Nutrition & Fitness

Does the word "diet" immediately make you think of an unpleasant weight-loss regimen?

If it did, you are probably not alone. For example, consider the use of the term "diet" in marketing food products—it usually describes foods low in calories, such as diet soda.

But there is another meaning of this word. Diet can also refer to the food and drink a person consumes daily and the mental and physical circumstances connected to eating.

The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary gives two definitions of nutrition:

• "the sum of the processes by which an animal or plant takes in and utilizes food"
• "the act or process of nourishing or being nourished"

While both are correct, the second definition is more inclusive and suggests that food involves many different things, including love, satisfaction, and enjoyment.

Nutrition involves more than simply eating a “good” diet—it is about nourishment on every level. It involves relationships with family, friends, nature (the environment), our bodies, our community, and the world.