We’d like to introduce a fundamental principle of our coaching here at Your Daily™. It’s the concept of Primary and Secondary Foods, essentially, the harmony between what we eat emotionally and physically.
Notice we didn’t say balance; balance implies something is perfectly symmetrical, weighed and measured pound for pound, effort for effort, and equal. You already know in life that sometimes the smallest things are what matter most, which is why we focus on harmony instead.
Let’s explore Primary and Secondary Foods:
Primary Foods are foods that feed the soul. They can include things such as our connection to ourselves and others, our spirituality, our purpose, our creativity, the state of our finances, our relationships, and any other aspect of life that brings us joy.
Secondary Foods, on the other hand, are the nourishing foods we actually eat for calories. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks are all Secondary Foods and it’s important to look at not just how much we are eating, but also when we are eating, which nutrients we are getting, and if our food is supporting a healthy gut microbiome.
That said, when there is a problem in Secondary Foods, the foods we eat, it’s almost always because something is off in our Primary Foods.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Have you ever had a stress eating binge, or mindlessly devoured your food only to realize you didn’t even taste it? We all have. Zero judgment here. We do this when we’re preoccupied with something else spinning in our minds, or we’re so over-scheduled we don’t have time to eat properly and stand in a corner shoveling food from a napkin into our mouths.
Most people start their journey with the food they eat because they want to lose weight, change their appearance, or their eating feels disordered and they’d like to regain control which are reasons that point to problems in Primary Foods, such as health or their relationship with themselves. Not to mention, we have also been fed a narrative that our foods are what are making us fat and sick. While that may be true, most women have been on some form of a “diet” for most of their life and the effects of this on the mind and the gut itself can be serious.
Taking a holistic approach
By taking a holistic approach to wellness and addressing both Primary and Secondary Foods, we can make sustainable and fulfilling changes that last a lifetime. When we feel harmony in our Primary Foods, we have a much easier time changing our Secondary Foods because when you are nourished and happy in the ways that truly matter, food becomes secondary.
Making changes to your Primary Foods can seem overwhelming, therefore, if you’re feeling that you need more support, you’re welcome to join our group coaching or 1-on-1 coaching.
If you would like some guidance on how to identify the Primary foods that you may be neglecting, sign up for the Your Daily™ Health Coaching app. Your Daily™ is your personal health coach that helps you take an honest look at yourself to see where you could be living more healthily, and then helps you implement changes to do so. It contains an exercise called “The Wheel of Life” which helps you zero in on your Primary Foods and whether or not they are in harmony.
Once you’ve identified the areas of your life that you would like to focus on, you can start thinking about how you can make space for them and what strategies you can use to improve your wellness. Gaining clarity is the first step to making long-lasting beneficial changes and starting you on your healing journey.
