What Is Health?

In my previous blog I talked about primary food (what nourishes us off the plate / the circle of life) and Secondary food (what nourishes us on the plate / Diet) throughout my blogs ahead I will refer to these terms to differentiate the two.

Today we're going to take a closer look at the area of health in the circle of life. The lifestyle factors that create optimum health when your primary food is balanced and satisfying your life feeds you, making what you eat secondary. Today we're going to learn how to view health through the lens of primary food and why taking action in this area of your life is instrumental to your overall health and wellbeing. Let's start with the basics…

What is health?

Health is often defined as a state of overall wellness that includes physical emotional and mental wellbeing, but at its core health is self-care. It's recognising that your body has needs and taking action to meet those needs. It's less about the end game and more about the willingness to invest the time, money, and energy in the process. I truly believe that health is a journey not a destination and that no one way of approaching health will work for everyone. People come from a different place in their journey, some are healthy and interested in exploring preventative care, while others are on their own path to self healing.

Health is the foundation to wellbeing and happiness and that no matter where you're coming from, your willingness to simply observe your body's needs and take action towards meeting them is the most powerful decision that you can make. That's why health is imperative because it demands a commitment to self-love, and it affects every area of your well-being. Choosing to live a healthy life starts with the realisation that self-care is the medicine, that both prevents and cures disease by exploring your own uniqueness and bio individuality with primary and secondary foods, and taking consistent action in alignment with your needs, you can begin the journey towards living a healthier happier life.

It's about honouring the time and energy that you've invested in learning about your body's needs and actually following through. For example, let's say you suffer from stomach issues, being healthy is about acknowledging this issue and taking action to resolve it as consistently and persistently as you would take care of a child who had this same problem. This could look like different things for different people, but it may include cutting out certain foods that make you feel sick, or it might mean going to different practitioners until you find the one that really understands you, or it could mean reducing your stress at work by meditating because you have a hunch that that's contributing to the problem. When you shift your mindset to a place of self-care you realise that the action of taking care of yourself in the ways that you know that you should is what health is all about. It's about following through and respecting yourself enough to not give up on your body's needs.

You may be wondering how you can begin exploring this area of primary food in your own life as with all areas of primary food, your efforts in this area will ebb and flow and maintaining your health won't be easy. It's important to continually cheque in on how this area of primary food is going for you to ensure that you're nourishing yourself fully both on and off the plate. You can start exploring your current relationship with health by considering your answers to the following questions…

· What does health mean to you?

· How has your idea of health evolved overtime?

· Is health something you currently invest your time in?

· Do you listen to your body's needs and take action toward meeting them?

· On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your level of satisfaction towards health?

Be open to experimentation and take it one day at a time, by taking conscious action you'll reap all the benefits this area of primary food has to offer.

Maria xo