diet

The word "diet" is used when talking about the consumption of food. This word is both a noun and a verb.

To be on a diet means that a person’s consumption of food is regulated for the purpose of maintaining good health:

• Alicia’s doctor put her on a special diet because her sodium levels are too high.
• Victor is on a diet because he wants to lose weight.
• I need to go on a diet because my clothes don’t fit me as well as they used to.

To have a diet means that you consume food, good or bad, but the quality of the food has a lasting impact on your overall daily health:

• Edgar has a good diet. He eats fruit and vegetables every day, and he eats very little meat.
• Layla has a poor diet. She eats a lot of junk food and never eats fresh fruit or vegetables.
• For people who live near the ocean, fish and seafood are a major part of their diet.
• Vegetarians exclude meat products from their diet.
• Do you have a good diet or a poor diet?

The word "diet" is also used as a verb. To diet is to control the amount or quality of food consumed in order to lose weight.

• Walter is dieting because he’s fifty pounds overweight.
• Charlene has been dieting and exercising over the last few months to get ready for swimsuit season.
• Dieting is very difficult for some people. (This sentence uses "diet" as a gerund.)
• Have you ever dieted?

Rudy needs to go on a diet because he’s obese.

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March 7, 2016