Episode 25: Nourish: Everyday Self-Care and Food

In this episode, Holly explores what it truly means to nourish yourself — body, mind, and spirit. She challenges the idea that healthy eating is about restriction or perfection, and instead invites listeners to build a loving, intentional relationship with food and self-care. From the joy of grocery shopping to simple meal prep strategies and real-life daily meals, Holly shares practical wisdom alongside heartfelt encouragement to treat your body with the kindness it deserves.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Welcome & What "Nourish" Really Means
0:44 – Why We Struggle to Care for Ourselves
1:27 – Our Bodies Deserve Kindness
1:54 – The Problem with Convenience Culture
2:36 – Why Holly Loves Going to the Grocery Store
3:22 – Building a Relationship with Your Food
3:45 – Food Prep as Self-Respect
4:24 – Small Decisions Add Up Over Time
5:15 – What Holly Actually Eats
5:42 – A Normal Day of Eating: Breakfast
6:49 – Lunch & Snacks
8:00 – Dinner Ideas
8:44 – Healthy Eating Doesn't Have to Be Expensive
9:28 – Your Body Is Always Listening
9:51 – Nourishment Beyond Food
10:33 – A Gentle Challenge: Reclaim Your Grocery Store Visit
11:17 – Closing Encouragement & Sign-Off

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Nora Bloom podcast. I'm Holly, and today I want to talk about something that's been on my heart lately: nourishment. Not just food, but the way we care for ourselves every single day. I think nourish is one of the most beautiful words in the English language. It doesn't mean restricting. It doesn't mean counting. It doesn't mean punishing ourselves for what we ate yesterday. To nourish means to feed, support, strengthen, and help something grow. What if we started looking at ourselves that way? Instead of asking, how can I eat less? What if we asked, how can I nourish myself more? And that one shift completely changes the conversation. So why the heck do we struggle so much then? So have you ever noticed how easy it is to care for everyone else? I sure do. We'll remember the dog's food, we'll remember our child's favorite snack, we'll even remember how to stop and get groceries for our spouse or even our neighbor. But sometimes and somehow we realize at 3 o'clock in the afternoon that all we had was tea or coffee. I've done it more times than I'd like to admit. Not because I don't know better, just because life gets busy. And I think most of us aren't lacking knowledge of what we need to do. We're lacking margin. We're constantly rushing. We're multitasking while eating. We're answering emails during lunch and we're eating in the car. We're grabbing whatever is closest because we're already behind, and eventually our bodies stop feeling like something we care for. They become something that we simply push to get through the day. And I don't believe that's how we're meant to live. Our bodies are incredible. They're carrying us through every conversation, every walk, every hug, every dream we chase. And the least we can do is fuel our body with kindness. The fastest option isn't always the most nourishing. We live in a world where convenience is everywhere. We can order dinner in minutes. Groceries can appear on our front porch. Meal replacements promise complete nutrition in 30 seconds. Again, I think these things absolutely have their place. Life gets busy, right? And there are seasons where convenience is absolutely necessary. But if convenience becomes our only way of living, I think we slowly lose something important. We've become disconnected from our food. And food becomes another transaction instead of a relationship. I'm gonna say that last thing, last sentence again. Food becomes another transaction instead of a relationship. So why I love going to the grocery store? One of my favorite forms of self-care is something that probably sounds incredibly ordinary. I genuinely enjoy going to the grocery store. Not because I love spending my money, not because grocery shopping is glamorous, but because it's one of the few places where I slow down. I wander through the produce section and I notice what's in season. Maybe peaches are finely sweet again, or maybe the tomatoes look amazing, maybe there's fresh basil that smells like summer. I pick up avocados and I give them a little squeeze. I compare different apples, I choose herbs that I might use during the week, and all that whole process matters. I'm becoming part of my nourishment before I ever cook a meal. When someone else shops for me, I just plain receive food. When I shop for myself, I build a relationship with the food. And there's something grounding about choosing the ingredients that will eventually become part of my body. You're participating in your own care, and that's powerful. Food prep is also self-respect. So years ago, I used to think food prep meant spending an entire Sunday cooking 20 meals and filling my refrigerator with identical containers. I did this, and I mean it worked for a really long time. But I got bored and it never lasted. And life isn't always that predictable, right? Now my version of food prep is simpler. When I grill chicken, I make some extra. If I'm roasting vegetables, I'll fill another baking tray. I'll wash the strawberries before they go into the refrigerator. I'll even cut cucumbers so they're ready to grab. I boil eight to twelve eggs a week. I make overnight oats. I'll cook a pot of quinoa or brown rice or even white rice and just have on hand. None of this takes very long at all. But every single one of those little decisions makes tomorrow a little easier. And tomorrow's version of me is grateful. Instead of opening the refrigerator and wondering what to eat, I already have pieces ready to build a nourishing meal. Food prep is not about perfection. It's simply removing barriers. So little tiny decisions add up. I think we often underestimate how much tiny decisions matter. Imagine two people, one grabs fast food every day because it's convenient, and the other packs a simple lunch. Neither meal changes their lives, but after six months, a year, or five years, those little tiny choices become part of the story our bodies tell. Health isn't created by, you know, dramatic giant moments. It's created by ordinary moments repeated over and over again. One apple, one walk, one home-cooked meal, one glass of water, one good night's sleep. These are all quiet habits that shape our lives. So what does nourishment actually look like? People often ask me, what do you eat? You look younger than 50. What are you doing? And I always hesitate because I don't want anyone to think there's one perfect way to eat, and I don't want anyone to think I do it perfectly all the time. I love cake. I love scones. I love to bake, but I also love to have food prep on hand. I also love to grow vegetables. I also love to hand select herbs. So I choose whole foods most of the time. I prioritize protein because it helps me stay full and supports my muscle health. I try to eat colorful fruits and vegetables every single day. I do not eliminate foods that I enjoy. I simply build my meals around nourishment first. So here's what a normal day might look like for me. In the morning, I start my day with a large glass of water, and that one habit makes makes just a huge difference for me. And for breakfast, I'll either have um plain Greek yogurt and I'll add blueberries or raspberries, chia seeds, some flax, or just like a handful of walnuts. And sometimes if I'm feeling a little, you know, spicy, I might add a little honey. The breakfast gives me about 30 grams of protein, healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidants. Some mornings I'll have two fresh eggs right from the coop, avocado spread, and over. I really love the Ezekiel English muffins. So that's my option too. And those are my only two options. I don't have to think a lot. It's this or that. And if I'm especially hungry, I might add an extra egg. And I want breakfast to sustain me and not leave me hungry an hour later. And at lunch, I usually keep it pretty simple: grilled chicken over mixed greens, some cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, maybe some avocado, maybe a sprinkle of feta, olive oil and lemon juice, and sometimes some leftover sweet potatoes or quinoa, nothing too complicated, just real food. And I love to snack. And I don't snack because I'm bored. I snack because sometimes my body just needs quick fuel between facials. I'll do cottage cheese with fruit, sometimes a protein shake. I like to pre-make those in the morning. I'll have apple slices with peanut butter. I have loads of eggs, so I try to do hard-boiled eggs from time to time, carrots and hummus, and these are all very easy things to find. And again, protein and fiber help me feel satisfied, especially in my especially during my 10-hour facial days. So dinner. When dinner usually is centered around protein and vegetables, I love salmon with roasted green vegetables or spinach and sweet potatoes. I'm learning to like turkey meatballs. I'm still working on that, but I like to just add sauteed spinach to that, sometimes a chicken stir fry with broccoli, carrots, snap peas, garlic, and maybe a little bit of ginger. Grilled shrimp is easy with some Brussels sprouts. And I just found a new recipe for homemade turkey chili packed with beans and vegetables. These meals are not fancy, they're just balanced and it's enough. And a lot of these you can save for leftovers. So at least I might eat the same thing three days in a row. It makes it easy. And whole foods, don't even tell me that this is expensive because whole foods don't have to be expensive. One myth that I love to challenge is that healthy eating has to cost a fortune. Frozen vegetables are fine, canned green beans will do, and eggs are the one are the most affordable protein sources, unless you have a coop full of chickens and they are the most expensive eggs you'll ever buy. Oats are inexpensive, Greek yogurt is cheaper than many processed snack foods, and buying food in season can also save money. Healthy eating doesn't require expensive powders or trendy ingredients. Some of the healthiest foods have always been simple. So look, your body's always listening. Our bodies are incredibly forgiving. They don't expect perfection, they simply respond to consistency. Every nourishing meal sends your body a message, I care about you. And every walk says, I want you to stay strong. And every glass of water says, I'm paying attention, and I think that's beautiful. So nourishment does go beyond food. And of course, nourishment isn't only what is on our plate. If we're getting enough sleep, we're taking time to take some deep breaths. Go outside, walk around your yard, read a good book, moving your body in a way that feels joyful. Sometimes when no one's looking, I go outside by my chicken coop and I twirl and I twirl and I twirl some more. And it makes me feel joyful. Laughing with people you love, creating something with your hands, make art. I love this. This has been so helpful for me. Praying, being still, and all of these things nourish us too. So here's a gentle challenge for this week. This week I want you to invite one thing into your life. Maybe you go to the grocery store instead of Instacart. Yes, I said it. Just go to the grocery store, make a little extra time, and do it without rushing. Walk slowly through the produce section. Pick up a fruit you've never tried, smell it, touch it. How does it make you feel? Choose vegetables because they're beautiful and the colors are amazing. Buy fresh herbs. They will make your whole house smell delicious. Imagine the meals you want to make that will also have leftovers. Allow grocery shopping to become less of an errand and more of a ritual, because nourishing yourself begins long before you sit down to eat. It begins the moment you decide I am worth caring for. So look here, friend, your body has carried you through every season of life. It deserves kindness, it deserves deserves nourishment, and not because you're trying to earn help, and not because you're trying to chase this Instagram perfection, but because this one beautiful life that you're given deserves to be lived with energy, strength, and gratitude. So thanks so much for spending this time with me. If this episode encouraged you in any way, I'd love for you to share it with someone who could use this reminder. Until next time, always choose yourself, always nourish yourself and blim gently. And I'll see you in the next episode.