Natural Life Choices®, Inc

Health & Wellness Coach 

What do we usually think when we use the word “DIET”? Probably 99% of people think of “diet” as losing some extra lbs. or kg. When you look in a dictionary, you will find a few definitions. In Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries, there are a few descriptions of diet as a noun:

a) food and drink regularly provided or consumed

b) habitual nourishment

c) the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for special reason

d) a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly to reduce one’s weight.

The word diet is also used as a verb; “dieted, dieting, diets” and described:

a. to cause to take food

b. to cause to eat and drink sparingly or according to prescribed rules

It is also used as an adjective as:

a. reduced in or free from calories

b. promoting weight loss (as by depressing appetite)

There is another interesting thing which I found out about the word “diet” that the first time it was used as a noun was in the 13th century, where it meant- food and drink regularly provided or consumed”; as a verb in 14th century – to cause to take food; as an adjective in 1963 – reduced in or free from calories and promoting weight loss. 

It is interesting that the word “diet” first appeared in English in the 13th century. Its original meaning was the same as in modern English, “habitually taken food and drink”. But diet was used in another sense too in the Middle and early modern English periods to mean a “way of living”. This is, in fact, the original meaning of diet’s Greek ancestor “diaita”, which is derived from the verb “diaitasthan”, meaning “to lead one’s life.” In Greek, “diaita”, had already come to be used more specifically for a way of living prescribed by a physician, a diet or other regimen.

So, the first definition of diet and first use of the word “diet” tell us about the food that a person, animal or community habitually eats. This concept is what we should all think when we are thinking about our own diet. It is the way we are eating every day, day in and day out, week in and week out, month after month, whether we are trying to lose weight or not. From the point of view of healthy living, it is precisely by paying attention to the meaning of diet that we realize the greatest health benefits. 

Often, we think what we should eat or should not eat. What is a “healthy diet”, meaning what is my daily, weekly, and monthly way of eating. The “healthy diet” is defined as a balance and variety of foods and beverages that assist an individual in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, supporting healthy weight, supporting health, and preventing disease. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and of Health and Human Services (HHS) update the Dietary Guidelines at least every 5 years, based on the current science. As recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture, a healthy diet includes:

• Vegetables of all types—dark green; red and orange; beans, peas, and lentils; starchy; and other vegetables 
• Fruits, especially whole fruit 
• Grains, at least half of which are whole grain 
• Dairy, including fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, and/or lactose-free versions and fortified soy beverages and yogurt as alternatives 
• Protein foods, including lean meats, poultry, and eggs; seafood; beans, peas, and lentils; and nuts, seeds, and soy products 
• Oils, including vegetable oils and oils in food, such as seafood and nuts

When I studied at Integrative Nutrition Institute, I learned about 100 different diets. What is your diet? You can make your own diet by choosing what is good for you and your health. 

Please let me know if I can help you – I think I can!

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All the best

Ela

2023 Natural Life Choices®, INC.

Coaching, Support, Education, Development

email:Ela@naturallifechoices.com