When I do nutrition assessments I ask the question, “what does your diet look like?” The response I get is, “Oh I’m not really on a diet right now.” In which I have to respond with, “Sorry, I meant what do you eat in a day”. This is diet. Diet is not keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, South Beach, Atkins, etc. Diet is what we put in our bodies every day.
I like the ancient Greek definition of diet the best though. The Greek word for diet is diaita which means a way of living. When the Greek’s used this word they meant more than what they ate. They mean’t EVERYTHING we expose ourselves to. The people we hang around, the books we read, our methods of entertainment, our sources of pleasure. It’s about what we look at on our smartphones, what we do before bed, how we manage stress, and what we do for work. All of these things play a big role in our health as a whole. Not just nutrition.
Now admittedly, nutrition is one of the biggest levers you can pull to improve your health. And certainly, it is a great place to start. But the goal should be for us to be aware of all the areas of our lives where we are consuming. Whether it’s food, media, literature, or conversation we should be taking the time to consider what we are exposing ourselves to, the impact it is having on us, and decide if it’s a good idea to continue consuming it.
Many of you reading this newsletter have nailed down the nutrition piece or are well on your way to doing it. This is the next step. This is how you take your health to the next level. This is how you develop a type of control over yourself that allow you to get healthy, stay healthy, and achieve more than you ever thought you could.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Irvin
P.S. Did you know the Keto Answers book is now available on audiobook? Tune in to get over 250 questions answered and become an expert on the ketogenic diet.