"I don't like to diet. I like to eat right"

How many times in our lives, have we used the word DIET? "My jeans don't fit I need to get on a diet" or "Tomorrow I am getting on a diet." As a wedding and event planner I have heard my clients during lunch meetings assure me that by their wedding, birthday or charity event they will lose weight because they are going on a diet while taking a bite of their  unhealthy meal. I once used the word diet as a temporary solution, to fit in my little black dress or to make a grand appearance at a school reunion. My problem with the word diet is how we use it and how it can make us and those around us feel in particular our children. In a society where the cover of fashion magazines are covered with skinny models and school lunch is anything but healthy its difficult not to have a problem with our self image. We are our children's role models, they look up to us and listen to everything we say, they learn everything from us and that includes the way we feel about ourselves and how we eat. Diets come with restrictions, eating right comes with mindful choices.

Once you experience the great benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, you realize the journey was not about becoming skinny it was about living longer. There is a wonderful quote by Dr. Norman Walker in his book Become younger "A close mind...a mind which has made it a practice to frown on a radical change in thought, habits and actions, is the greatest stumbling block towards any process on the road to become younger." It is important to learn the health benefits and the effects of what we eat only then are we able to make wise choices for us and our family.