Which of these pictures would you say is “PRIMARY FOOD” and which would you say is “SECONDARY FOOD”?
They are meant to represent a nutritious meal, career, relationships, exercise and spirituality. How would you put these in order based on importance?
Primary Foods
Nutrition is actually SECONDARY FOOD. PRIMARY FOODS, which are non-food sources, are what actually nourish and fuel us.
These are CAREER, RELATIONSHIPS, EXERCISE and SPIRITUALITY. The more primary food we give ourselves, the less we depend on secondary food. On the contrary, the more we fill ourselves with secondary food, the less space we leave for primary food.
I like to say that PRIMARY FOOD overrides SECONDARY FOOD. Think about it. A person who eats a perfectly balance organic plant based diet and even exercises regularly can still have chronic immune disease because they hate what they do for a living or because they are in a toxic relationship!
CAREER & RELATIONSHIPS
Career and relationships are both areas for great stress or great peace and pleasure in life.
If you have someone waiting for you at home that will say, “Hey honey! Come sit with me on the couch and tell me about your day,” and then you get to go fill up on that wonderful PRIMARY FOOD of that healthy relationship, are you as likely to go fill up on binge eating from the fridge or drinking several glasses of wine? No. The area of relationships is an area where we can experience a great amount of comfort and food for the heart and soul. When we can fill up there, we are less likely to fill up on secondary foods. We all know that we do not make great food choices when we are stressed by a toxic career.
There’s also the impact of toxic relationships. Everyone has experienced this. It may be a family member, partner or co-worker who causes your blood pressure to rise or adrenaline to course through your system at just the thought of them!
EXERCISE AND SPIRITUALITY
Exercise and spirituality are both areas where we can manage and regulate stress.
No amount of kale and quinoa will make up for lack of movement! We also all know how good it feels to just move our body through some form of exercise. We have so many choices! Some people do better with more gentle exercise, while others benefit more from vigorous activity. This is an area where bio-individuality applies. You need to find what works for YOU!
“We are material beings in a spiritual world, “ Joshua Rosenthal boldly declares over and over again at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. It has been scientifically proven that even spiritual practices as simple as meditation have staggering numbers of health benefits. I could list dozens of sources!
Study: How mindfulness may change the brain in depressed patients
Article: Where’s the Proof That Mindfulness Meditation Works?
Article: Scientific Proof the Next Global Meditation Can Change the World
Coaching By Katey 