Primary Foods vs. Secondary Foods – What a Concept

When it comes to health, we often think primarily about what we eat. 

Having a nourishing diet is important but it is SECONDARY, not PRIMARY. Stick with me here, I’ll explain. Feeding yourself encompasses more than what you put in your mouth. Everything we see, hear, touch, and smell is also consumed. We feed our minds. We feed our souls. We feed emotions. All those areas are considerably more responsible for our well-being than feeding our bodies.

Nourishment Beyond the Plate

Let’s take a look beyond the plate at areas that need support and how those areas support our gut, digestion, and overall uptake of nutrition. We are all too aware of the impact of stress and anxiety. Stress is a key contributor to the top deadliest diseases and other serious conditions including acid reflux. Paying special attention to emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, and proper rest, allows for a holistic approach to health. This is a core concept introduced by IIN.

“Feed the mind good wisdom, the body good nutrition, the soul good vibes, and the heart good love. Elevation for your situation.” – T.F. Hodge

Primary Foods

Emotional support is what we do when seeking meaningful relationships or when we work to improve our relationship with ourselves. Tapping into fun or hobbies creates good vibes and increases positive emotions. These things effectively reduce stress, putting you into “rest and digest” mode. That sounds good, right?

Mental health is a big topic that is finally getting some much-needed attention. Let’s delve into some things that can be considered ‘Primary Food”.

• Meaningful relationships lend themselves to supporting emotional well-being. These are safe havens and a place to turn when we feel dysregulated. On the other hand, toxic relationships or disregarding boundaries are detrimental to health. Foster nurturing relationships you can trust and rely on, most importantly the one you have with yourself.
• Recognize your need for a spiritual connection, whatever this means to you. A higher purpose to something outside of yourself adds meaning and creates fulfillment.
• What are you passionate about? Have you considered this question lately? Follow your passions for a sense of satisfaction and confidence.
• Proper sleep is essential to every body process. It impacts both physical and mental functions, including your ability to fight disease, lowering the risk of chronic illnesses. 
• Don’t forget to play! Hobbies, creativity, and fun are proven to reduce stress and allow your nervous system to relax. A relaxed nervous system is what we call “rest and digest” mode. It is directly linked to your gut or your second brain. 

Time for Whole Health

A healthy diet consists of more than the food that we put into our bodies. True vibrance requires us to look at the whole. When areas of life are out of balance, it affects the whole. Zooming out and looking at all areas, then filling those buckets that are low will move you toward thriving. Bottom line? When you are nourished and happy in what matters most to you, food becomes secondary.

I see you, and YOU are beautiful!