When it comes to health, there’s so much more to consider than just what you eat. True health involves looking at your entire life — everything from your relationships to your career, mental well-being, and even your finances.
One of the most eye-opening lessons I learned during my IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition) coach training was the concept of primary foods. Primary foods are the non-nutritional aspects of your life that significantly impact your overall well-being. These areas include:
- Finances
- Career
- Education
- Health
- Physical Activity
- Home Cooking
- Home Environment
- Relationships
- Social Life
- Joy
- Spirituality
- Creativity
Each of these factors influences how you eat, how you move, and how you manage stress. Let’s take a closer look at a few examples:
How Life’s Challenges Affect Your Health Choices
If you’re struggling with your eating habits, it’s important to consider what might be behind it. For instance:
- Stress: High levels of stress (like from finances or work) can lead to high cortisol levels, which might trigger sugar cravings.
- Time: If you don’t plan ahead, you may find yourself reaching for unhealthy convenience foods.
- Social life: Going out with friends can sometimes result in overeating or making poor food choices, especially when healthier options aren’t available.
It’s all interconnected. When one area of your life is out of balance, it often affects other areas — including your physical health.
Mental Health Matters Too
Physical health isn’t the only aspect of wellness that matters. Mental health plays a huge role in your overall well-being. In fact, your emotional state can eventually impact your physical health. That’s why cultivating joy, nurturing relationships, or exploring spirituality can have such a positive effect on your body and mind.
Where to Start: Find One Area to Focus On
Improving your health doesn’t require fixing everything at once. It’s about finding the area that stands out the most to you right now. Take a moment to reflect on the 12 primary food areas listed above. Which one feels like it’s holding you back or needs the most attention?
To make it easier, you can rate each area on a scale of 1 to 10 — 1 being something you’re totally satisfied with and 10 being an area in urgent need of improvement. Then, choose the one that stands out the most and start there. Small steps in the right direction can lead to big changes over time.
Remember: true health is about balance in all areas of your life, not just what’s on your plate.