Why I hate the word diet....warning a rant coming on

[Deb]

There seems to be a lot of diet books surfacing this time of year. I guess it is because people make New Year's resolutions about weight loss. I know when I worked at the YMCA years ago, we were bombarded with new members in Jan and they were thinning out by March. I know I have myself made that resolution only to abandoned it by February. SO I understand the want to be thin.


But I really feel the word diet keeps people fat, unhealthy and where they are at. Usually with an unhealthy weight, fear of the scale and an unhealthy relationship with food.

This unhealthy relationship with food really hit me recently. I thought it was just a few of us with that issue. (I had a breakthrough with this last year). But after watching a evening of the programs on the FN, I am more aware that it may be more than just a few of us. It is probably more like our entire country has some emotional issues with food. OK maybe 5% do not.

The most popular shows are competitions. I mean really, do I want someone sweating into and rushing to finish my dish to eat? There are chefs racing to make dishes with a key ingredient, cupcakes, sweets and time challenges. Then later in the evening 2 shows were hosted by 2 guys of size one looking for the best bar foods ( where he taste it on camera and tells us how wonderful it is and how he can still taste the spices in it as it was double deep fried) and the other outrageous foods like a 110# hamburger. Really dude?


That was followed by people competing to eat the outrageous food fast or within a time frame to receive it free. Large portions, fried foods and hottest foods.
Now don't misunderstand me, I am by no means a health nut. I am trying to limit processed foods and make healthier choices. I still eat things that are not the best for my body. But I might be looking to change things up even more seriously in the new year. But trust me, I won't call it a diet!

[Ayn]

I struggle with that too. Its natural for me to call this a raw food diet, but I dont mean DIET, I mean, its what I eat..  Im trying to refer to this as a life style as to not confise others.

 

Did you mention that after all the fatty chef foods show comes all the weightloss ones? Its amazing if you look at JUST the tv. So much sugar, oil, processed foods, sepression, then weightgain to stimulate the weightloss.. UGH.

 

Heres to a happy and healthy you!

[Vegan♥for♥Life]

I als0 feel that what works for me may not work for you, or her, or him. Every BODY is different and every mindset is at a different place on their Healing Journey.

Healthy Options is another couple of words that come to mind too.

Good post.

[Brandi J]

I'm with you 100% on this one. Have you read any of Geneen Roth's books? Her stuff and the "Intuitive Eating" book have led me in this direction. The question is not what "should" we do, but what makes sense. What is just common sense and natural. We start throwing all kinds of rules around an activity (eating) that should take no more of our thought process than breathing really, and somehow it becomes this big, complicated, unpleasant mess. Back to basics. I *think* it really is that easy...

[Vegan♥for♥Life]

I AM a health nut and proud of it. I call this my Raw Healing Journey or my lifestyle. No way is eating Raw a diet. Diet sells books, pills, and failure.

It may say that in the dictionary Susan :) but I think the food industry has royally misconstrued the word and made it to suit whatever money-making business or book or pill.

[Susan : )]

I looked online at the dictionary and the word diet simply means:

1. The usual food and drink of a person or animal.

2. A regulated selection of foods, as for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss.

Maybe just looking at this simply will help.

[Raven Taylor]

I so agree with you... I have been on a DIEt most of my life... and when I switched to eating RAW I decided to never call it a DIEt... I call it a living plan, and eating plan, and a whole host of other titles but never a DIEt...

 

I was just saying to a friend that I wished the FN and other channels like 8create would host a RAW food chef... and other healthy eating shows instead of the short cuts with processed foods and junk food and deserts... He laughed at me.. and said that the people wouldn't watch those kind of shows...

 

I really understand what you are saying here!!!

 

:  ) Raven