What is a diet?
Posted by kathryn in Nutrition
With this week seeing the celebration (?) of International No Diet Day, there’s a nice post over at Diet-Blog about what exactly a diet is. The word “diet” has become infused with emotion, as Diet-Blog says:
The word can be used to bludgeon the guilty: “Diets don’t work – you should learn how to eat healthy instead.” The word can also be used to impart positivity and even superiority: “My children have a wonderfully nutritious and wholesome diet.”
I personally agree with one of the commenters that:
Your diet is technically whatever you eat on a daily basis. I’m not reducing calories at the moment but I still have a diet. I’m not on a diet. Everyone has a diet even if they aren’t on a diet.
However I am always very careful of how and when I use the word “diet” in clinic. Most people see a “diet” as a period of restriction and deprivation. A temporary aberration that takes them away from their normal way of eating. It’s something they do short-term to lose weight.
08 May, 2007
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