A New Word for Eating Well

Dana McMahan
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

We need a new word for “diet.” Diet, as we undertand the word now, is plagued by its instant association with fads and failure. Diet feels unattainable, restrictive, and frankly, just not a lot of fun. Not only does the word seem to signify the end of all the things we love (die being unfortunately active here), it also creates overwhelming beginnings — starting points that seem like a long haul down a dark road with no end in sight. So what happens when changing your eating habits for wellness, weigh loss or any other reason, becomes a joyous experience? How can we reframe and embrace new eating habits in a world of hype, over-promise and failure?

I ask this question as someone who awakened to a new way of eating a few years ago. In my quest to cure my dibilitating migraine headaches and long battle with depression symptoms, I adopted a ketogenic diet. A forced focus on wellness pushed me to be more careful about how food choices changed my mood and left my head wrecked. Was this new thinking a diet? Well, yes, but, not really. This was eating to live.

Ketogenics, for me, had a big learning curve. It took many months to learn how track macros effectively. I needed to learn not only about how all foods work in the body, but then I had to get an immersive education in the specific food categories that would be my new sources of energy. I became a label-reading, brand-research guru of the grocery aisle. The transition was the most homework I’ve ever done in my life, but the results were life-changing. I felt so much better, and to avoid becoming one of those alternative eaters who give out too much information in an evangelical way, I decided to explore new ways of sharing all my nutruition-geekiness in a way that others could embrace. This led me to the question of a new word.

The word “diet” doesn’t cover what I now know about food. Calling the way I eat now a “lifestyle” sounds great in print, but doesn’t work very well in casual conversation—it sounds very pretentious out loud. I’ve even transitioned to fully plant-based Keto, so going deeply into that subject made the over-sharing worse.

What new word could just say, “I eat simplier and better and therefore I feel better?” Food journalist Michael Pollan thought about this a lot in his book and corresponding documentary In Defense of Food. A simple explanation with easy words was something he found he needed, too. After his deep dive into the food industry and the barrage of conflicting diet regimes his solution was: “Eat food. Not alot. Mostly plants.” Easy. Now how do we say that with just one word?

Here’s a suggestion: If we don’t want to die-t — for any number of reasons, all wrought with anxiety — do we want to live-t? The word livet exists already. It’s easy to spell, exists in other languages, so, could it be a recepticle for all things positive in the world of eating as we embrace wellness and better nutrition?

Time will tell. Words are finicky and with all my emphasis on avoid things that feel like a fad, I might’ve just ended up rallying for one instead. But here, in my own quiet space of finally feeling better, I’m loving my new livet, avocados, coconut oil, pecans and all. I hope you’ve found your perfect livet too.

Dana McMahan

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Professor of advertising, design, entrepreneurship at UNC. CMO of TOPO Organic Spirits, Chapel Hill, NC. Tryin' to keep it creative.