Do you feel like your energy is constantly crashing, or that you're wired and tired at the same time? Blood sugar swings can place significant stress on your adrenal glands, thyroid, and mitochondria, affecting your metabolism, mood, and energy. At the same time, imbalances in adrenal or thyroid function can make it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar effectively.

Because these systems are so interconnected, their symptoms often overlap and may be easy to overlook or misattribute. Please work with your healthcare provider for proper evaluation, lab testing, and individualized care. Here are some general strategies to support your body if you're feeling out of sync.

Low Blood Sugar Symptoms

• Agitated, easily upset, nervous

• Blurred vision

• Cannot stay asleep at night

• Crave sweets during the day

• Depend on coffee to get going or keep going

• Eating relieves fatigue and improves energy

• Feel chilled or cold

• Feel weak, shaky, jittery, or have tremors

• Get light-headed if meals are missed

• Irritable if meals are missed

• Poor memory or forgetful

High Blood Sugar / Insulin Resistance Symptoms

• Blurred vision 

• Crave sweets during the day

• Depend on coffee/caffeine to get started or keep going

• Difficulty losing weight 

• Eating sweets does not relieve cravings for sugar

• Fatigue after meals

• Frequent urination

• Increased thirst and appetite

• Must have sweets after meals

• Waist girth is equal or larger than hip girth

Adrenal Stress: Fatigue

• Afternoon fatigue

• Cannot stay asleep at night

• Crave salt

• Dark circles under eyes

• Difficulty getting up in the morning

• Dizziness upon standing

• Easily tired and exhausted

• Exercise intolerance/ lingering fatigue after exertion or stress

• Feel nauseous or queasy

• Headaches with stress or exertion

• Parts of body feel sensitive, hot, or painful

• Prone to colds and infections

• Skin is gradually tanning without exposure

• Stress intolerance

• Weak nails

• Wounds heal slowly

Adrenal Stress: Wired

• Cannot fall asleep 

• Excessive perspiration with little or no activity

• High amounts of stress

• Weight gain when under stress

Low Thyroid Symptoms

• Constipation

• Deepening of voice, hoarseness

• Dry skin

• Feel chilled or cold for no apparent reason

• Feel sluggish or move slowly

• Forgetful or declining memory

• Heartbeat feels slow

• Loss of sex drive

• Muscles are weak, cramp, or tremble

• Outer third of eyebrow thin or missing

• Prone to colds and infections

• Swelling of lower neck

• Brittle nails

• Upper eyelids are puffy or swollen

• Weight gain without reason

Getting Back on Track with Good Habits

Maintaining healthy blood sugar and restoring stamina, energy, and vitality require self-care and often supplemental support to truly restore nutrient reserves of your organs and tissues. You may have gotten off-track with the busyness of life with poor eating habits.  Skipping meals, grabbing a specialty coffee, gulping down a protein drink, eating fast or junk foods or foods that you are allergic to and running out the door to manage the mile long to do list.

It is essential to get back on track with healthy choices and foods for blood sugar stability. Blood sugar spikes and crashes or chronically elevated or low levels stress your thyroid and adrenal glands and mitochondria causing more oxidative and metabolic strain.

Meal Planning

Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day. It turns on numerous circadian rhythms, gene signals, and metabolic markers associated with metabolism and neuroendocrine needs. 

Follow the The Leptin Diet guidelines:

• Rule 1: Never eat after dinner. 

• Rule 2: Eat three meals a day. 

• Rule 3: Do not eat large meals. 

• Rule 4: Eat a breakfast containing protein. 

• Rule 5: Reduce the amount of carbohydrates eaten.

Some individuals need to have other meal patterns with underlying medical conditions. Check with your practitioner if you have special needs.

What to Eat First?

Consuming foods with fat and protein at the beginning of the meal helps reduce blood sugar spikes. Fat helps promote satiety. Consider healthy choices with seeds, nuts, proteins with fats (2% or whole fat dairy, sardines, salmon, tuna, or animal proteins). These foods also have a lower glycemic index and glycemic load, but watch for added sugars if mixed with other foods or prepared by others.

Next, consume fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, beans, or legumes followed by vegetables, starches, and fruits at the end of the meal.

Choose whole foods at least 80% of the time. If you have a treat, have a small amount at the end of the meal. Strive for 5-13 servings of vegetables and fruits per day.

Fiber helps stabilize blood sugar rushes. The American diet is largely lacking in fiber. Strive for at least 25 - 40 grams of fiber per day. Increase fiber intake slowly. If you are constipated, adding more fiber into your daily routine may worsen constipation. Get the bowels moving first, then gradually add more dietary fiber.

Avoid your known or suspected food allergens and sensitivities as this reduces the strain on your adrenal glands. These basic principles slow down blood sugar spikes and crashes.

Protein and Fat

Protein is required to make and transport thyroid and adrenal steroid hormones. For basic adult needs, the general equation is 0.8 gm/kg of protein per day. For example, a 150-pound (68 kg) adult needs a minimum of 55 grams of protein per day. As much as 1.0 - 2.0 gm/kg may be required based on different ages, physical activity, recovery needs, and digestive health. This equates to 68-140 gm per day for a 150-pound adult.

Animal proteins provide all the amino acids. Plant-based proteins must be combined properly to obtain all the essential amino acids. Fiber and phytates in plants also compete against nutrient absorption, thereby increasing the total required grams of protein compared to animal sources.

Healthy fats are also required for adrenal hormones, thyroid, and blood sugar stability. Avocadoes, seeds, nuts, olive oil, walnut or sesame oil, 2% or whole fat dairy, eggs, and organic, well marbled meats and/or fish/sea foods provide a variety of healthy fats.

Exercise

Physical activity within your exercise tolerance is essential to establish and build upon. Walking, biking, swimming, hiking, pickleball or anything that you enjoy needs to be part of your regular routine. If you are exercise intolerant because of poor health, do isometrics, stretching, yoga, leisurely walks, mini-rebounder, recumbent biking, or rowing as tolerated or instructed by your practitioner.

Fatigue, sleep issues, feeling cold, and weight issues are common concerns that reflect imbalances with blood sugar, adrenals, and thyroid. These intertwined orchestral relationships need nourishment and calming down of stress responses.

Getting Back in Balance: Your Health Starts with Habits

Rebuilding your energy, resilience, and hormonal balance starts with consistent daily habits. Skipping meals, grabbing sugary snacks or specialty coffees on the go, and pushing through fatigue with caffeine or willpower can deplete your nutrient reserves and overwork your adrenal and thyroid glands. Over time, these patterns lead to deeper imbalances that rob you of energy, focus, and well-being.

Restoring balance starts with simple but powerful changes—like eating nutrient-dense foods, timing your meals, moving your body, managing stress, and prioritizing rest. These basic steps help regulate hormone function, improve metabolic health, and support lasting energy. Another day of feeling like the “walking wounded” doesn’t have to be your norm. Being proactive with this knowledge can help empower you to get back on track!

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