Glow From Within: The Golden Goddess Plate

I’m delighted that you’ve joined Nourishing Lab on this journey to embrace health and wellness. While the path varies for each of us, we can all make strides toward our goals by following some straightforward steps.

Central to this journey is the choice to embrace TRUST over SHAME and FEAR.

Putting your trust in your body and recognizing the messages it sends is a potent tool in your healing journey. Whether it’s a persistent headache, skin flare-ups, or issues like eczema, bloating, or digestive irregularities – these are all signals that your body is imbalanced.

Honoring our bodies and heeding these messages is akin to responding to an SOS, indicating that our bodies need healing, and we must take action. It’s an opportunity to become our own detectives, uncovering the reasons behind our body’s imbalance:

Is it emotional factors like fear, anger, anxiety, or depression?
Could it be linked to leaky gut?
Is it a consequence of a high-sugar diet?
Could it be a result of insufficient sleep or excessive stress?

Apart from diet, various factors contribute to bodily imbalance. While these non-dietary elements can hinder our healing, food remains a crucial aspect. It’s time to reconsider our approach to meals, focusing on “CROWDING IN” rather than deprivation, allowing room for foods we enjoy.

Unlike diets of the past rooted in fear, shame, anxiety, and deprivation, this journey is not about being good or bad, strong or weak. It’s about making choices that genuinely work for you, tapping into your inner strength.

In the pursuit of lasting change, fueled by self-passion and well-being, let’s reimagine how we approach and engage with this transformative experience. By connecting with your inner goddess, change is no longer anchored in fear but in knowledge, power, and spirituality.

Your inner goddess is the positive energy derived from nourishing your body, practicing mindfulness, trusting your inner voice, and connecting with your spirit – the true essence of who you are!

The journey involves:

A voice rooted in trust and love
An aura of beauty and love
Self-love and being your own best friend
Acknowledging your worth
Embracing love
Appreciating and moving your body
Nourishing your soul
Recognizing that all the answers lie within you
Acknowledging your power to heal yourself
Leading with love

Regardless of whether your chosen Golden Goddess is Aphrodite, Frigga, Hathor, Hera, Juno, Parvati, or Venus, it’s the right choice for you. Listen to your inner goddess to guide your thought process.

Listening to our inner goddess fosters self-trust, marking the beginning of genuine healing, unveiling the radiant Golden Goddess within. You’ll overcome unhealthy patterns by incorporating Nourishing Labs’ 4 Golden Pillars, achieving super soul status.

Let’s break free from negative food and health patterns, starting by “CROWDING IN” the 4 Golden Pillars. This involves incorporating these nutrient-dense pillars that nourish and heal your body, alleviating cravings for highly processed foods.

THE FOUR GOLDEN PILLARS:

Golden Pillar 1: Fabulous Fiber

Unlocking your reign as a Golden Goddess hinges on embracing the power of fiber, encompassing:

Activated nuts
Vegetables
Greens
Beans
Avocados
Flax
Chia

These fabulous fibers play a pivotal role in regulating your blood sugar levels, purging toxins from your body, combating inflammation, nourishing beneficial gut bacteria (maintaining regularity), and aiding in the production of butyrate—a potent anti-inflammatory compound that also helps prevent cancer.

Have you ever been cautioned about consuming too many greens? Verdant wonders like kale, Swiss chard, spinach, and collard greens are not just highly anti-inflammatory; they’re also abundant in phytonutrients that promote the health of your skin and hair. This dual benefit ensures both your inner and outer goddess radiate.

This is Mother Nature’s method of nurturing your soul with a rich blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, acting as a shield against premature aging, fortifying your immune system, and safeguarding the well-being of your mental and physical goddess.

The infusion of fiber into our Golden Goddess bodies serves as a brake on the rapid breakdown of carbohydrates, preventing sudden spikes in blood sugar levels.

Golden Pillar 2: Pure Protein

Elevating your journey toward super soul status involves the deliberate inclusion of high-quality protein on your plate. Not just any protein, but the kind that aids in tissue recovery post-workout, supports digestive health, promotes skin well-being, fuels the brain, plays a role in hormone production, and contributes to collagen rebuilding.

Who wouldn’t aspire to integrate these protein powerhouses into their Golden Goddess plate?

Consider the following:

Activated nuts
Seeds – pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds (an excellent source of calcium too!)
Grass-fed beef
Pasture-raised chicken
Pasture-raised eggs
Lentils

Opting for grass-fed beef is recommended due to concerns surrounding factory-farmed alternatives. Factory-farmed beef is often injected with antibiotics and hormones, leading to issues such as fatty liver disease and bloating. In contrast, grass-fed beef boasts higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids (five times more than conventional beef), B vitamins, antioxidants, vitamin E, iron, and zinc.

A common question arises: “How much protein should I consume?” For a woman weighing 120 pounds, the typical protein baseline is 44 grams, but it can extend to 90 grams per day. Determining the ideal amount involves a nuanced assessment of various factors. I recommend personalized guidance to factor in your physiological and nutritional state, genetics, stress levels, and exercise regimen—tailoring your protein intake for your unique journey to Golden Goddess status.

Golden Pillar 3: First Class Fats

The vilification of fats over the years has created confusion, but it’s time to distinguish the “first class” fats that are essential for your inner goddess to thrive. These include avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and MCT oil, alongside cold-water fish, ground flax, walnuts, and tahini.

These high-quality fats play a pivotal role in nurturing every cell in your body, with a special emphasis on your brain, which is composed of 60% fat. Devoid of fat, the brain’s optimal functioning is compromised.

Beyond their role in cellular health, healthy fats offer satiety, promoting a prolonged feeling of fullness that aids in regulating blood sugar levels.

MCT oil, present in coconut oil and available as a standalone supplement, deserves special mention. It positively influences fat burning and weight reduction, providing immediate energy—a boon for your goddess workouts. Unlike other fats, MCT oil bypasses the need for bile during digestion, heading straight to the liver for fuel.

Contrary to common misconceptions, incorporating these healthy fats into your diet does not lead to weight gain. Excessive fat storage often stems from factors such as chronic stress, resulting in elevated cortisol levels, excessive fructose intake, overconsumption of alcohol, late-night eating, and the consumption of highly reactive foods like gluten and dairy. Additionally, weight concerns may arise from a combination of high-impact sugar foods and drinks, along with a diet rich in both carbohydrates and fats.

Golden Pillar 4: Glorious Greens

These greens are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that contribute to regularity, fortify your immune system, and safeguard your overall health. Additionally, they offer resistant starch to nourish your healthy gut microbiome and supply essential phytonutrients.

We’re talking about the richly colored vegetables such as broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, romaine, and spinach, adding a wealth of vitamins and minerals to your diet. An added bonus is the presence of magnesium in these veggies, a mineral proven to enhance insulin sensitivity.

Ever experienced “hangry” spells shortly after a meal or found yourself getting cranky around 3 pm? Perhaps you’ve noticed weight accumulating around your waist. These could be indicators that you’re consuming an excess of high-impact sugar and processed foods while neglecting the essential elements of the 4 Golden Pillars.

To kickstart your transformative journey, here are some delicious recipes: