Kelly Konrad

Hey everyone! I have been on a health journey for a long time. I first struggled and emerged victorious from an eating disorder called Ed-Nos (eating disorder not otherwise specified) I had to explore how to eat differently, since I learned almost three years ago that I have a food allergy(corn). After I adjusted to this news, and learned to eat better, I joined a weight-loss program called IdealYou, which took a holistic healing approach to my plate, and my life.

Here’s where the exciting news comes in: my beautiful sister introduced me to a school called Institute for Integrative Nutrition. After doing a lot of research and consideration, I decided to take a leap of faith, and enroll for the May 2022 class. This year-long class has transformed me in so many ways, and the coolest thing is that I have several months to go!

This school takes on a holistic perspective where food is only a part of our lives. The other parts are taken into play. I have always seen our lives as a wheel with multiple spokes, which includes “spokes” like our spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual, and more. If one “spoke” isn’t working correctly, the others are affected. The goal is to achieve optimal balance. This school and the professor see life in the same way I do, so the school was the one for me.

There are three core concepts that are taught in the school: bio-individuality, primary food, and secondary food. I’ll explain each one.

Bio-individuality is the idea that everyone has different needs. We are all unique in the ways that support our individual health and happiness. What may help one person may not work for another. My goal is to help clients explore their needs, and help them explore the many ways that will help them on a journey to an improved version of themselves in each part of their life.

Did you know that the food that we eat is just secondary food? Intrigued? Primary food is the “food” that nourishes us off the plate. It is called primary food because wellness goes beyond that nourishes our physical bodies. I work with a tool called “the circle of life”, and the circle includes: joy, spirituality, creativity, finances, career, education, health, physical activity, home cooking, home environment, relationships, and social life. This is the part that really got me excited! I couldn’t wait to explore all of these in my own life, and eventually help my clients to do the same with their lives. You will be using this tool multiple times throughout the 6 month program I am offering in order to monitor your progress.

Secondary food is, of course, the food that we eat every day, the food on our plate. Food can either hurt or nourish us, depending on our individual bodies and needs. There are no “bad foods”. Just as Hippocrates explained, “Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.” I adhere to this teaching. I also agree that if we focus solely on diet, we are ignoring the other pieces of the puzzle. Many factors influence us to choose certain foods, including health, lifestyle, environment, physiology and psychology, society, culture, and economy. It is also affected by our personal belief system, our food relationship, and our knowledge of food. Secondary food influences primary food, and vice versa.

Throughout my journey in the school, I am learning information that truly fascinates me, and influences me in my health journey. I often get excited, and eager to share what I am learning with others. Stay tuned for several blogs coming in the future. There is a lot to talk about! Thank you for walking this journey with me!