(Primary) Food For Thought
As the temperature turns colder and the days turn darker, it’s easy to turn to our favorite
comfort foods to get through the winter months. Now that spring and sun are on the horizon, many of us may be looking to make a change and shed some of those winter layers, but where do we begin?
Food is our primary source of nourishment, right? So it would make sense to start with food— well, yes and no. It’s true that eating satisfies an empty belly and a healthy diet leads to a heathy life and a healthy you, but I, along with my friends at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), the world’s largest nutrition school training students from all over the globe to become certified Health Coaches, would argue that the foods we eat come secondary to everything else that feeds us.
Yes, food is a necessity and an important source of energy; however, as the old saying goes: we should eat to live, not live to eat.
The integrated approach taught by IIN suggests that food is simply a means to an end, a secondary source of nourishment that supplements our Primary Foods—the things in our lives that bring us joy, happiness, and an overall sense of fulfillment. If someone had asked me years ago what Primary Foods were, I might have pictured something like the classic food pyramid, but now I understand that it really refers to our relationships, spirituality, exercise, play, careers, and so much more. It’s the everyday, occasionally mundane that feeds our entire being while food only scratches the surface.
As most of you know, I am always looking for new ways to challenge and enrich my fitness experience while becoming more connected to my body, and I’ve found that the beautiful thing about yoga is there is always a way to push a little deeper and reach a little farther. More importantly, I’ve learned that it energizes and feeds me in a way that food can’t—a stretch in the morning helps me to start me day awake and ready for anything while at night it soothes and prepares me for a restful sleep. My family, my work and clients…all of these things are my primary foods.
Interested in learning how to go beyond the plate to identify your primary foods and learn a little more about how to cultivate and achieve your own health goals and those of others? I’d like to offer you a complimentary class through IIN (special access here), along with a special tuition discount: Save $1,000 on tuition (over 15% in savings) and gain access to personalized payment plans by signing up through this link. Learn where you are, on your time, with the nutrition experts while receiving a complete education.
There’s no quick fix short-cut to living healthy, but being mindful and educating yourself about how to fulfill your body and soul is a good starting place.
What are some of your favorite ways you “feed” yourself?
*I am a partner of IIN® and receive commission, however all thoughts and sentiments are my own. I <3 this program!*
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!