Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
It’s often shown as a pyramid in which the bottom levels represent our basic human needs: food, water, air, shelter, safety. As the pyramid rises, we get into higher level ideas like fulfillment and self-actualization.
The concept is simple: it’s hard to focus on thriving when you’re still trying to survive.
Well, I think nutrition has its own hierarchy.
At the very bottom is simply: Eating. Something. Anything.
“Fed Is Best,” as some would say. We don’t eat perfectly. We eat so we can get through the day and make it to tomorrow.
We all have seasons where survival mode is all we can manage:
- A family member is in the hospital and the only food available is from a vending machine.
- You’re on a long drive and the gas station is the only option.
- A work retreat runs long and lunch turns into coffee and pastries.
These aren’t ideal situations.
But eating still matters, so we make do. And that is completely okay.
The next level in my nutrition hierarchy would be balance.
Getting foods from different groups regularly.
Protein. Carbohydrates. Fat. Fruits and vegetables.
At this level, we can be pretty darn healthy.
If we’re going to eat anyway, AND we have access and opportunity, we might as well give our bodies a balanced mix of foods.
Then, as the hierarchy climbs, we get things like:
- Variety → which helps make eating sustainable
- Personalization → which helps make eating enjoyable
- Optimization → the land of supplements, biohacking, and endless internet advice
But I’m not even sure the upper levels are where most people need to focus… because many of my clients are living in nutrition survival mode every single day.
See if any of this feels familiar:
- In the morning rush to get the kids out the door, there’s no time for breakfast. So, it’s just coffee (because no one ever skips their coffee) on the commute to work.
- Work meetings start right away. Maybe there’s a pastry in the break room, otherwise, it’s about waiting until lunchtime to eat.
- Lunch is going to be whatever the office consensus dictates, and probably eaten in front of a computer screen.
- Dinner will be whatever can be picked up from a drive-thru on the way home, because there was no time to plan meals or even get to the grocery store over the weekend.
Other versions of this story look like:
- Skipping meals entirely
- Running on protein shakes, energy drinks, soda, or caffeine
- Getting through the day only to realize at 9pm that you’re starving
If this is you, you’re in survival mode.
And first of all… you’re still here, still functioning, and clearly still carrying a LOT. That counts for something.
But if you want to feel a little better, a little more energized, maybe a little less overwhelmed… something may need to shift.
I help people figure this stuff out all the time, so if you could use support, please reach out to me.
The good news?
You do not have to jump from survival mode straight into optimization.
You do not need a supplement stack.
You do not need a 30-day transformation program.
You do not need the “perfect” meal plan you saw online.
You probably just need to jump to the next rung on the nutrition hierarchy ladder.
Maybe that means eating breakfast.
Maybe it means adding produce to one meal.
Maybe it means keeping snacks available.
Smaller goals. More realistic steps.
The health benefits of going from zero servings of produce to two or three per day is likely much greater than the benefit of going from four servings to six.
The basics get you surprisingly far.
Social media loves optimization because extremes get attention…
…but most people do not need to be biohacking.
Most people need enough food, a little balance, and routines that actually fit their lives.
And for those of you thinking, “Honestly, I’m already doing pretty okay…” You are under no obligation to keep leveling up forever.
Social media often makes us feel like we’re never doing enough, but I meet plenty of people who are already doing many things that support their health.
Life is about more than food.
Nutrition matters because it helps us function well in the rest of our lives. And if you’ve found a rhythm that feels comfortable?
You do not need to be heroic to be healthy.
