Everything You'll Ever Need to Know About The Adrenal Cocktail

What is it?

The Adrenal Cocktail is a supportive drink for a stressed out system, usually related to chronic HPA (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) axis dysfunction, but can also be used as a supportive tool for occasional stressful situations. The Adrenal Cocktail has a balanced ratio of carbohydrate, protein, and fat to help give the liver the glucose needed to regenerate without the blood sugar spike, thanks to the added protein and fat. There is also an abundance of trace minerals to help with hormone health and cell communication, vitamin C for cell repair, and amino acids for cell regeneration and health.

What’s the recipe?

The traditional Adrenal Cocktail creamsicle is:

4 oz pulp-free orange juice
2 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp collagen peptides (Kendall10 gets you 10% off)
large pinch of sea salt

A full explanation of the ingredients, some variations, and my ingredient brand preferences are further down on this page. Keep scrolling!

What’s an adrenal?

They are hormonal glands in your body! Your two adrenal glands sit atop your kidneys and they are responsible for regulating your stress hormones: cortisol, aldosterone, and adrenaline. They kick into gear whenever you encounter a stressful situation.

What’s a stressful situation? Well, that’s a little more nuanced to your own body. For some it could be as simple as having too much coffee on an empty stomach, for others it could be a bear attack. This is a bio-individual answer, but it’s pretty safe to assume that we’re all just a bit stressed these days. If you’ve ever felt that wired, yet tired feeling, you know what a stressed-out HPA axis is.

Okay, but why should I drink this?

A lot of stress can be mitigated on your HPA axis by giving your system the correct fuel to keep chugging along. Your liver, if you will, is like a battery pack for the body. It stores glucose and along with the pancreas and insulin helps shuttle glucose to your cells and their mitochondria to create energy, heat, all that good stuff. When your liver runs out of glucose your back-up generators kick in: your adrenals. Cortisol is released to continue to get energy to your cells to keep vital organs and systems running smoothly. This is fail-safe system that should kick in a few times a year, not a few times each day. This continuous stress on your HPA axis to keep your system fueled through stress hormones and a lack of nutrients is where the entire system begins to break down and deficiencies and problems begin to appear.

When should I drink it?

10 am and/or 3 pm are the suggested times when you’re particularly stressed. If you think about it, those times are usually when you hit an energy slump during the day and reach for caffeine or sugar to keep you propped up. You can drink a serving twice a day, or once a day. There are no set rules.

Also of note, the times mentioned are merely suggestions. I always encourage clients to drink whenever they feel their energy slipping, or they know they’re not going to able to fuel properly before a big event, i.e. traveling, giving a presentation, or they overdid their A.M. coffee. The Adrenal Cocktail also makes a great pre-work out or bedtime snack.

Speaking of bedtime, will it help with sleep?

YES! Especially if you’re waking up in the middle of the night around 3 or 4 am. This is a sign that your adrenals are kicking in with cortisol because your liver has run out of glucose and needs that backup generator running until you wake up and replenish the fuel stores with breakfast. If that sounds like you, I’d experiment with drinking the Adrenal Cocktail as an after-dinner or bedtime snack.

What brands do you suggest?

Orange Juice:

As far as orange juice, I prefer fresh-squeezed. There is a great brand at Whole Foods called Evolution Juice, their OJ is cold-pressed and organic. For a more accessible brand (i.e. found at a lot of retailers (including Whole Foods) I like Uncle Matt’s Organic Pulp Free Orange Juice.

One note: I always try to strain out the pulp to help with gut health. Once and while I don’t stress about strained OJ, but if I am consistently drinking the Adrenal Cocktail, I strain out the pulp to prevent any gut dysbiosis.

Coconut Milk:

It took me a year to discover the perfect brand for the drink, which is easily found on Amazon. I’ve linked it here. I also love this brand. Heavy cream is another option if you can tolerate dairy. I love Kalona Supernatural brand found at Whole Foods.

Salt:

My favorite salt is by far this. But I also really like this and this! But as long as it’s not iodized table salt, you’re golden.

Collagen:

For collagen I love this brand (Kendall10 gets you 10% off) because they test for heavy metals and glyphosate residue in their collagen, which I appreciate. You can also use gelatin (Kendall10 gets you 10% off) in this recipe, but it will clump and gel so you’ll probably need to blend it (and sometimes it still clumps up after that!).

Speaking of gelatin, I do have a gummie recipe version of the Adrenal Cocktail that you can check out on my instagram!

I hate one of the ingredients. What are some substitutes?

If you have histamine issues, allergies or just an OJ aversion, here are some easy substitutes:

1 oz tart cherry concentrate with 3 oz water—this is a great substitute for people dealing with inflammation. Cherry juice has been studied to be as effective as asprin.
Nectarine juice
Mango juice
Coconut water

All of the aforementioned replacements are low-histamine and about the same carb amounts, so you can keep the ratios the same, except for the tart cherry juice, which has an amendment to the amounts listed.

As far as coconut or heavy cream, there aren’t great substitutes. I have a client that uses a bit of MCT oil as a replacement for the fat source and seems to enjoy it, so that’s worth a try!

Why have I read some recipes that call for cream of tartar?!

Cream of tartar is a great source of potassium, which is a missing mineral from most of our diets these days, so some recipes call for this inclusion. It makes a great addition to the recipe! Especially if you’re experiencing a lot of brain fog, as that usually means you’re low in aldosterone, the hormone responsible for regulating this function, and which needs a lot of potassium to function properly!

I also add cream of tartar when I feel dehydrated. Potassium is an excellent mineral to have when your cells need some replenishing. You can find cream of tartar in most grocery store’s spice or baking sections. Here’s a link to my favorite brand.

Does it have to be made fresh every day?

Nope! I batch out 3-4 days’ worth of Adrenal Cocktails when I know I’m going to have a busy week. This is when I especially suggest using this coconut milk, it mixes so well and doesn’t get too clumpy when refrigerated.

How do you strain your OJ?

I transfer the OJ to a large Ball Jar and while transferring I pour through a sieve. Takes an extra 5 minutes, and then I don’t have to think about it again! Plus, I like that my OJ is now stored in glass instead of plastic.

You’ve mentioned this has anti-aging benefits, how?

Well first off, stress ages you, so any time I can mitigate some stress, I feel like I’ve won a bit of the anti-aging battle. But yes, on a more nutritional level this is a great support for your hair, skin, and nails thanks to the collagen and its necessary co-factor vitamin C, which is needed for optimal absorption. The fat from the cream is also a great support for cell membranes and firm skin. It’s definitely not going to reverse the clock, per say, but it’s a great nutritional support to have in your skin care arsenal.