Primary Foods… Probably Not What You Think
Restrictions, binging, guilt after eating certain foods, fear from foods with high calories, over exercising… at least 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from a form of disordered eating in the U.S.¹ Our obsession with consuming the “right” foods has become so prevalent in modern society that the the term orthorexia was introduced by Dr. Steven Bratman in 1997². Is it possible that unhealthy eating habits are widespread because we aren’t nourished in other ways?
Taught by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition³, the concept of primary foods is that life-sustaining nourishment comes from off your plate. The food we eat is secondary to the energy we get from 4 main external sources: career, relationships, spirituality and exercise. These are the forces that we balance day in and day out, and are more powerful than we think.
To illustrate: think of a time when you had to deal with a stressful assignment or interviewed for a competitive job. It probably wrecked your digestive system and kept you up at night. I know when I’m sad or anxious, I lose my appetite; while others can be the opposite, who turn to comfort in foods. Now think of a time when you were in flow at your desk and forgot all about lunch, or received recognition on your performance and felt electrified in your bones. Primary foods are what feeds our mind, souls and hearts.
When we are happier and fed by primary foods, we are more likely to make good choices in secondary foods. When we are in a blissful relationship, we often relax over meals and obsess less about weight. Health is complex and holistic — being unwell in one aspect of our life affects us in others.
I have a saying that “stress manifests itself in strange ways”.
I had an unfortunate bout with a painful eye stye last month and the optometrist said styes “can just happen” from time to time with stress as a trigger. I consider myself a relatively clean eater, but my varied encounters with physical inflammation and illness in the last half of my 20s where doctors mentioned similar prognoses pushed me to make managing cortisol levels a priority. It is the reason why I quit alcohol 2 years ago, and provided the motivation for my fitness journey.
You can be doing everything right in the kitchen, but what can be even more transformative is who you surround yourself with, the work you spend your time on, the spiritual practices that enriches your soul, and the physical activities you enjoy. Food is not to be fixated upon but here to support a life well lived.
