Interesting comments made on biggest loser tonight that maybe conflicting: No more diets, but the Mediterranean diet is the one to go on....
I believe that the intention was to make it clear that you do not go on and off a diet: your diet is your LONG TERM commitment to healthy eating and the most effective diet is that of the Mediterranean area.
The last 20-30 years have not done the health and nutrition industry any favours, especially with the continued focus on finding the quick fix that solves every individuals weight problems.
I have copied this from www.dictionary.com:
–noun
| 1. | food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: Milk is a wholesome article of diet. |
| 2. | a particular selection of food, esp. as designed or prescribed to improve a person's physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease: a diet low in sugar. |
| 3. | such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: No pie for me, I'm on a diet. |
| 4. | the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit. |
| 5. | food or feed habitually eaten or provided: The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce. |
| 6. | anything that is habitually provided or partaken of: Television has given us a steady diet of game shows and soap operas. |
–verb (used with object)
| 7. | to regulate the food of, esp. in order to improve the physical condition. |
–verb (used without object)
| 9. | to select or limit the food one eats to improve one's physical condition or to lose weight: I've dieted all month and lost only one pound. |
| 10. | to eat or feed according to the requirements of a diet. |
–adjective
| 11. | suitable for consumption with a weight-reduction diet; dietetic: diet soft drinks.
|
It is clear that the original meaning of the word now encompasses the ideal that weight management is part of its intent. Entries 1, 4, 5 and 6 reflect the original intent of the word, and this is where Biggest Loser (I believe) were focusing on.
A diet is not just for after Christmas, it is a way of life.
