Joshua Rosenthal - The Power of Primary Food: Tools for Nourishment Beyond the Plate

Special thanks to Michaela Rowland and Marissa LaRocca for their support and dedication to the success of this project.

Notice: This book is not intended to replace recommendations or advice from physicians or other healthcare providers. Rather, it is intended to help you make informed decisions about your health and to cooperate with your healthcare provider in a joint quest for optimal wellness. If you suspect you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek medical attention from a competent healthcare provider.

Integrative Nutrition Publishing
3 East 28th St., Floor 12
New York, NY 10016
http://www.integrativenutrition.com

ISBN: 978-1-941908-00-6

Copyright 2015 Joshua Rosenthal

All rights reserved under all Copyright Conventions.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Distributed by Greenleaf Book Group LLC

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015933794

First Edition

This book is dedicated to people in all stages of their personal development who are willing to put down their forks for a moment and focus on the most primary components of well-being.

T here are two ways you can drive a car. You can jump into your vehicle and drive recklessly, dealing with whatever tickets and consequences come your way. Or, you can drive with mindfulness, paying attention to the rules of the road and your own safety. There are also two ways to own a car: you can wait until youre out of gas to fill up your tank, wait until you have a mechanical failure to take your car to the shop, and wait until you blow a tire to replace it. Or, you can maintain your vehicles parts and fluids and take it to your mechanic for routine maintenance before an issue arises. Living is much like driving in this way, and owning a car is similar to inhabiting a body. Sure, accidents happen and there are some things that are out of our control, but wouldnt life flow a whole lot smoother if we took the necessary steps to properly nourish our minds, bodies, and souls? Wouldnt this be better than living every day in crisis mode?

The world today can be challenging to navigate. With so many new devices to keep track of and technology moving at the speed of light, its clear that people are having more and more difficulty unplugging from the stimulation around them and plugging into themselves. More and more people are suffering from anxiety, depression, and other imbalances as they struggle to keep up with the demands of their day-to-day schedules. Burdened by pressure and responsibility, many of us have forgotten how to give ourselves permission to sit back and enjoy our lives. Weve lost the ability to connect not only with ourselves but with the people around us.

In this book, renowned speaker, healer, and founder of Institute for Integrative Nutrition Joshua Rosenthal shines a necessary light on the most fundamental areas of well-being: relationships, physical activity, career, and spirituality. Through personal anecdotes, interactive exercises, and compelling experiential knowledge, Joshua takes readers on a journey that leads them to themselves.

Through Joshuas revolutionary perspective, the food on our plates is importantbut its just one aspect of our health. Whats as important are the decisions we make around everything else that feeds us on a core level: the people we keep as company, the kinds of exercise we do regularly, the jobs we invest our time and energy in, and the ways in which we connect on a spiritual level to nature and all living things. Its all of these pieces and more that contribute to whether or not a person will feel happy and fulfilled in their everyday life.

I am thrilled to see that Joshua shares this all-encompassing perspective at his school too. In my practice, I see time and again how working on aspects of our health outside of foodsuch as stress management and physical movementcan take my patients wellness to the next level. My Health Coaches and I help our patients find ways to implement lifestyle shifts such as physical movement, yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques into their everyday livesits often a missing piece of the puzzle for them.

It is my educated instinct that this book will appeal to a wide range of peoplespecifically those who are ready to open themselves up to a whole new world of possibility where they are in control of their own happiness. If you find yourself feeling anxious, frustrated, and overwhelmed; if you consistently put other people before yourself; or if youre just looking for ways to live each day with more ease and efficiency, then the practical tips and advice in this book will serve as a roadmap from where you are now to where you truly desire to be. I can attest to this myself: that even if you think you are well-versed in holistic wellness and have had major breakthroughs in the area of self-awareness, you will gather a wealth of wisdom from these pages that will make reading it all worthwhile.

With well-deserved honor and respect, I congratulate Joshua on this powerful piece of work which holds up as an introductory piece of holistic literature, as well as a cohesive refresher for those more advanced in their journeys. Through the integrative approach of addressing all components of health and lifestyle rather than diet only, we can begin with ourselves and in time transform our society and our planet.

F rank L ipman, MD

Integrative Doctor, Founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City

The Power of Primary Food is divided into seven chapters.

Chapter 1, Heal with Primary Food, examines the challenges we face in todays modern world and the importance of learning to nurture ourselves from the inside out. I encourage you to read this chapter with an open heart and mind. Begin to acknowledge the ways in which youve felt oppressed or held back in your own life, examine your priorities, and set intentions for the journey ahead.

Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 are devoted to the four areas of life I believe to be most integral to well-beingRelationships, Career, Physical Activity, and Spirituality. As you move through these sections, get real with yourself. What has been holding you back? What risks can you take to improve the quality of your life?

In Chapter 6, complete the Circle of Life exercise to create a visual for yourself of your level of satisfaction in different areas of your life. Then, as you progress forward and experiment with the principles laid out in this book, return to this exercise as often as you need.

The final chapter, Maintain Balance, brings together the main concepts mentioned in the book and introduces a few new ones: Self-Actualization, Fitting Out, The Power of Visualization, Synchronicity, and others. As you conclude, take these concepts with you. Allow them to marinate and reshape your life.

Each chapter contains exercises called Check-Ins. These are pause and check points meant to help you turn your attention inward and apply what you are learning to your life. It is recommended that you keep a pen and notebook handy and allow yourself time to meditate, reflect, and assimilate as you go.

You will notice each chapter ends with a Recipe for Life section. These serve as a summary of the information covered in each chapter and will be handy to refer back to in the future.