Adrenal Reset Diet

Dr. Alan Christianson is a naturopathic physician that has helped people lose weight and rebalance their hormones. The Adrenal Reset Diet is Dr. Christianson's method for healing the adrenals. He has other books and supplements that help reset the thyroid, metabolism, and immune system. His approach includes diet therapy and behavior modification. The diet therapy, if you go all in, includes his own branded shakes and supplements. The book basically supports the sales of the shakes and supplements.

Dr. Christianson's treatment protocol probably does help some people. There is a prevailing theory that adrenal fatigue, or the idea that the adrenals are overworked and are starting to wear out, is a primary cause for weight gain and chronic fatigue. I am not completely convinced that such things find their root cause in the adrenal gland, but his dietary approach and life style changes are worth trying. Can one really "reset" the adrenal gland. Maybe not, but one can heal the body naturally with the right diet and lifestyle changes.

Dr. Christianson does not restrict any particular food macro. His diet allows healthy fats and carbs. It is not a gluten-free or paleo diet. He believes in carb cycling to force the body to lose weight. Based on my own experience and observation, women in particular need to be careful of extremely low-carb diets. I know that when I tried to lower my carbs to 20-30g carbs a day (a Keto diet level) and increase my fat intake I just did not feel well. I'm still low carb compared to many Americans, but not Keto low. Some in the Keto community do a form of carb cycling or carb ups in order to maintain energy levels.

For the lifestyle changes, Dr. Christianson recommends good sleep hygiene and moderate exercise, such as walking or yoga. The last few chapters have a few menu ideas and recipes.

Overall, the book was a "meh" for me. It didn't really add much to other things I have read. I also felt the book overall was light weight on documentation. His clinical experience counts for a lot, but the overall presentation did not inspire me. His suggestions will probably help some people, so it may be worth a read to see if it will be helpful. The recipe section was particularly weak and I think people who follow this diet will look elsewhere pretty quickly for recipe ideas.