The Nourish-in-3 Way: Simple Plates That Support Energy & Fat Loss

Picture this: it’s 12:45 pm, you’ve been in back-to-back Teams meetings since 9am, and your only “fuel” has been two coffees and a slice of cake someone left in the staff kitchen.

By the time you come up for air, your brain is foggy, your stomach is growling, and you’re already thinking about the 3pm dash to the café for a coffee and "healthy" nut slice. Sound familiar?

This pattern is incredibly common for professional women in their 40s, but here’s the problem: skipping proper meals and relying on quick fixes can wreak havoc on your hormones, energy, and waistline.

That’s why I developed my Nourish in 3 protocol, a ridiculously simple way of building plates that support your body through perimenopause without adding stress to your day.

What Is Nourish in 3?

At its core, Nourish in 3 is about balance. Every meal (yes, especially lunch!) should contain three essentials:

• Protein: Helps stabilise blood sugar, preserve muscle mass, and keep you full.
  
• Fibre: From veggies, fruit, or wholegrains, it feeds your gut health and helps reduce oestrogen dominance.
  
• Healthy fats: Think avocado, nuts, olive oil, they’re essential for hormone production and help reduce inflammation.
  

The beauty of this method is its simplicity. You don’t need to count calories or download yet another food tracking app. Instead, you use the Nourish in 3 formula to build balanced meals that fuel your brain, calm cravings, and stop belly fat from creeping in.

Why It Works in Perimenopause

Hormonal shifts during perimenopause mean your body becomes more sensitive to blood sugar swings and stress hormones like cortisol. Lunches that are carb-heavy (sandwich, left over pizza, sushi rolls) or worse, skipped altogether, lead to a mid-afternoon crash that makes you more likely to crave sugar, struggle with focus, and store fat around your middle.

By pairing protein, fibre, and healthy fats together, you create a steady release of energy. This keeps insulin levels stable, supports oestrogen metabolism, and helps you avoid the dreaded 3 pm slump.

How to Apply It at Work

• Prep simple lunch boxes: Think bento-style snack boxes with boiled eggs or tuna, cheese, veggies, hummus, and wholegrain crackers. Easy to grab and perfectly balanced.

• Desk-friendly swaps: Keep nuts, high-protein yoghurt, 2-3 boiled eggs, or veggie sticks handy to avoid the chocolate fundraiser stash in the staff kitchen.

• Upgrade your café order: Instead of banana bread, go for a protein-rich smoothie or toasted sourdough with peanut butter, eat this with a couple of boiled eggs you bought from home. Or add a side of edamame to your sushi roll.

• Eat balanced desserts: You can apply Nourish in 3 to your favourite sweet treats as well. You might opt to make your own healthy treats or if you're faced with a birthday afternoon tea at work, just make sure you pair this wiith a handful of protein (boiled egg, tin of tuna, protein smoothie) and some fibre (berries, almonds) before consuming.

Even small upgrades like pairing your coffee with boiled eggs instead of banana bread make a big difference to your energy, mood, and focus.

The Takeaway

Nourish in 3 isn’t a diet; it’s a tool to make food work for you, especially in your busiest seasons. When you use this simple framework, you take the guesswork out of eating, feel more in control, and stop relying on sugar or caffeine to power through your afternoons.

And the best part?

Once you start building these plates consistently, you’ll notice cravings ease, energy stabilises, and that midlife belly fat becomes a lot easier to shift.

FAQ

What exactly is the Nourish-in-3 protocol?
It’s a simple formula for every plate: protein + fibre + healthy fat. That’s it. No calorie counting, no food scales. Just balance your plate with these three, and your body gets what it needs to regulate hormones, burn fat, and keep cravings at bay.

Do I have to track or measure everything?
Nope! Think of Nourish-in-3 as a visual guide, not a maths equation. A palm of protein, a fist of veggies or wholegrains, and a thumb of healthy fat is all you need to remember.

Can this work if I’m vegetarian or plant-based?
Absolutely. Swap animal proteins for tofu, tempeh, lentils, edamame, chickpeas, eggs, or protein powders. The framework doesn’t change, only the ingredients do.

How does this help with belly fat?
Blood sugar stability is the magic here. When you eat protein, fiber, and fat together, your body avoids the sugar spikes and crashes that drive fat storage in the midsection. Instead, you get steady energy and fat-burning signals.