In nutrition, the diet is basically the amount of food ingested by an organism or human being. Food is categorized into different groups like carbohydrate, protein, fat, and vegetable. A diet is required in order to stay healthy, though there are also some exceptions. Some diets do not require any strict measures for their execution but rather depending on the individual’s will.
For example, some people have their own personal preference in what they would like to eat. They base their diet on the number of calories they’re consuming, the color, the taste, etc. A diet that is simply eating vegetables sparingly is called a fad diet. A diet with higher carbohydrate and protein intake is called low-fat diet. A diet with lower intake of carbohydrates, calories, fat and protein is known as super diet.
There are three main types of diet – the very strict, the moderately strict and the very minimal. The first type of diet is called the very strict, the second one is called the moderately strict and the last one is called the least strict. The very strict diet requires a lot of discipline, while the moderately strict diet requires only small changes in the intake of food. The least strict requires lesser changes in the food intake than the strict one. On the other hand, the minimal kind of diet doesn’t involve much discipline than the strict one.
Diets are divided into four types – the very minimal, the very strict, the moderately strict, and the least strict. Each type has its own definition in the meaning defined in the dictionary. So, in the sense defined in the dictionary, the term ‘diet’ means a certain quantity or level of food, especially of food that is nutritious. A diet is always associated with eating; it is something you should do to stay healthy, fit and strong.
The other senses in which the word diet is used are as follows – in the meaning defined at – the diet prescribed for athletes, the diet prescribed for a patient before and after he undergoes any surgery, the diet prescribed for a pregnant woman in the sense defined at – the diet that is generally taken by athletes during exercise, the diet that is generally taken by patients before and after surgery. In the meaning defined at – athlete, this implies that the person who intends to maintain his physical fitness; in the sense of a pregnant woman, it implies that the woman intends to deliver a child in a particular period of time. It is often used in conjunction with another words like ‘weight loss’ and ‘weight control’. Also, it is commonly associated with the words like ‘diet plan’, ‘fitness regime’, ‘health regime’, ‘food plan’ and ‘weight management program’.
Diets in the scientific sense of the word are a system of regulating food consumption so as to maintain a balance in nutrition and, in turn, body weight. However, it should be noted that a diet does not imply the end of eating or that you will starve yourself to death. A balanced diet will ensure that you intake of all nutrients essential to your body and keep your weight in check. It is also important to note that the definition of diet includes the consumption of food. The objective of the above entry is to give a broad insight into the concept of diet.