Nourishing Adrenal Cocktail (THM Singing Canary Drink Upgrade)

This Adrenal Cocktail/Adrenal Tonic tastes great and will help you keep going in the face of the many stressors of modern life. Sip on this drink that’s a makeover of the “Singing Canary” drink throughout the day to keep your mind and body happy!

With our stressed-out and hurried lifestyles, the adrenals of many are on the fritz.

In addition, we could all use some help for our immune systems.

The answer? Feed your body the nutrients in this sip-all-day drink and you’ll feel the benefits immediately.

Where the Name “Singing Canary” Comes From

The original recipe for this drink comes from the gals behind Trim Healthy Mama. It’s an eating plan that’s taking the world by storm. I don’t adhere to all aspects of it, but the results of the plan are typically phenomenal for weight loss and overall health improvement.

The original Singing Canary was good, but I felt that it needed some more “something” to counter the turmeric taste for me. So I monkeyed around with some spices and found a combination that works well and adds some extra health benefits to boot.

The end result is a drink that tastes just as good as it is good for you.

Is Adrenal Fatigue Real?

Some people say that adrenal fatigue is a real condition and others say it isn’t.

Regardless of what you think about the condition, it’s a fact that we are overworked and over-stressed. We are pushing ourselves to the limit and our bodies are taxed with too many toxins.

Bottom Line: our bodies need help.

So whether you think you have a diagnosable condition or not, do yourself a favor and support your body with this adrenal cocktail as it has a lot of ingredients that will support overall health.

Ingredients

This Adrenal Cocktail has many ingredients that support your adrenals (and other parts of your body).

• Water: Make sure that your water is purified. I have used loads of water filtration systems over the years. You can see the information in this post on water filtration and see what I am using now.
• Lemons (or Lemon Juice): Lemons contain vitamin C, citric acid, flavonoids, copper, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and fiber. They also have tons of polyphenols, and beneficial plant compounds such as hesperidin and diosmin (source, source).
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C is one of the main vitamins hosted by the adrenals. It’s a huge support for these glands.
• Turmeric: Turmeric has so many health benefits that it’s hard to know where to start. One important way that turmeric helps with adrenal health, however, is by helping the body detox. Toxins are a stress on the body and any time that you can remove stressors from the body, you help your adrenals. Turmeric also reduces histamine levels which then reduces stress on the body (source).
• Salt: Real unprocessed salt contains minerals that are beneficial. While too much salt can be a problem, too little can as well (source). RealSalt is one option, but it has been found to have lead in it. This salt has been tested to be very low in lead.i
• Ginger: Ginger has anti-inflammatory effects that, as mentioned above, will assist the adrenals by reducing the stress load on the body. I recommend using organic ginger to avoid toxins and irradiation (source).
• Nutmeg: Nutmeg is known for its ability to boost the immune system, detox the body, and more (source).
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a well-known anti-inflammatory (source). There have been numerous studies on it showing its effects on the body such as reversing stressors and regulating hormones. (source)
• Cloves: Cloves have also been shown to be beneficial in mitigating stress on the body (source). If you like, feel free to add more to this recipe based on this information.
• Vanilla: Vanilla, though it is mostly known for the lovely flavor that it adds to baked goods, has health benefits of its own, including anti-inflammatory properties (source).
• MCT / Coconut Oil or Olive Oil: There are so many benefits from eating fat and they are included by many professionals in recommendations for an adrenal fatigue diet. Many people (like me) have avoided fats in the hope of losing weight. However, your body needs fats for your endocrine system to work well. So adding even just a small amount of fat to this drink is a plus.
• Protein Powder: Protein is also crucial for adrenal health. I personally use vegan protein powders since I don’t tolerate egg or dairy well at present, plus my oldest has life-threatening allergies to dairy and egg white so it’s less stressful to not have powders with those proteins in them in our home. It’s really important to source protein carefully due to them having a lot of potential exposure to toxins. And that’s not only true for the animal-based powders. Pea and Rice are often grown with lots of pesticides plus rice can have a lot of arsenic in it so you need to be careful about that as well.

Directions

• Peel the lemon(s) using a sharp knife, leaving as much of the white pith as possible. If using organic lemons, you can use the whole lemon.
• Slice each lemon into quarters. Remove seeds, and place the lemon pieces into blender. Add water and remaining ingredients besides ice cubes. Blend well.
• Place blended mixture into quart jar. Add ice cubes and more water to fill the jar to the top. Stir or cover with a tight lid to shake, and then drink.

Where to Get Quality Protein Powder

I have several protein powders that I love.

There are a lot on the marketplace but I recommend organic (or those tested for pesticides) only since lots of protein powders on the market are made with ingredients that tend to have a lot of pesticides.

My Favorite Protein Powders

This protein powder is organic and is a complete protein, which is very unusual for a vegan protein powder. It’s very reasonable and since it’s unflavored, it’s perfect for adding to recipes like this one. The company also has test results right on their site which is also highly unusual. Code WNM gets a discount.

If using another vegan protein powder, I highly recommend using an organically-sourced powder. Many of the ingredients in vegan protein powders are crops that many pesticides are used on (pea protein in particular). This organic vegan protein powder is a solid choice but note that it can cause digestive upset in some people.

FAQs & Tips

Is It Safe to Ingest Lemon Essential Oil?

Adding essential oils to food and drink is a controversial topic.

I consulted with an aromatherapist about this, and she recommended only using 1-2 drops of essential oils in a drink of this size considering the amount of coconut oil in the drink. Coconut oil acts as an essential oil emulsifier but you still do need to be cautious with the amount of essential oil that you use.

Should You Drink This All At Once?

You don’t want to drink this drink all at once (not that you could, LOL!) because your body can only absorb so much vitamin C at once. You’d basically be wasting the vitamin C.

Make this “Singing Canary” adrenal cocktail in the morning and sip on it all day long. Or make 2 batches, like I do, and sip on it over 2 days.

Do You Need to Take Black Pepper with Turmeric?

I wondered this myself. The gals at Trim Healthy Mama are pretty thorough, so I figured they knew what they were doing, but I wanted to investigate it myself.

Turns out that there is mixed information as to whether or not black pepper needs to be taken to enhance the absorbability of turmeric.

This is a lengthy topic, but in essence:

– The oil in the drink already helps with absorption
– Studies on absorbability of turmeric and black pepper center on focusing on curcumin and piperine, which are portions of turmeric and black pepper
– Likely turmeric taken with black pepper will absorb faster and stay in your bloodstream longer, but whether or not that is what you want depends on what you are taking the turmeric for; in some situations, you might want the turmeric to stay in your digestive system longer (source and source).

Vitamin C Alternatives

I referenced sodium ascorbate in my recipe due to there being some concerns regarding the ingestion of ascorbic acid. Also, sodium ascorbate is not acidic so you won’t be endangering your tooth enamel more than you already are with the lemon juice. This DIY Swim Spray post has more information on the difference between these two varieties of vitamin C.

If you’d prefer not to take synthetic vitamin C, you can use a natural option like this Acerola powder. The company is stellar and Code WNM gets 10% off anything on their site. This Homemade Vitamin C is a great option as well.

Why I Recommend Synthetic Vitamin C

Natural is typically best, right? Yes, you get quite a bit of vitamin C from the lemon juice and the peel in this drink, (the peel has more vitamin C than the juice actually), but it might not be enough.

However, in this case, the adrenal glands are what this drink is targeting and they use a LOT of vitamin C. Using all-natural vitamin C is an option, but you might need more if you’re really depleted, so putting BOTH natural and synthetic forms of C in this drink delivers a 1-2 punch to your adrenals.

Caution for Pregnant Women

Turmeric is typically considered safe during pregnancy when consumed as a food, despite concern that as a supplement, it may stimulate the uterus to cause contractions. However, ginger has similar properties and is often suggested by physicians to treat morning sickness during pregnancy.

The 1/2 to 1 teaspoon in the Canary should be considered a safe amount for pregnant women since that is the amount that people in India consume on average through food. However, please consult with your physician if concerned and you can reduce the amount of both Turmeric and Vitamin C to 1/4 the amount or simply not drink the full two quarts per day.

The full amount of vitamin C is not recommended for pregnant women.

Recipe Notes and Substitutions

• Reduce Bitterness: You might find that the drink is still a little too “bitter” due to the turmeric. I recommend starting with ½ teaspoon of turmeric and increasing from there if desired. After making the drink, if you find it to be too bitter, you can add more stevia and/or vanilla to taste.
• MCT Oil Alternatives: You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon organic extra-virgin coconut oil for the MCT oil but it will clump some depending on the type of blender you use. I personally use organic extra virgin olive oil regularly. No clumping and very reasonably priced.
• Collagen: You can use collagen instead of protein powder.
• Homemade Vanilla: If you would prefer to make your own vanilla, see Homemade Alcohol-Free Vanilla.
• Sweetener Options: See How to Use Stevia to learn more about stevia. You can also substitute an on-plan sweetener for AIP or something else as need be. Monk Fruit Extract is a great alternative. These drops are a great option and taste amazing in all kinds of drinks. Code wholenewmom gets 20% off of those.
• THM Recipe Type: This recipe is an “all-day sipper” if you are on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
• Vitamin C Alternative: For an all-natural alternative, use this Homemade Vitamin C Powder. I haven’t calculated how much you would want to use due to not knowing about the real bioavailability, but this is a great option.

I hope that you enjoy the drink and all the health benefits it affords.

Time-Saving Tips

Adrenal Cocktail Mix

While this drink is super easy to make, if you’re like me, you’re always looking to save time so you can feel better fast and do other things with you life rather than working in the kitchen.

With that in mind, I developed this Adrenal Cocktail Dry Mix aka Singing Canary Concentrate.

This way, you can just put the wet ingredients in your blender, add the concentrate powder, and have this adrenal rescue at the ready anytime!

Make a Double (or Triple) Batch

Even if you haven’t made the concentrate powder yet, you can still save time making this drink. I love this drink, but I don’t love cleaning blenders, so I often make a double batch and keep the other half in the fridge until the next day.

To make a quadruple batch, blend up 3-4 times the ingredients with 2 servings of the water and then divide that between 2-quart jars and fill each with water.

Would LOVE to hear what you think about this adrenal tonic!