I’m eight weeks or so into my year-long program with The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and while I’m learning all about dietary theories and why some people shouldn’t eat dairy or others eat mainly raw food, I’m also learning that what is just as important–or in my opinion, even more so–is what you feed yourself other than food. IIN has even coined a phrase for it: PrimaryFood™.
PrimaryFood™ is what you feed yourself that is not edible, what you nourish your soul with. You know, the important stuff like relationships, your career, spirituality, hobbies. The idea is that the better nourished you are with Primary Foods, they less you’ll find yourself filling those vacancies with arbitrary junk to stuff in your pie-hole.
Of course I’ve heard about “emotional eating.” I’ve even been guilty of it myself. How many times do you have a bad day and reach for the ice cream, or a glass of wine?
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When you’re tired and stressed out, do you make the best decisions about what to eat, or do you just hit the Wendy’s drive-thru so you don’t have to cook? It’s really easy to just eat whatever is available and not give any thought to what you’re feeding yourself.
But, if you take the time to prioritize your well-being and understand that what you eat has a direct impact on the rest of your life, you’ll begin to want to adopt a better diet in order to integrate health into your life overall.
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As you begin to feel better about yourself for your healthier habits, and you start to enjoy the energy and disposition that eating well gives you, you’ll be more motivated to enrich other areas of your life. You’ll plan more time with friends and family that uplift your spirit when you’re around them.
You might have the desire to start a meditation practice, or to start exercising regularly. If you’re not currently satisfied, you might consider a career change or look for a new job in a more rewarding environment.
Then food in and of itself won’t be such a big deal to you, it won't be a reward or a punshiment, or something you feel guilty about—it will be just another way to nourish and honor yourself. It will all come full circle and one day you’ll realize just how much you’ve always deserved to be healthy and happy. And you’ll wonder what took you so long to do it.
What are your Primary Foods and how could you incorporate more of them into your life? What could you do today in order to make that happen?
