Everything is food. Great sceneries, the magic of falling in love, exciting projects and productive work teams, playing a good game, healthy relationships and deep spiritual moments are all essential forms of nourishment. They all feed our hunger for life and keep us satisfied. When these nourishing elements of our life are balanced and satisfying, your life feeds you, making what you eat secondary.
In the sense that you can prepare the most balanced meals with the best recipes or you can eat broccoli and carrots until the cows come home, you will not be satisfied unless you are nourished with primary food. There is a deep hunger within that we all want to satisfy. This is the hunger for life, a hunger to be well, strong and able, to do what we want and need to do, a hunger to achieve life’s goals and fulfil our potential, a hunger to find meaningful work to do. Except in environments where there is famine or not enough to eat, primary food must be satisfied first.
Interestingly, when we are in love, having fun or even working productively, we lose our appetite for the food on our plate. Our attention is distracted from food. Food, though essential, seems unimportant. In fact, this nourishment from primary food is much more satisfying and nourishing than what is on our plate. The extent to which we can incorporate them will determine how enjoyable and worthwhile our lives feel. At these times we are fed not by the food on our plates but by the energy of our life experiences.
The problem arises when we begin stuffing ourselves with secondary food when we are starving for primary food. Weight gain is just one of the consequences. Secondary food cannot satisfy the hunger for primary food. Eating great helpings of food cannot make your unfulfilled career needs disappear or be satisfied. It may be worthwhile to look beyond the food on your plate to those other forms of nourishment that truly feed you.
Source: Integrative Nutrition, Feed your Hunger for Health and Happiness, Joshua Rosenthal, 2014, New York, USA
