Busting Buzzwords: Diet is our Way of Life
By Emily Lutz, Guest Blogger
Are you sick of seeing the word “diet” everywhere? We see the word pop up all the time, whether it’s on our Instagram feeds, at the grocery store, or on the latest tabloid. You can’t escape it!
When you hear the word diet you might think things like weight loss, restriction, cheat days, keto, intermittent fasting, low-carb, and more. It’s hard to argue that there is just one meaning of this popular yet troublesome word.
When the word diet appears on food and drink labels (like soda, energy drinks, and teas), the items are marketed as a “healthier” alternative to the traditional product, causing us to connect healthy to diet. Using the word diet from the perspective of marketers and influencers is a trick to convince you that anything with the word on it is the better choice, it’ll help you lose weight and find health. But how many of us have tried those diet products and fallen short of this promise? It might make you feel like you’ve failed, you lose hope, and then you begin to hate the word diet
Diet and dieting may be associated with weight loss and health, but the original definition of diet does not have anything to do with achieving this idea of a lighter, healthier you. The word comes from the Greek word “diata”, meaning way of life. Food is central to our lives, we all need to eat to survive, so you could say that eating is a way of life. Running with that idea, defining diet is rather simple. Diet is the food and drink regularly eaten by an individual. This definition doesn’t focus on what you don’t eat, or what you eat in small amounts only because you’re forcing yourself to, and it isn’t about special foods to control calories. It is what it is, no hidden meanings about health, reward, guilt, or losing weight.
The word diet isn’t going to disappear from soda cans, the cover of magazines, or Instagram feeds promising that one quick fix you’ve always wanted. Our current social environment has many of us trained to see the word and think lighter, better, and healthier. But it’s time we start putting our own filters on nutrition related buzzwords, and diet is a great place to start. We can’t get rid of the other meanings, but we can change where our mind goes when we see it. If diet is attached to an eating trend or a product on the shelf think twice before you automatically assume it’s healthy or will help you lose those extra pounds you’ve been wanting to shed. There is nothing out there that will fix all of your health issues with one simple drink, pill, or bar.
You’re not alone if you feel intimidated by changing your mindset about diet. For help, reach out to an expert on eating as a way of life – a registered dietitian! Having problems finding a registered dietitian? Ask your primary healthcare provider to connect you with one who can help put you at ease. Remember food is our way of life, it’s an essential need. We all need to eat to survive and be our healthiest selves.
Hello! I’m Emily, a current student at Oregon State University studying nutrition and dietetics. As a senior I am so close to graduating and moving on to the next step of my path to becoming a registered dietitian! I love learning about how food affects our bodies and nourishes our souls. I believe that food is fuel, but also should be fun! Some of my favorite foods include Mexican and Chinese dishes, but my hands down favorite food is chickpeas—they are just so versatile!
