Nourished Revival

04/28/2026

Nutrition programs aren’t just about compliance.

Meeting food requirements is the starting point, then you have to think about how these choices will impact behavior.

2 important food considerations I shared with the cooks at Head Start this week:
1. Will the meal be filling to keep from letting cravings take control?
2. Will energy stay steady to avoid the “sugar high” or energy crash that can follow, leading to poor attitude.

Food isn’t just checking a box; it shapes your focus and mood that follows, applying to kids and adults alike.

If your team is walking in low-energy and crashing by 2pm, it’s not a motivation problem.
It’s a systems problem.

And food is a big part of that system.

04/22/2026

What I notice for professionals who are in go go go mode all day is they crash in the evening.

They sit on the couch and can’t get back up.

It bothers them to be letting time slip away…

They could enjoy the warmer evenings out for a walk with their spouse. Play a game with their kids. But instead they feel lazy.

It’s not a motivation problem.
They’re under eating during the day, so when they finally stop moving, they have nothing left in the tank.

Food is a problem that can easily be solved. Switch to feeling accomplished at the end of the day.

04/20/2026

Fill in the blank:

The most exhausting time of the workday is ______.

For me, it used to hit right about now (3 pm)! I’d get up and go talk to another person in the department to wake myself up…or grab candy.

04/18/2026

I’m finalizing the drafted new 6-week menu for IVEDC Head Start after introducing and trialing changes in a real program.

One thing that’s clear, you can’t create effective menus without awareness of who you’re serving.

There’s a fine line to balance:
-what actually gets eaten
-cooking staff constraints

And a missed piece is the behavior that follows the meals.

What’s important is the energy, focus, and overall mood as you continue the day. Your food should set you up for success.

That’s the attention menu planning needs, especially in settings where staff and those they serve eat the same food. This is an area I’d be happy to have a conversation with your organization to improve next.

04/13/2026

I had a conversation at the chiropractor this morning with the assistant about a case of the Mondays…

She could feel it would be a day spent in the snack drawer.

The thing is, it was almost 10 am, and all she’d eaten was a cheese stick.

I prep breakfast for the week because if I don’t eat enough in the morning, I feel like I can’t get control of my hunger the rest of the day. I don’t have to worry about rushing in the morning because I know all I have to do is heat and eat to set my day up for success.

04/11/2026

I was presented the all-star award for my BNI chapter at our annual awards gala this week.

I joined BNI 1 year ago and hit the ground running, call it drive mixed with a perfectionist tendency. I love helping people - that’s the entire basis of Nourished Revival. Putting myself in an organization built on helping others feeds my soul.

This is the only award voted on by your peers, and it’s a true honor to have received it!

04/09/2026

There’s an eating pattern causing you to feel in survival mode during the work week.

Dragging yourself through the day with no energy left by dinner.

1 simple tweak, and you’ll regain your focus and motivation.

Give yourself energy for life again with the free guide when you subscribe to my Substack below.

We eat for energy, not rules here. If you want to keep needing coffee to function, this isn't for you. Get my free guide when you subscribe: The Eating Pattern Quietly Draining Your Energy. Click to read Energy Within, by Abigail - Nourished Revival, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribe...

04/08/2026

Last week I helped host a family night at Jerseyville Head Start.

We let everyone build their own nacho bowl, and I was impressed at the kids willingness to try all the different options.

As an adult, it’s easy to eat the same foods on repeat…
-you don’t know what to make and get in a rut
-it’s quick to grab the same things
-money’s wasted if you buy something and don’t like it

But always eating the same things is why your energy and focus fades as the day goes by and you’re searching for more from your pantry at night.

It’s time to feel adventurous like a kid again.

04/07/2026

I wish someone told me sooner…

Feeling exhausted and craving sugar every day isn’t just who you are.

It’s your body trying to tell you it’s not being fueled in the right way.

Since simplifying my eating habits, I no longer crash in the afternoon or feel drawn to sweets.

I can help you too - just message me the word “energy.”

04/06/2026

Fatigue used to feel like failing.

That mental battle was harder than the fatigue itself.

04/04/2026

Something about painting my nails for the first time in over a year has me feeling like a leveled-up version of myself.

What’s something that gives you this sense of joy?

04/03/2026

I used to be ready for a nap every afternoon after lunch.

I’d “take a walk” which really meant I was just going to talk to someone else in the department to wake myself up. Or worse…head to the candy drawer for a pick me up.

And I remember thinking…this is normal. You too? Check this out.

Why the afternoon slump is more than just feeling tired.