Raise your hand if one of these scenarios sounds familiar: You mostly subsist on coffee and energy bars all day and then treat yourself to a giant takeout meal and a glass of wine at night. Or whenever you get emotional, you immediately turn to a pint of Ben & Jerry’s finest. According to certified nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner and cognitive behavioral therapist Dana James, there are four archetypes that define women's behavioral patterns—including how we eat.
In her book The Archetype Diet, she explains that these different types are tied to the way we derive our self-worth (achievement, giving to others, physical appearance or intuition) and how it affects our hormone levels and eating habits. And this, in turn, determines how we store body fat. Intrigued? Find out more about the four different archetypes below.
The Wonder Woman: This archetype is all about success and achievements, and she expects the best from herself and those around her. She’ll often skip meals because of her packed schedule. Her dominant hormone is cortisol, which can lead to belly fat, fatigue and anxiety. For this archetype, James prescribes a Mediterranean-style diet with a limited amount of starchy carbohydrates (like brown rice and chickpeas) and no gluten or dairy. She also recommends bitter vegetables and fresh herbs to help restore adrenals and thyroid function.
The Nurturer: This woman is loyal, thoughtful and always cares for others. She often reaches for fast or comfort foods because she’s tired or for emotional reasons. She tends to store fat all over her body but especially the upper thighs and arms. The dominant hormone is insulin and estrogen and a Paleo-style diet (keeping red meat and nuts to a minimum) can help address this. Nurturers also need to learn how to start asking for help and expressing their own needs rather than prioritizing other people, says James.
