Power of a Simple Word
(and grammar 😉)
Why did the word diet become a verb—“dieting” ? Or even an adjective—“diet food” or “diet drug”? When the “ing” is added to turn “diet” into a verb, that verb form can often bring mixed feelings from angst to fear to frustration, or maybe even hope. So let’s think about the best part of speech to use with the word “diet”--the noun form.
di·et /dīət/ noun the kinds of food that a person regularly consumes; habitual nourishment
(For anyone who hated grammar…stick with us. 😉 LOL)
Read these few sentences that we’ll come back to later in the article. (Pay attention to the noun that is underlined.)
I have a chair. I have a home. You have a book. We have a car.
The child has a blanket. The dog has a leash. The bear has a den.
The underlined words—regular common nouns that all of us know & understand. Just like we all likely have a chair, book, or blanket, we also ALL have a diet.
Now, let’s add adjectives in front of the noun form of the word diet. (Keep sticking us through the grammar.) Let’s go back to the simple sentences from the above and pick the adjective (in parentheses) you’d like to include.
I have a (comfty/broken) chair. I have a (lake-front/peaceful) home. You have a (short/picture) book.
We have a (fast/reliable) car. The child as a (silky/fuzzy) blanket. The dog has a (purple/extendable) leash.
The bear has a (cozy/large) den.
Now let’s focus on the main word we’re talking about today—and put adjectives in front of it.
I have a (healthy/unhealthy) diet.
Maybe one of those adjectives fits for you right now and maybe neither of them do. Pause & take a few moments to dive deeper & reflect on the best adjective (or more than one) that fits for you (or your family).
I have a _______________ diet.
Here’s some adjectives to consider if you’re drawing a blank as you ponder:
Fast-food fatty carb-filled on-the-go
Convenience restaurants simple meat lover’s
Snacky vegetarian healthy unhealthy
Every living thing (including the dog & the bear with their leash and den) has a diet! Is your diet…
…bringing you health?
…helping you live strong?
…letting you LIVE it? (instead of “die”it)