Diet Culture

Synonymous with fitness, health, body shapes, sizes, and more the word “Diet” has been overused and twisted beyond recognition. The most consistent definition of the word “Diet” is: 

: food and drink regularly provided or consumed

: habitual nourishment

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

Really delving deep into the true root of the word reveals the etymology derived from the Greek Noun Diaita and Latin Verb Diaitan. The Greek Diaita means “way of life” OR “way of living”, and the Latin verb means “to lead, govern, or arbitrate one’s life”. When we pause and reflect on what’s really present in front of us, we can see the distortion and manipulation that has been brought upon by years of social culture, pressure, and expectations. Now, any search for “diet” yields thousands of pages of quick weight loss, muscle building, and a variety of accounts that tout the benefits of one specific diet or another. 

As we continue to thrive and grow through our lives, there is a strong emphasis on health and the permanent balance it plays with our physical and mental well-being. Returning to the true root of the word may be beneficial in rewriting the course of our own path. While we have significantly expanded from our ancestors with the way the world functions, we can still benefit from their experience and embrace that “Diet” applies to our whole health and can be derived from examining mind and body together. 

Accepting this shift in perspective when we apply the word “Diet” to our lives will create a broader view of every aspect of life. Diet is not simply making different choices when we go out to buy produce and food for the home, it’s the acknowledgment that food is not the only choice we have to make in order to nourish and empower our mind and body. How many times have you seen “Digital Detox” or “Social Media Diet”? Another representation of how “limiting” or “removing” something from our lives can produce the results we are looking for! 

Applying this magnanimous concept is not an easy feat, this is not a quick weight loss diet or 3-month plan, this is a permanent deviation from thoughts that you are comfortable with to create a new pattern (or chain of events). Small changes occur incrementally throughout the day, and days change, so your mind and body are aligning to support and enhance those changes. 

This is not a concept chosen solely for athletes or professionals across the field of sports, we have all gone through life having to learn something repetitively and commit it to muscle memory (the simplest act that we learn as children, tying our shoes, did not just happen overnight). 

Embrace what you can and cannot change, embrace life and culture, traditions and spontaneity, and at the end of it all, acknowledge that you have control.