The Nourished Woman Framework

Before we look at how to eat, I want to give you a picture of what a nourished woman looks like, especially compared to the modern woman who is burnt out and undernourished. When I was creating these slides, I searched for stock photos of a woman joyfully enjoying real food — terms like “woman eating healthily” or “happy woman eating.” Everything that came up was smoothies, tiny salads, fruit bowls, or chia puddings. I remember thinking, “Where’s the food?” So I went back to vintage photos and found one of Sophia Loren tucking into a plate of pasta. It struck me because I could hardly find a modern image of a woman enjoying actual, satisfying food. The nourished woman eats enough. This is so important, because in my practice and among friends and family, most women are either inadvertently or intentionally undereating. Decades of under-eating become a form of chronic low-grade stress, which affects our hormones. By the time we reach our 40s and 50s, the body says, “I don’t have the resources to carry you anymore,” and everything comes to a halt. So the nourished woman prioritises eating enough — regular meals, balanced meals. She takes time to prepare food for herself. She eats all foods, including carbohydrates, and ensures her plate is balanced. She is not afraid of food. And this is important, because many women today have significant food fear — fear of fruit, fear of carbs, fear of dairy, fear of traditional foods that humans have eaten for thousands of years. The nourished woman embraces a more traditional way of eating and ensures she prioritises her own nourishment alongside caring for others. And she is a priority — not just everyone else. When you nourish yourself properly, your symptoms change. Your energy becomes more stable. Your cycles often become more regular and pain-free, without PMS. Ideally, you shouldn’t spend two weeks every month anticipating your period with anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. A nourished woman’s period begins without intense warning signs, and it shouldn’t be very painful. A nourished woman sleeps through the night without waking to urinate. Her eyes don’t pop open at 3 AM unable to fall back asleep. Her hair, skin, and nails are healthy. She doesn’t have constant sugar cravings. Her digestion is regular, without bloating or discomfort. Her libido is healthy — libido naturally rises around ovulation and dips afterwards, but it shouldn't disappear entirely or feel uncontrollably high. She is resilient to stress. She doesn’t react easily to everyday triggers. She can manage the flow of daily life without feeling overwhelmed. In contrast, undernourished women tend to be very reactive — losing their temper quickly, feeling easily triggered, or becoming anxious at the slightest stressor. I once shared why I don’t recommend intermittent fasting with a group of students, and someone commented in all caps: “JUST BECAUSE IT DIDN’T WORK FOR YOU DOESN’T MEAN IT DOESN’T WORK.” And I remember thinking, “That reaction — that level of intensity — is what I see so often in undernourished women.” Everyone today seems nervous, anxious, and reactive. But when you are well-fueled, you become more resilient. As the Snickers ad says, “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry.” Of course, you’ll still experience natural stress — grief, loss, big life events — but the day-to-day stressors become far more manageable when you are nourished. Another sign of nourishment is warmth. Your thyroid and metabolism work well, so your hands and feet are warm. You’re generally warmer overall, rather than bundled up while everyone else is in a T-shirt. This is the image of the nourished woman. And I always remind my clients: when you’re improving your diet and lifestyle, don’t just look at the scale. Women often fixate on the number going up or down and ignore all the other signs of health. If your periods are improving, you’re sleeping through the night, you have more stable energy, more strength, more resilience, and less moodiness — those are signs things are moving in the right direction. These long-term markers matter far more than short-term fluctuations on the scale.