3 Reasons Why “Diet” is Not a Four-Letter Word

Ok, ok.. I know what you’re thinking. Yes – technically – the word “diet” is a four-letter word in that it literally has four letters in it.

BUT..

What I’m talking about is the negative perspective people tend to have towards the word “diet”. The very word itself causes people to groan and sigh with dread.

How many times have you heard someone grumble: “I need to go on a diet” or “I have to lose some weight before this upcoming event, so I’m going on a diet.” Perhaps you’ve resentfully muttered those words yourself, staring longingly at a bag of chips in your cupboard..

No? Just me? Ok, then..

Society has conditioned us to believe a diet is a bad thing, and that conditioning comes in a variety of inaccurate beliefs: that it takes away foods we enjoy or that it’s something temporary you can do to help remedy a situation.

One of the more common beliefs is that the food will be boring and tasteless. Ultimately, it’s that you’re going to end up feeling like a miserable cow the whole time. You won’t.

Following a specific diet isn’t a negative thing and doesn’t need to be thought of in that way. In fact, this perspective begins to sound a bit silly once you stop and recognize the reason people decide to adopt a particular diet is to create positive changes in their life.  

First, let’s take a look at what the word “diet” really means.

What the Word Diet Really Means

The reality is, the word diet just refers to what you eat and drink each day. That’s it. Nothing crazy. It’s simply your eating style.

Some people choose to follow specific types of eating styles such as Low Carb, Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, etc. Whereas other people don’t follow a set style.

And, to be honest, you don’t have to follow a specific eating style as long as your daily choices are geared towards healthier food options. That being said, my personal view is that a lower carb style of eating is best.      

In the U.S., the typical diet is often referred to as the Standard American Diet with the appropriate acronym “SAD”. Unfortunately, the diets of many Americans are heavily composed of overly processed, nutrient-poor, and often sugar-laden foods. Hence, SAD. And this has resulted in numerous health issues for many people.  

So, if you aren’t open to following a particular diet, at least be conscientious of your food choices because – quite frankly – your health depends on it.

Your Diet Does Not Have to Be Boring

Many people seem to think adopting a healthier diet means boring, bland, tasteless food. This couldn’t be farther from the truth!

Of course, if plain boiled chicken and unseasoned steamed veggies are your thing, rock it out. No judgement here; more power to you!

But for those of us who enjoy the vast array of flavors the food world has to offer, you can easily liven up any meal to suit your tastes. And the best part is, the combinations are endless!

Seasonings are definitely on the menu for any eating style and can be customized to your preferences and dietary needs.

Prefer salt-free? Sugar-free? Dislike certain spices? Easy peasy. You can find already pre-made mixes in any grocery store along with single spice options which allow you to create your own favorite blends. Just be sure to read the labels if you are looking to avoid certain ingredients.

Your Diet Doesn’t Have to Cut Out All Your Favorite Foods

“You’ll NEVER be able to eat THAT again!”  Or other variations of that nonsense.

Everyone has terrible warnings about how you will have to give up your favorite foods when you’re deciding to change your eating habits. But not me.

Look, if you’re working with a medical professional who tells you to cut out certain foods because of a medical condition, that’s one thing. But if you’re just making a change in your eating style, then I’m not going to tell you that you can’t have some of your favorite foods ever again.

Yes, you read that correctly. I won’t tell you to give up all your faves. Quite frankly, that’s up to you to decide. And chances are, you will.

What I will tell you is that if your current eating habits have had a negative impact on your health, then continuing to eat the same way isn’t going to help you make any improvements.

It’s likely you’ll find after switching to a cleaner diet that contains less processed and sugary foods, those old faves just taste different.

Sugary foods can taste too sweet. Overly processed and preservative-laden foods may be dull and even have a somewhat chemical taste. You may even find that some foods simply don’t “sit well” with your system anymore.. if you know what I mean.

There are many foods on my list of things I no longer eat. Once I had adopted a healthier low-carb eating style, I found those foods I used to love so much were.. well, really kind of gross.

Some tasted like seasoned cardboard or they were sugar overload, and pretty much all of them upset my stomach in one way or another. I hated the way my body felt after eating them, so it really wasn’t hard for me to decide they just weren’t worth eating anymore. It also made me realize just how poorly made some of the foods available to us really are.  

If you simply must have your old faves once in a while, then keep it to a special treat that you have on rare occasions. Remember, if these foods contributed to poor health, they aren’t doing you any favors by continuing to eat them.

A Diet is Not a Temporary Solution

Another common thought with diets is that they are a temporary solution to a current problem. People think they just need to go on a diet for a set amount of time and voila… change.

And sure, they may experience some change after that time frame. But what happens when they decide they no longer need the diet that helped them make those changes? That’s right. They often go right back to where they were, if not ending up worse off.

That’s where this temporary mentality comes into play as a reason to not think of “diet” as a four-letter word. And this one actually ends up being a bit of a double whammy.

One, because it’s a negative perspective to start with if you consider a diet change to just be a miserable time to “get through.” That it has an expiration date. And then you can go back to eating whatever you want.

Then two, because when people do go back to the same way of eating that got them into trouble to begin with, they get upset and claim the new diet “doesn’t work”.

Look, if you’re making a change to your diet with the goal of achieving better health, it can’t be a temporary situation. Because you’re not looking to improve your health temporarily; you’re looking to improve it permanently.

When we think of changing our diet as something temporary, we lack the respect that we would give if we were instead considering it to be a permanent lifestyle change.

Let’s Change the Perspective

So, we need to change that negative perspective that society has attached to the word diet.

Honestly, I find it a tad ridiculous when you stop to think about it. How many times have you heard someone say the following:

“I’m going on a diet so I can wreck my overall health” or “..so I can develop diabetes/heart disease/etc.”

People don’t change their diets in hopes of a negative outcome.

People choose to adopt an eating style because they have a positive change they want to make. The typical reasons are:

• To lose weight
• To combat a specific health problem they currently have
• To avoid getting a specific health problem
• To feel better about how they look
• To feel better physically or mentally

This is not an exhaustive list, of course, but the bottom line is that typically people make this change with a goal of a positive outcome.

So if our goal is a positive outcome, then why in the world do we continue to harbor negative feelings towards the word diet?  

I know change can be hard at times, and yes there may be foods you’ll choose not to consume as much as you are used to. But let’s shift our perspective from focusing on just that small piece of the whole picture.

Instead, let’s keep our perspective that this diet change is creating a better life for us. We are choosing to consume foods that are healthier, that taste better and help us feel better in a multitude of ways. Diet isn’t a four-letter word.