NOURISHING FROM WITHIN: FEEDING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND SPIRIT
There is a kind of nourishment that goes deeper than calories or macronutrients. It’s the nourishment that steadies your hands, slows your breath, softens your shoulders, and reminds your nervous system that you are safe. It’s this kind of nourishment that I crave the most when life feels stressful. Women often give so much of this steadying energy away. We nourish families, communities, workplaces, friendships. And too often, we forget to feed ourselves in the ways that truly matter. One of my goals in building this community and Inhalene is to begin a different narrative - one where feeding ourselves, nourishing our bodies and minds is no longer a “when I get around to it” priority.
Nourishing from within is not only about choosing “healthy foods,” but about replenishing the minerals, vitamins, and ancestral nutrients that soothe the nervous system and restore the spirit. This is nourishment that grounds you, strengthens you, and helps you return to your own center especially, during seasons of stress, hormonal shifts, or emotional heaviness.
Below are descriptions of a few minerals, vitamins, and ancestral foods that help regulate mood, support clarity, calm the nerves, and reconnect us with our lineage of women who healed themselves and their families through the wisdom of the earth. AND… several recipes for brothy meals that you can settle in to during these darker days of late fall and winter. My favorites are the two broths near the end of the blog. No photos this time as these meals are simple and easy, mostly made in one pot, and even more nourishing if eaten from a bowl. Finally we end the last blog of the year with a few closing reflections.
Magnesium: The Nervous System’s Soothing Mineral
Magnesium is often called “the relaxation mineral,” and for good reason. It helps regulate the parasympathetic nervous system the part of the body responsible for rest, digestion, and emotional recovery. Magnesium supports muscle relaxation, lowers cortisol spikes, quiets anxious thoughts, and even helps improve sleep quality. For women over 40, whose magnesium needs rise during perimenopause and menopause (yes and yes!), this mineral becomes an anchor for emotional steadiness and resilience.
You can nourish your body with magnesium by eating leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, black beans, almonds, avocado, whole grains, cacao, and mineral-rich broths. Magnesium glycinate (for calm) or magnesium citrate (for digestion) can also support sleep and nervous system health.
Our ancestors and women today: African, African-American, and Indigenous women traditionally relied on the foods they could grow or gather easily which happened to be magnesium-rich foods: wild greens, okra, seaweeds, stone-ground corn, seeds, nuts, and mineral broths simmered from bones or shells. These foods were considered grounding stabilizing the mind and fortifying the body after long days of labor, caregiving, and community tending.
B Vitamins: Energy for the Brain & Balm for the Spirit
The B-vitamin family plays a central role in nervous system health. B6 supports mood, hormone balance, and neurotransmitter production. B12 helps with energy and focus. Folate (B9) supports emotional resilience and cognitive clarity. Together, they help your brain function smoothly, prevent burnout, and strengthen your body’s response to stress.
These vitamins are found in leafy greens, whole grains, legumes, eggs, fish, and fortified plant milks. Women over 40 — especially during perimenopause — often benefit from increased B-vitamin support due to changes in absorption and stress load.
Our ancestors and women today: Traditional diets in African and Indigenous communities were naturally rich in B vitamins: wildgame, freshwater fish, fermented foods, sprouted grains, beans, and greens. Women often prepared special meals for times of grief, childbirth, or fatigue - foods meant to lift the spirit and restore inner strength.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Nourishment for Mood and Memory
Omega-3s are vital for brain health, emotional regulation, memory, and reducing inflammation one of the hidden drivers of anxiety and low mood. They help your brain communicate efficiently and support the nervous system during hormonal transitions.
You can support your body with omega-3s from salmon, sardines, mackerel, walnuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax. These foods help stabilize mood, improve focus, and soothe stress-fueled inflammation. Remind me to share an amazing recipe I just made for a sardine paté. You might be saying “yuck",” but it is deliciously, nutritiously amazing!
Our ancestors and women today: Coastal Indigenous women, West African women, and African-American Gullah Geechee communities relied on omega-3–rich foods like river fish, coastal seafood, nuts, seeds, and plant oils. These foods were understood not only as nourishment, but as medicine strengthening the body for labor, increasing milk supply, and protecting the heart and mind.
Mineral-Rich Broths & Soups: Warmth for the Body and Safety for the Nervous System
Broths made from vegetables, herbs, bones, or shells provide deep mineral nourishment calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus all essential for nervous system health. Warm broth is grounding, hydrating, and soothing, signaling safety to the body and calming the vagus nerve.
For women navigating anxiety, overwhelming days, or seasonal fatigue, broths offer a gentle, digestible form of nourishment that brings the body back to center. When I’ve eaten more than enough rich foods, making and eating a nourishing broth is for me like pressing a “reset” button.
Our ancestors and women today: Black, African, and Indigenous grandmothers simmered broths as daily nourishment and sacred ritual foods that brought families together, supported postpartum mothers, and revived the weary. These were foods of comfort, strength, and continuity. They were foods that healed.
Fermented & Cultured Foods: Feeding the Gut–Brain Connection
We now understand what ancestral traditions always taught: a healthy gut supports a balanced mind. Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, and fermented corn or sorghum beverages feed beneficial bacteria that communicate directly with the nervous system. These foods support serotonin (the “feel-good” neurotransmitter), calm inflammation, improve digestion, and regulate mood.
For women over 40, fermented foods can support hormone metabolism, reduce bloating, and enhance emotional steadiness. I try to eat a tablespoon of sauerkraut in the evening, whenever I’m home, especially during busy travel months. There have been loads of studies that show a diet that includes fermented foods is much better for the gut microbiome than taking probiotics every day - and less expensive!
Mineral-Rich Broths & Soups: Liquid Calm for the Nervous System
Before supplements, before capsules, before “protocols,” women healed with broth.
Slow-simmered liquids rich in minerals, gentle on digestion, and deeply comforting have always been foundational nervous system medicine.
When stress is high, appetite is low, or digestion feels fragile, broths and soups allow nourishment to slip in quietly. They hydrate, mineralize, and signal safety to a body that’s been running on alert.
Below are two simple broths I return to again and again - one vegetarian, one with meat and both designed to replenish magnesium, calcium, potassium, amino acids, and trace minerals that support calm, sleep, and hormonal balance.
AND HERE ARE THE RECIPES…
Mineral-Rich Veggie Bowl with Miso-Tahini & Ferments (Vegetarian)
A calm-in-a-bowl supper that layers magnesium (greens, pumpkin seeds), B vitamins (quinoa, chickpeas), omega-3s (chia or hemp), and fermented goodness (sauerkraut or kimchi).
Serves: 2 | Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed (or millet/brown rice)
1 small sweet potato, diced
1 cup chickpeas (cooked/canned, rinsed)
3 cups mixed greens (kale/spinach/Swiss chard), chopped
¼ cup sauerkraut or kimchi (choose mild if you’re heat-sensitive)
1 ripe avocado, sliced
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 Tbsp hemp or chia seeds
Optional: 1 sheet nori, crumbled (minerals + iodine)
Miso-Tahini Dressing
1½ Tbsp tahini
1 tsp mellow miso (or chickpea miso if gluten/soy-free)
1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1–2 tsp warm water to thin
Optional: ½ tsp grated ginger, pinch black pepper
Directions
Cook quinoa in 2 cups water until fluffy (about 15 minutes).
While it cooks, roast the sweet potato at 400°F for 15–18 minutes (or sauté in a skillet with a little olive oil).
Steam or sauté greens just until tender (2–3 minutes).
Whisk dressing ingredients until creamy.
Assemble bowls: quinoa → greens → sweet potato → chickpeas → avocado → ferments.
Top with pumpkin seeds, hemp/chia, and crumbled nori. Drizzle dressing. Breathe, then enjoy.
Bio-individuality swaps: use tempeh or tofu instead of chickpeas; use millet/rice if quinoa doesn’t love you back; swap sauerkraut for a little plain yogurt if ferments are new to your gut. Marguerite’s Tips:
Root Vegetables & Slow Foods: Grounding Nourishment
Sweet potatoes, cassava, taro, plantains, carrots, beets, and yams are deeply grounding foods that stabilize blood sugar, nourish the adrenals, and calm the nervous system. Warm, slow foods help the body feel safe, present, and anchored especially when life feels rushed or emotionally demanding.
African and Indigenous women often relied on root vegetables as staple foods nourishing families through transitions, hardship, and celebration. These foods built strength from the inside out and were seen as gifts from the earth that carried healing, grounding, and cultural memory.
Recipe (Vegetarian): Maple-Miso Roasted Roots with Warm Lentils & Herb Gremolata
Serves: 4 | Time: 45 minutes (mostly hands-off)
Ingredients
3 cups mixed roots (carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips), cut in ¾-inch wedges
1 small red onion, thick slices
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mellow miso + 1 tsp maple syrup + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (whisked)
1 cup French lentils (du Puy) or brown lentils, rinsed
3 cups veggie broth or water
Pinch sea salt
Herb Gremolata
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove, minced (or omit if sensitive)
1–2 tsp olive oil, pinch salt
Directions
Heat oven to 400°F. Toss roots + onion with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast 25 minutes; toss with miso-maple-vinegar; roast 10–15 more minutes until caramelized.
Simmer lentils in broth with a pinch of salt 20–25 minutes until tender but not mushy; drain if needed.
Mix gremolata.
Serve bowls: warm lentils topped with roasted roots; sprinkle gremolata.
Optional: add a spoon of sauerkraut or a dollop of plain yogurt for gentle ferments.
Nutrient notes: lentils (B vitamins, iron); roots (fiber for blood sugar + gut calm); miso/sauerkraut (fermented support).
Slow Braised Chicken Thighs with Roots & Mineral Broth (Non-Vegetarian)
Serves: 4 | Time: 1 hr 15 min (slow, simple)
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or drumsticks)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
2 carrots + 2 parsnips, cut in chunks
1 small turnip or ½ rutabaga, cubed (or 1 potato)
2 garlic cloves, smashed (optional)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (helps mineral extraction)
2 cups mineral-rich broth (homemade or store-bought bone broth/veg broth)
1 bay leaf, pinch thyme, salt & pepper
Directions
Heat a Dutch oven over medium; sear chicken skin-side down in olive oil 4–5 minutes until golden. Flip; cook 2 minutes; remove to a plate.
Add onion, carrots, parsnips, turnip; sauté 3–4 minutes. Stir in garlic.
Return chicken to pot; add vinegar, broth, bay, thyme; bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover and braise on low 45–55 minutes, until chicken is tender and roots are soft.
Taste; adjust salt/pepper. Skim fat if desired. Serve with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
Nutrient notes: slow simmer draws minerals into the broth (calcium, magnesium, potassium); roots stabilize blood sugar; protein supports sleep-promoting amino acids.
Make it even gentler: remove garlic/onion if they trigger you at night; swap chicken for white beans to keep it vegetarian.
Deeply Mineralized Herbal Vegetable Broth (Vegetarian)
(A Nervous System Rebuilder)
This broth draws its strength from mineral-rich vegetables, sea vegetables, and gentle herbs traditionally used to nourish depleted women.
Makes: ~6 cups
Time: 60–90 minutes (mostly hands-off)
Ingredients
1 onion, quartered (skins on for minerals)
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 leek or 1 cup mushrooms (for grounding and umami)
1 handful dark leafy greens (kale stems, Swiss chard stems, or nettle if available)
1 strip kombu or kelp (about 2–3 inches)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (helps extract minerals)
1 bay leaf
1 small handful fresh parsley or thyme stems
8 cups filtered water
Sea salt to taste (added at the end)
Directions
Place all ingredients in a large pot and cover with water.
Bring to a gentle simmer (not a hard boil), then lower heat.
Simmer uncovered for 60–90 minutes, allowing minerals to infuse the liquid.
Strain solids; season lightly with sea salt.
Sip warm, or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze in small jars.
Why this helps
Sea vegetables + greens provide magnesium, calcium, and trace minerals.
Warm liquids support parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) activation.
Vinegar increases mineral bioavailability without stressing digestion.
How to use
Sip a mug mid-afternoon for steadiness or in the evening as a nervous-system-safe “dinner” when your appetite is low or it feels too late to have a heavier meal.
Slow-Simmered Chicken & Root Bone Broth (Non-Vegetarian)
(Traditional Calm and Restoration)
This is the kind of broth women made when someone was tired, grieving, postpartum, or burned out — nourishment that doesn’t ask anything of the body except to receive.
Makes: ~8 cups
Time: 3–4 hours (low effort, deep reward)
Ingredients
2–3 lbs chicken bones or a whole chicken carcass (or 4–6 bone-in thighs)
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, halved (skins on)
1 small parsnip or turnip, chopped (try adding a daikon radish - bitter raw, but sweet when cooked - crazy full of nutrients)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 small handful parsley stems
10 cups filtered water
Sea salt to taste (added at the end)
Directions
Place all ingredients in a large stockpot or slow cooker.
Add vinegar and water; let sit 20–30 minutes before heating (This helps draw minerals from the bones. My grandmother used to do this and I never knew why!)
Bring slowly to a gentle simmer; skim foam if needed.
Lower heat and simmer 3–4 hours (or 8–12 hours on low in a slow cooker).
Strain, cool, and refrigerate. Skim fat if desired. Season lightly with salt.
Why this helps
Bones release calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and collagen all supportive of sleep and nerve signaling.
Glycine and proline (amino acids in broth) are linked to relaxation and improved sleep quality.
Warm, savory flavors ground the nervous system and stabilize blood sugar.
How to use
Sip in the evening, especially on nights when your body feels wired or depleted. Can also be used as a base for soups or slow-cooked vegetables.
Gentle Reminder
If your body feels fragile or inflamed or run-down, broth may be more supportive than solid food, even if temporarily. And know that you won’t be depriving yourself, just taking a pause.
A cup of broth can be:
dinner on an exhausted night
a mid-day nervous system reset, or
a quiet ritual on those days when even words feel like too much.
Closing Reflection: Nourishment as Ritual
“When you nourish the nervous system, you nourish the spirit.”
Our bodies hold stories. They hold fatigue and memory. They also hold resilience. And they hold the possibility of healing. Nourishing from within is an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and feed yourself in ways that are stabilizing, soul-warming, and ancestral.
The foods I’ve shared here are mineral-rich, vitamin-rich, spirit-rich. They are not trends or healthy hacks. They are traditions. They are the quiet wisdom of generations of women who knew that nourishment is a form of love, rest is a form of healing, and food is medicine.
Below are three reflection prompts to consider, maybe after you’ve tried one of the recipes I’ve shared here.
Reflection Prompts
Which foods leave me feeling grounded, steady, and emotionally well?
What ancestral food traditions feel meaningful for me to reclaim or explore?
How can I create one weekly ritual that nourishes my nervous system and spirit at the same time?