I Was Shocked How "Primary Foods" Helped Me Lose COVID Weight Gain

This is my number one primary food! Spending time with my family and seeing my kids do what they love fills my heart until it's overflowing.

While I know that family is 100 percent more important than food, when I was roped into dieting, I feel like I missed out on spending time with my family because I was spending so much time researching the best way to lose weight, worrying about what I was eating if we all went out to eat, or feeling too self-conscious about how my body looked to really enjoy our time. Now when I'm with my family, I can truly soak in their company. I feel more present, and even if food is involved in our time together, like when we visit a vegan bakery or make homemade challah, the main focus isn't the food — it's the memories we're creating!

Working out is actually a double-duty primary food for me. Not only do I love moving my body, getting stronger, and working on fitness goals (hello pull-ups and handstands!), I also work out first thing in the morning alone, and making sure I get time to myself every day is key to my happiness. I love hopping on the rower, biking, running, strength training, and doing yoga. Also, see the banjo behind me? Another primary food!

While exploring primary foods, I also got back into my love of drawing mandalas, water colour painting, and doing Zentangle (meditative doodling). This not only taps into my creativity, but it's also very calming and a great way to relieve stress at the end of a busy day. I sometimes draw alone, but my daughter also loves drawing, so spending time connecting with her also feeds my soul.

I've always been passionate about animals and nature, and I love being outside and marveling at what I find. At the moment, lilacs are blooming, so I've been on lilac hunts throughout my neighbourhood and getting in as many sniffs as I can before the blooms fade. I also love looking for tadpoles and frogs in the spring, monarch caterpillars in the fall, and owls in the winter. It doesn't matter if I'm at a pond, in the woods, on a beach, on a mountain, or just in my backyard — I love it all!

Spending time with my dogs is another huge primary food for me, and taking them on walks outside is one of the most consistent primary foods I engage in. I especially like to use this as a "bookend" after dinner to prevent me from reaching for leftovers after I'm already full.

Breathing in the fresh air immediately calms my breath and reminds me that we're all connected in this world. I love chatting with my neighbourhood friends along the way or listening to podcasts so this taps into a ton of primary foods: dogs, nature, exercise, socialising, and alone time!

Yep, I'm also a guinea pig mommy, and these little cuties always make me feel happy whenever I hear their cute squeaks or see their little lips munching hay. I can't not be in a good mood when I see them! Caring for them by rearranging their cage or outdoor play area is another primary food for me, aside from just enjoying their adorableness.

Before kids, before all my dieting BS, I used to play guitar and banjo, and sing a lot. When I first started exploring primary foods, getting back into playing music reminded me how much I missed it and how much it feeds my soul. I sometimes play alone, but sometimes my husband will play and sing with me, so the social connection piece also makes this a double-duty primary food.

Another favourite primary food is sitting on the couch, snuggling with my family and dogs, and watching a movie or a show. I love anything that makes me laugh or is touching. In the past when I was bored an hour or so after dinner, I'd reach for some food, even if I was still full from dinner. So this has been a great replacement to satisfy that need for something that engages my mind.

Some primary foods can involve food, but not have that be the main focus. Meal prepping Sundays is another one of my favourite primary foods because I love that it's more about self-care than it is about the food. I love writing out my weekly menu in my special notebook, making a grocery list, going to the grocery store, and watching a movie while meal prepping salads, soups, oatmeal, and roasted potatoes for the fam and me.

Reading is not only a great stress reliever, but it's also a way to learn something new. After recently finding out I was a highly sensitive person (HSP), I quickly discovered that my daughter was a highly sensitive child (HSC), and I've been loving learning more about this trait. Reading is a primary food you can do anytime, anywhere!

My kids know how obsessed I've become with hummingbirds, and filling up their feeders and catching quick glimpses of them always lifts my mood at random times during the day. It's important to have a variety of interests that can enrich your life and to constantly be learning and exploring our world.