Articles

Primary Food

All that we consider today as a source of nutrition is really just a secondary source of nourishment.

Think back to a time when you were passionately in love. Everything was exciting. Colors were vivid. You were floating on air, gazing into each other's eyes. Your lover's touch and the feelings of exhilaration were enough to sustain you. You forgot about food and were high on life.

Or remember a time when you were deeply involved in an exciting project. You believed in what you were doing and felt confident and stimulated. Time seemed to stop. The outside world faded away. You didn't need to eat; someone had to come by and remind you.

Or remember when you were a child, playing outside with friends. Your mother would cry out, "It's dinner time! Come in and eat!" No, Mommy, I'm not hungry yet," you'd respond. Once at the table your mother had to convince you to eat the requisite number of bites to ensure good nutrition (remember Children are starving in Africa?). You'd force down the minimum acceptable, and rush out again to play. At the end of the day, you'd come in exhausted and go to sleep with no thoughts of food at all.

Primary food feeds us, but doesn't come on a plate. Things like love, hugs, touch, kisses, warmth, massage, meditation, fun, freedom, self expression, tears, hot baths, nature, downtime, close friends, and play all feed our souls and our hunger for living.

Now think of a time when you were depressed or your self-esteem was at a low. You were starving for primary food. No amount of secondary food would do. No matter how much you ate, you weren't satisfied. Even in good times we come home at night and look in the refrigerator for something to eat, when all we really want is a hug or a friend to talk to.

It is my opinion that the more primary food we receive, the less we'll depend on secondary food. The opposite is also true: the more we fill ourselves with secondary food, the less we are able to receive the primary foods of life. That is why every spiritual tradition encourages followers to fast, to have times during the year when secondary food intake is reduced, so that we are more able to be present to God's love and the primary foods in our lives.

[Article from: Institute for Integrative Nutrition Website]