The Primary Food Method
When you think about what nourishes you, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s a career path that’s been fulfilling you, maybe it’s the relationships you have with your family and friends, maybe it’s taking a long walk, moving your body, or maybe it’s cooking and gathering for a traditional meal with your family. These are examples of what the nutrition school I attended, IIN, refers to as primary food – the parts of life that feed your body, mind, and spirit off the plate.
Primary food is comprised of all parts of your life that nourish you and feed you on a deeper level and can help you live a more filling and balanced life. Secondary food is the actual food on your plate. Both primary and secondary are important for overall health. You can eat all the kale and broccoli in the world, but if your primary food is out of balance you are not going to thrive.
These are the 12 areas within primary food:
1. Spirituality
2. Creativity
3. Finances
4. Career
5. Education
6. Health
7. Physical activity
8. Home cooking
9. Home environment
10. Relationships
11. Social life
12. Joy
Primary food teaches us that our health is affected by far more than the food we eat and to view health holistically. Everything is connected and our lifestyle factors have a great impact on our physical, mental, and emotional health. I made some surprising discoveries about my relationship with primary food and how it impacts my health and happiness. This helped me see which aspects of my life are more balanced compared to others.
On a scale of 1-10, ask yourself what is your level of satisfaction within each area of primary food? Record your numbers.
How can you begin exploring these areas in primary food in your own life? Your efforts in all primary food areas will ebb and flow. It’s important to continually check in on how these areas of primary food is going for you to ensure you are nourishing yourself fully both on and off the plate. Take it one day at a time. By taking conscious action, you’ll reap all the benefits primary food has to offer.
Let me know if you are interested in exploring this further together!
