There you are, out to dinner with friends, they all order just about everything from the menu. Your level of anxiety is rising as the waiter makes his way around to you. Finally, it’s your turn – “I’ll have the garden salad with grilled chicken. Do you have fat free salad dressing? Water to drink please”. Whew, you got it out – now the countdown starts – how soon until one of your buddies who just ordered the 16oz cheeseburger, covered in cheese, onions and mushrooms, with fries and a beer asks “You on a diet?”. And there it is, the “diet” word. The word where the first three letters spell “die”, something you might just want to do while sitting in that restaurant.
Well as inferior as you may feel right now, you’re actually the smart one who understands the value of healthy eating as well as realizing we’re all on diets. A “diet” is defined as “the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats”. So everyone is on a diet – some are really bad like you’ve just witnesses as the waiter scribbled down the names of meals that just drip with fats and grease that your friends have ordered. And then their are good diets, the one you are committed to in an effort to increase your level of health and improve your overall lifestyle.
When thinking of the definition of diet, remember the most important word “habitually”. We all need breaks from our healthy eating. So every once in a while, order that cheeseburger but just make sure you’re back to your healthy lifestyle of “habitually” eating well and fitness the very next day.