What are Primary Foods?

Primary foods is the idea that areas of life exist that ‘feed’ us and that food is secondary to those.

Most of us can remember a time when we were outside playing with friends or engaged in creative endeavors and a parent would inform us that dinner was ready. “But I’m not hungry yet” we would reply. Being in love is much the same – we live in a more colorful, animated, magical world and are sustained by the love and play with our partner. We were having so much fun, in the ‘zone’ on a art project, or blissed out in love….food was secondary because we were being fed on a higher level – the passion and energy in our lives.

How dramatically different life seems to be now. Most clients report a lack of excitement about their days and the work, stress, and family obligations that come with it. However, they do find enjoyment from Diet Coke, ice cream, or wine. They often report feeling ‘stuck’ with low energy and little passion.

At the same time, a meaningful conversation with a friend can have you inspired, floating on air. A beautiful piece of music can inspire a well-spring of emotion or ideas. We are hungry for nourishment in the form of play, achievement, connection, love, adventure, spirituality, romance, intimacy, art, and excitement.

Take a look at your life.

In the area of relationships, what’s happening for you?

Do you find meaning or satisfaction in your career?

Is your form of exercise fun?

Do you have a form of spiritual practice that provides connection and peace?

You can make huge improvements in health and vitality if you can address these questions, regardless of whether you are vegan or paleo.

All the kale in the world is not going to make you feel well if you work with a toxic boss or are lonely.tweet this

This is not to say that food is unimportant – it’s part of the process for lowering cholesterol or weight loss, for example. However, there’s a personal transformation that happens when one looks at their life in a much broader way and gets help in making the changes.

As our client Diane shared, “I wanted help with reducing my cholesterol level without medication. Over a few months, we did that and even surprised my doctor, who thought I was taking the statin he prescribed! What I didn’t expect was a wonderful bonus- my sleep is better, I lost weight, I have more energy and exercise more frequently, and my relationships with others have improved. Addressing my goal of [lowering] cholesterol was great – what’s even better is my whole life has transformed.”

Our thousands of experiences in life are energy that can fulfill us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We at One Bite Wellness blend extensive education and experience in the science of nutrition along with the art form of coaching our clients through lifestyle changes. The result is an improvement in physical health and even more, a life transformation.

 

Why You Need Vitamin L

A little known or researched vitamin of tremendous importance is vitamin L. It’s more commonly referred to as love.

Nutrition covers so many dietary theories, calories, macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients relating to food, but having a truly nourished life involves soul-food. Despite what you may think, soul-food is not actually food.

Naturally increasing your vitamin L can involve anything that completely absorbs you. Activities can include:

• A conversation with a loved one
• Building something out of your own creation
• Painting by yourself or in a group
• Running or anything that feels like you are taking time for yourself
• Pursuing meaningful work

This is soul-food. The best known source for the elusive yet necessary vitamin L. One of the best ways to get more Vitamin L is to give it. Let someone know how much you appreciate them. Send a cute package. Give a hug. Reach out and help spread the vitamin L!

Mindful Eating for You AND Your Children

Let’s face it – most of us finish our ‘meals’ (sometimes loosely defined as fast-food or snack packs) in the span of 5-15 minutes…whether we are in the car, at the computer, or in front of the television. Meal-time is seen as a cause for whining or suffering, both with meal preparation and with actually taking the time to do it the slower, more mindful way. “Ain’t nobody got time for that,” you might say. And so it continues, 3 meals a day (or more), down the hatch and often in such quantities as to cause discomfort about 20 minutes later when we realize we ate too much. Rarely do we realize we are often also eating out of stress and emotions we don’t want to deal with.

Then guess what? Your children, who are always observing and learning from you, start picking up the same habits.

Mindfulness starts now. Here’s how to get started:

1. Eat your meals together – not only will this help create and maintain and cohesive family life but it gets you and the children away from the phones, computer, and television while you eat. Mindfulness means bringing attention to the sight, textures, and taste of food as well as thinking of how you feel while you are eating.

2. Check in with yourself & your child before you serve a meal. Ask about his/her hunger level on a scale of 0 (not hungry at all) to 5 (might eat everything that’s not nailed down). Let your child serve him/herself how much food needed to balance out. This will teach children to connect with their bodies and associate serving sizes with satiety levels.

3. Little actions can reduce temptation to over-eat. Serving meals in the kitchen, rather than keeping bowls and platters of food on the table, can help prevent over-eating. Try not to keep many leftovers as that can be a temptation for distracted eating later on in the day. Mindfulness techniques, over time, will help you and your children establish emotional hunger and true hunger. Children may also discover food intolerances and allergies by becoming more aware of how food makes them feel. You can do the same.

4. Bust the food police. Children have to learn, for themselves, how much food makes him/her full. It can be difficult not to try to control, especially when trying to ‘help’ the child stay thin or healthy. Often, when mealtimes and amounts are controlled, the child may resort to sneaking food. Establish some food-free time with your child to see how he/she feels and what is needed.

5. Ask yourself some important questions. Do you only eat healthy when trying to lose weight? Do you make comments about your body that your children hear? Do you feel ashamed when you choose certain foods or eat too much? Tackle these problems honestly by yourself or with a support person so you can prevent passing on these issues to your children.

We all just want to be comfortable in our own skin. Be compassionate towards yourself with the quality and quantity of foods you eat, as well as the motivation behind eating.