What is “Holistic”?
By Jen Wieland, HHC AADP
I think Wikipedia defines this best by saying, “Holism refers to the idea that an entity is greater than the sum of its parts… achieving and maintaining good health involves more than just taking care of all the various components that make up the physical body – attention must be paid to aspects such as emotional and spiritual well-being as well”.
Food is imperative for living a healthy lifestyle. Everything you eat goes directly into your stomach, assimilates the nutrients into your bloodstream, and creates the cells in your body. They affect how you think, feel, react and perceive your environment. You can simply be less stressed by eating better food. Things will actually bother you less and cause you less anxiety by eating good food. You simply need to learn which food is good.
In addition to the substances you put in your mouth, there is also food that feeds your life. Your spirituality, movement, sleep, career, relationships, sexuality, and fun also need to be fed and nourished. Often I find when there is an imbalance in the food you put in your mouth, there is also an imbalance in the food for your life. They work hand in hand.
Weight loss for example, usually has nothing to do with the food. Although it is important to balance the hormones and blood levels in the body to relinquish cravings, it has more to do with figuring out the reasons why you’re eating, learning where the habits are coming from, and going inward to see if there are any emotional connections.
This is just one example of how working on a holistic approach will cause lifelong, dramatic changes in a person’s health. I would say that this is the main reason my programs are so successful. I understand the need to balance not only your edible food, but also your life food to nourish you on a deep level. This is a holistic approach.
