-the-moon excited to see how much I’ve improved in this area in a year’s time!
I had skimmed several other books on adrenal fatigue, but none were clearer on the causes, symptoms, and healing protocols than this one.
Although written by a doctor, I found the language incredibly easy to understand, and I began to implement many of his tips right away.
I actually re-skimmed this book and re-took the adrenal fatigue assessment the other day, and I was over-the-moon excited to see how much I’ve improved in this area in a year’s time!
September 5, 2015
hoping to reset my adrenals
There was a lot I really liked about this book. I'm hoping to reset my fatigued adrenals, and doctor Christianson gives some great advice. For example, carb cycling. I love that concept. There were a few things, however, that I felt weren't practical at this point in my life. Such as the light therapy he suggests. I like the idea, but don't think I'd be able to follow through with the application. If you think you might be having adrenal trouble, this book is for you.
There was a lot I really liked about this book. I'm hoping to reset my fatigued adrenals, and doctor Christianson gives some great advice. For example, carb cycling. I love that concept. There were a few things, however, that I felt weren't practical at this point in my life. Such as the light therapy he suggests. I like the idea, but don't think I'd be able to follow through with the application. If you think you might be having adrenal trouble, this book is for you.
May 4, 2016
Since I've been healing myself grain free for many years now, this guy's theories don't really sync with what I've learned and experienced.
For example, he calls eggs "toxic protein", phytic acid is "good for you", and he even includes canola oil in his diet.
For example, he calls eggs "toxic protein", phytic acid is "good for you", and he even includes canola oil in his diet.
June 5, 2015
Good book, but I liked another book I read on adrenals better. There was some really good advice for the stressed. Not enough substitutes for non-meat eaters. Especially for breakfast.
February 23, 2019
If you are contemplating getting this book, get it from the library or wait for the paperback version. (unless you like paying for hardback books) The formatting for this book does not translate well to Kindle.
That said:
Diet = food that you eat, at given times of the day.
This was a pretty decent book. He takes a lot of well known dietary foundations - Carb cycling and leptin balancing in particular, and applies them to weight loss and adrenal function. My reason for reading this book was for the Adrenal aspect, not the weight loss. My only comments on the weight loss concept is "of course". Of course eating real food, not processed crap will help you lose weight. Of course a high protein breakfast and complex carbs lunch and dinner will help you lose weight. This is not news.
What was more interesting was the tie to adrenal function. If you have adrenal dysfunction you well know how the highs and lows of your day goes. What Mr. Christianson has put together shows that with a specific set of macro nutrients, the circadian rhythm resets to a "proper" diurnal setting. Cortisol peaking in the morning, declining through out the day, with it's low point deep in the night. He showed this with people with improper peaks, and people with flat slopes. So if you've done the work, you've cleaned up the gut, you have killed off microbial pathogens, rebalanced methylation, reparied the serotonin and dopamine pathways and you're still stuck with improper cortisol peaks, energy crashes, insomnia and shifted sleep patterns, Following the simple steps laid out in this book is well worth the minimal effort.
Case in point, this is where we are stuck, with a cortisol pattern peaking improperly, disrupted, shifted sleep, low day time energy and brain fog. We made the first simple change - Eating breakfast within one hour of waking, high protein, low complex carbs, on a Wednesday. On Friday we saw stable energy through out the day, less brain fog, and less depression. That's a pretty darn fast turn around. We will be working out the rest of the daily meals as we go along.
This is an easily adaptable protocol, regardless of if you follow GAPS, Paleo, BED, SCD or any host of other gut healing modalities.
My remaining question is around different metabolic types. He sticks to a very set marcro-nutritent ratio and a low fat paradigm. If weight loss is not your goal, can the ratios be shifted for more optimal personal nutrition? It is one of the things we will be working out.
That said:
Diet = food that you eat, at given times of the day.
This was a pretty decent book. He takes a lot of well known dietary foundations - Carb cycling and leptin balancing in particular, and applies them to weight loss and adrenal function. My reason for reading this book was for the Adrenal aspect, not the weight loss. My only comments on the weight loss concept is "of course". Of course eating real food, not processed crap will help you lose weight. Of course a high protein breakfast and complex carbs lunch and dinner will help you lose weight. This is not news.
What was more interesting was the tie to adrenal function. If you have adrenal dysfunction you well know how the highs and lows of your day goes. What Mr. Christianson has put together shows that with a specific set of macro nutrients, the circadian rhythm resets to a "proper" diurnal setting. Cortisol peaking in the morning, declining through out the day, with it's low point deep in the night. He showed this with people with improper peaks, and people with flat slopes. So if you've done the work, you've cleaned up the gut, you have killed off microbial pathogens, rebalanced methylation, reparied the serotonin and dopamine pathways and you're still stuck with improper cortisol peaks, energy crashes, insomnia and shifted sleep patterns, Following the simple steps laid out in this book is well worth the minimal effort.
Case in point, this is where we are stuck, with a cortisol pattern peaking improperly, disrupted, shifted sleep, low day time energy and brain fog. We made the first simple change - Eating breakfast within one hour of waking, high protein, low complex carbs, on a Wednesday. On Friday we saw stable energy through out the day, less brain fog, and less depression. That's a pretty darn fast turn around. We will be working out the rest of the daily meals as we go along.
This is an easily adaptable protocol, regardless of if you follow GAPS, Paleo, BED, SCD or any host of other gut healing modalities.
My remaining question is around different metabolic types. He sticks to a very set marcro-nutritent ratio and a low fat paradigm. If weight loss is not your goal, can the ratios be shifted for more optimal personal nutrition? It is one of the things we will be working out.
October 7, 2017
I'm going to begin giving this a go right after we are clear of this upcoming hurricane. The information looks good and sound...it presented to a plan to help regulate not only your insulin, but also your cortisol levels. Truth be told,I've read just about every diet book there is-some have worked, some haven't, but what all have in common is the in-ability to maintain! This book sets out to dispel the notion that "it's your fault" for being fat. Instead it shows that like any other disease, being overweight is caused by external factors that influence your body and organs.
In a nutshell the diet breaks down as follows:
-Eat lean protein every meal
-Eat complex carbs like sweet potatoes, potatoes with skin, quinoa, brown rice, and carrots every meal but increase amount as day goes on i.e. Eat a golfball size amount in am, 2 midday and 3 at night
-no fried foods or over consumption of alcohol
-exercise according to stress level...completely burned out-Yoga. Moderately burned out-long slow cardio. Mildly burned out-heavy weights or circuits. Not stressed at all? Enjoy working out intensely.
So back to maintenance...this diet encourages "levels up" like a video game. So if you start in "crashed" category, you can work your way up to "wired and tired" to "stressed" to "Thriving". The diet changes intensity as you go as far as exercise and food. He also says that once thriving, if you have a lot of alcohol and food at parties or dinner every now and then, your body will be prepared to handle the load once you have addressed your adrenal fatigue.
Sleep is another factor that he delves into....he has some interesting techniques that I plan to use-wet socks at night to increase circulation. Warm bath and cold room to sleep. Complete darkness, etc....
I will give an update after I get headlong into this-God knows I need to lose a few lbs and get my stress under control lol.
In a nutshell the diet breaks down as follows:
-Eat lean protein every meal
-Eat complex carbs like sweet potatoes, potatoes with skin, quinoa, brown rice, and carrots every meal but increase amount as day goes on i.e. Eat a golfball size amount in am, 2 midday and 3 at night
-no fried foods or over consumption of alcohol
-exercise according to stress level...completely burned out-Yoga. Moderately burned out-long slow cardio. Mildly burned out-heavy weights or circuits. Not stressed at all? Enjoy working out intensely.
So back to maintenance...this diet encourages "levels up" like a video game. So if you start in "crashed" category, you can work your way up to "wired and tired" to "stressed" to "Thriving". The diet changes intensity as you go as far as exercise and food. He also says that once thriving, if you have a lot of alcohol and food at parties or dinner every now and then, your body will be prepared to handle the load once you have addressed your adrenal fatigue.
Sleep is another factor that he delves into....he has some interesting techniques that I plan to use-wet socks at night to increase circulation. Warm bath and cold room to sleep. Complete darkness, etc....
I will give an update after I get headlong into this-God knows I need to lose a few lbs and get my stress under control lol.
August 28, 2019
Aaah...this was just okay.
The premise behind Christianson's approach is that an inability to lose weight is often secondary to a poorly functioning adrenal gland and an inability to maintain "healthy" cortisol levels throughout the day.
While there is some good info here, I felt as if something was missing. He repeatedly reminds us that measuring cortisol in the body is difficult, but then cites studies, many his own, in which he monitors cortisol as a means of determining if there is a problem and what if any effect his diet, which times carbohydrates, has on those levels.
Not sure how the average person would put any of this into to practice other than to eat a diet of whole foods, avoid processed foods, environmental toxins and stress when able, and try cycling their carbs as recommended and then hope you lose weight, keep it off, and feel better.
The premise behind Christianson's approach is that an inability to lose weight is often secondary to a poorly functioning adrenal gland and an inability to maintain "healthy" cortisol levels throughout the day.
While there is some good info here, I felt as if something was missing. He repeatedly reminds us that measuring cortisol in the body is difficult, but then cites studies, many his own, in which he monitors cortisol as a means of determining if there is a problem and what if any effect his diet, which times carbohydrates, has on those levels.
Not sure how the average person would put any of this into to practice other than to eat a diet of whole foods, avoid processed foods, environmental toxins and stress when able, and try cycling their carbs as recommended and then hope you lose weight, keep it off, and feel better.
March 25, 2018
I've been exploring the functional medicine world for a few years now and having read my fair share of these health books, I found this one to be incredibly refreshing.
Alan Christianson managed to add another level of clarity even to the things I already knew and he does so in a very concise manner - it's so full of great information, I think I may have dog-eared the whole book.
I almost didn't read it because weight loss seems to be a main selling point but having tried carb cycling for other reasons and finding it to be very effective - I'm glad I did because these changes can make a huge difference to a whole range of issues.
It's definitely up there as one of my favourite health books and my first choice when it comes to 'adrenal fatigue' aka HPA-axis dysregulation.
Alan Christianson managed to add another level of clarity even to the things I already knew and he does so in a very concise manner - it's so full of great information, I think I may have dog-eared the whole book.
I almost didn't read it because weight loss seems to be a main selling point but having tried carb cycling for other reasons and finding it to be very effective - I'm glad I did because these changes can make a huge difference to a whole range of issues.
It's definitely up there as one of my favourite health books and my first choice when it comes to 'adrenal fatigue' aka HPA-axis dysregulation.
May 8, 2017
Adrenal Reset Diet
Although there were some very interesting points made about the role of cortisol and stress in weight gain and failure to lose weight, I'm not sure that this diet is for everyone. He recommends smoothies with high protein powder for breakfast. I think that this would be bad advice for people with kidney disease and for people who need to chew food to feel like they have eaten. I think that if you have tried other plans and have had no success and are reasonably healthy otherwise, this diet may be for you.
Although there were some very interesting points made about the role of cortisol and stress in weight gain and failure to lose weight, I'm not sure that this diet is for everyone. He recommends smoothies with high protein powder for breakfast. I think that this would be bad advice for people with kidney disease and for people who need to chew food to feel like they have eaten. I think that if you have tried other plans and have had no success and are reasonably healthy otherwise, this diet may be for you.
August 8, 2018
A slow start and too much emphasis on the adrenal fat switch, which is great for those who want to lose weight. However, I was more concerned with having healthy adrenal glands so I can be thriving (according to the book) rather than wired and tired or one of their categories. As the book progressed, it got better and better with tons of research and practical info. The big bonus was a suggested plan of action based on his knowledge and experience with previous patients. I look forward to trying his methods!
November 13, 2019
My main criticism is the use of shakes which many people like but shakes don't fill me up. There are options for food instead but I like breakfast foods for breakfast. This is not a fair evaluation of the book, it just wasn't my cup of tea but you should read it and judge for yourself. I also don't think I have much in the way of adrenal issues although I do have hypothyroid and have for almost 40 years.
June 11, 2022
I have been trying to fix my stress levels and in spite of mediating, slowing down in life, prioritizing sleep, I still haven't been able to get my body to shift and thus haven't been able to lose weight in spite of my best efforts! This book was so so helpful. I am only on week 1 and down 2 kg without working out just because it is lowering my cortisol levels (I assume since nothing else has worked). This is such an easy protocol and even when not doing it perfectly has helped tremendously!
November 6, 2017
Overall a good book and helpful for people to understand the role stress hormones play in their overall health. Helpful instructions for breathing exercises and relaxation techniques. The diet itself is sensical and encourages eating real food with timing of carbohydrates intake being the primary focus from an adrenal standpoint. All in all a good book and helpful as a patient education tool.
March 15, 2021
Very quick read. A good starting point for further research... wish he’d explained the reasoning behind his advice and gone into greater detail. Also, the intro mentions specific IV therapy and then he never revisits that topic/ advice. Umm..? Overall- great info for a person to look into further to improve their adrenal health.
October 25, 2022
I’ve read the Thyroid Reset Diet by this same author and while I find the information in both books interesting, I am not convinced the diets are sustainable. I will be implementing some changes in my life and diet based on this book, as I did with the Thyroid Reset, but I admit I’m unlikely to follow the diet completely.
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