What’s the difference between a diet and nutrition? Is dieting bad for you?

When a healthy lifestyle is mentioned, the words ‘nutrition’ and ‘diet’ are always the keywords used. While many use these words interchangeably, diet and nutrition are not the same, at least not in how most people use them. Although closely related to each other, they carry vastly different meanings & Studio SWEAT onDemand’s Trainer Brian LaRose is here with Registered Dietitian, Miriam to articulate the distinction!

Nutrition is all about eating in a balanced, moderate way with key nutrients like vitamins, minerals, proteins, and carbohydrates. By focusing on nutrition daily, we make smarter and healthier choices while still honoring natural signals in our body.

A diet, on the other hand, fixates on a short-term excursion that some people might thrive on, but most will not (95% failure rate). More often than not, diets are also referring to weight loss, and restriction. While temporarily “cutting carbs” or frantically counting calories could be seen as healthy, it proves to be ineffective time and time again. A temporary way of living to achieve the desired outcome while restricting yourself to a certain plan that isn’t typically tailored to the general outcome is not a sustainable form of living.

Now, one thing to clarify is that there is also a difference between “a diet” and “your diet”. I just want to help you understand this. Your diet simply means what you eat and drink. Your diet is what you put in your pie hole. It’s not derogatory, it’s just factual. A diet or being on a diet is what we were talking about above, it’s restriction. I just want to make sure you get the difference between the two phrases.

So, instead of flipping through diet after diet without tackling the larger issues, start by making smaller, permanent changes to your nutrition, like taking away something toxic and replacing it with something healthy or focusing on nurturing your body whether that be from exercise or food. By concentrating on sustainable and long-term habits, you’ll be more apt to make stronger connections with what you consume and feel happy and healthy!