This skinny cortisol mocktail is a low calorie version of the classic adrenal cocktail recipe. It combines coconut water, guava nectar, fresh lime juice, and sea salt to give you a refreshing drink that’s the perfect choice to relax with.

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What is a Skinny Cortisol Mocktail?

Alright, first things first, in order to understand what a skinny cortisol mocktail is, we need to discuss what a traditional cortisol mocktail is. 

A cortisol mocktail is a homemade drink that may also be referred to as a cortisol cocktail or adrenal cocktail. Don’t be fooled by the name though, these are all non-alcoholic drinks. 

Whatever you refer to it is, these drinks have a combination of ingredients that provide vitamins and minerals that are said to reduce stress and improve adrenal function. A skinny cortisol mocktail is simply a lower calorie version of these classic drinks.

What Does a Cortisol Mocktail Do? 

It’s easier to understand the basis behind a cortisol mocktail if you first know what cortisol is, where it’s made, and what it does.

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the body’s adrenal glands, which are two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys. The adrenals are part of the hypothalamic-pituitiary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a complex system of neuroendocrine pathways that help to maintain homeostasis. The HPA axis helps your body respond to stress and also regulates your metabolism, immune system, energy levels and mood (1). Essentially, the HPA axis helps to keep your body stable. 

Cortisol levels naturally rise and fall during the day. They are typically the highest in the morning…this gives us energy to get out of bed. Then, our cortisol levels gradually taper off during the daytime hours and are at their lowest closer to bedtime, allowing us to feel sleepy. 

Most people’s bodies can navigate normal cortisol fluctuations without issue, but some people may need some extra adrenal support. Stress is seemingly inevitable in today’s fast paced world. Unfortunately though, chronic stress can lead to chronically high cortisol levels, which can wreak havoc on our health. For starters, high cortisol can increase blood sugar levels and impair insulin secretion. This can ultimately make insulin resistance worse and lead to weight gain, something that’s very common in those who already struggle with PCOS (2). 

Stress also can disrupt the HPA axis and lead to HPA axis dysregulation (3). You may have heard of something called adrenal fatigue before. Adrenal fatigue is a popular term in naturopathic medicine, but it’s not actually a recognized medical condition. Instead, HPA axis dysfunction is the proper terminology. 

A cortisol mocktail is said to provide key nutrients that support adrenal health and the HPA axis. So in theory, a cortisol mocktail can improve your body’s stress response and promote hormone balance.

What’s In A Skinny Cortisol Mocktail Recipe?

The original adrenal cocktail recipe was developed by Susan Blackard, NP, ND, Ph.D. The original recipe was a combination of orange juice, cream of tartar, and sea salt.

Over the years, people have changed up how they make their cortisol mocktails to enjoy different flavors and tastes. One thing that should remain true though in any cortisol mocktail, including a skinny cortisol mocktail, is that it should contain the following nutrients:

• Vitamin C. The adrenal glands have one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C in the body (4). Research has shown that getting adequate amounts of vitamin C can help to reduce cortisol levels (5). High vitamin C foods include oranges, pineapple, lemon, lime, kiwi, strawberries, guava, or grapefruit. 

• Potassium. Stress can often impact our micronutrient concentrations, causing them to deplete more rapidly. Potassium levels can be negatively affected by stress. Oranges, bananas, coconut water, aloe vera juice, cream of tartar, tomato juice, milk, and prune juice are some foods and drinks that are high in potassium.

• Sodium. Sodium, or salt, is an electrolyte that plays a role in fluid balance. Stress can increase sodium losses through urine. The combination of sodium and potassium together play a big role in nerve and muscle contraction and blood pressure regulation. Most people tend to add various types of salt to their adrenal cocktail recipes to get more sodium.

Who Should Drink Skinny Cortisol Mocktails?

If you feel like you need a little more stress relief support in your life, a skinny cortisol mocktail could help you achieve that! A skinny cortisol mocktail is also the ideal option for someone whose goal is weight loss, since it tends to be a lower calorie option.

As far as drinks go, cortisol mocktails are high in sodium and potassium. If you have medical conditions that require dietary restrictions, such as chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure, or congestive heart failure, you should exercise caution and talk to your healthcare provider before trying this drink.

It’s important to note that a skinny cortisol mocktail, or any drink or food for that matter, is not a magic bullet. It’s not going to solve your hormone imbalance or symptoms, but it may supplement your efforts in addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle changes. 

Other self-care practices that you should be including in your daily routine:  

• A healthy diet. Check out A Dietitian’s 7 Day PCOS Diet Plan PDF for some insight into a healthy, balanced diet that also supports your hormone health. 

• Movement. Incorporating movement that you enjoy into your routine will help to improve your mood and decrease cortisol levels. 

• Sleep. Getting enough sleep is vital for hormone regulation. 

• Stress management. Including some stress management techniques into your daily routine is so beneficial. Yoga, meditation, and journaling are some popular options. 

Ok, now let’s get into my favorite skinny cortisol mocktail recipe and why you’re going to absolutely love it!

Why You’ll Love This Skinny Cortisol Mocktail Recipe

This refreshing skinny cortisol mocktail recipe is the perfect combination of subtle sweetness and salty. It combines coconut water with a small amount of guava nectar, which offers a bit of natural sweetness to this drink without overpowering it. 

I chose coconut water for the base of this recipe because it’s naturally a good source of vitamin C and potassium, while also being low calorie. In fact, a full 8oz serving of coconut water has only 45 calories in it…and this drink doesn’t even use a full serving.

It also adds in some fresh lime juice and sea salt to increase the electrolytes. Since this drink has a good amount of potassium and sodium in it, it can help to restore normal electrolyte balance and keep you better hydrated too.

Skinny Cortisol Mocktail Ingredients

• Guava nectar – also referred to as guava juice sometimes. I’d recommend choosing one that doesn’t have added sugars in it, such as this one or this one. This is going to contribute some vitamin C to your skinny cortisol mocktail.

• Coconut water – I use the Vita Coco brand since it doesn’t have a large amount of added sugar in it. Coconut water is going to give you some additional vitamin C plus potassium.

• Lime – freshly squeezed lime is always great but you can easily use pre-packaged lime juice. About 2 tbsp lime juice is the equivalent of 1 fresh lime. 

• Sea salt – I used sea salt because I have it on hand. You could also use traditional iodized salt or get fancy with celtic salt or pink himalayan salt. To be perfectly honest though, there isn’t a substantial difference between the different types of salt to warrant going out of your way to buy a particular one.

Variations & Substitutions

• Make it a sleepy girl mocktail by adding magnesium glycinate powder or magnesium with L-theanine powder. Read the full Magnesi-Om review here.

• Make it more balanced by adding collagen powder for protein and either a little coconut milk or coconut cream for some healthy fats. Note: this will increase the calories.

• No guava? Substitute a small amount of orange juice or a zero-sugar electrolyte packet.

• Prefer sweeter? Add monkfruit sweetener, stevia, or your favorite low-calorie sweetener.

• No limes? Use lemons or lemon juice instead.

• Substitute aloe vera juice for coconut water instead.

• Add more stress-relief properties to your drink by adding things like a green tea bag, ginger, or turmeric. 

• For a frosty treat, freeze them into popsicle molds to make popsicles.

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