Diet culture promises transformation but often delivers guilt. These quotes take a broader view — covering nutrition, health, willpower, and the complicated relationship most of us have with food and the bodies we live in.
“It's my firm intention to whop cancer into submission and I truly believe I've given myself the best start possible by radically overhauling my diet and by staying true to my motto, which is: Don't worry, be happy, feel good. The first thing I did when I was diagnosed was to turn vegan.”
“Environmental concern is a little like dieting or paying off credit-card debt - an episodically terrific idea that burns brightly and then seems to fade when we realize there's a reason we need to diet or pay down our debt. The reason is that it's really, really hard, and too many of us in too many spheres of life choose the easy over the hard.”
“Such lifestyle factors such as cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, little physical activity and low dietary calcium intake are risk factors for osteoporosis as well as for many other non-communicable diseases.”
“Weight Watchers is not intimidating. It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle.”
“Sometimes I've had to put myself on a diet.”
“If I like myself at this weight, then this is what I'm going to be. I don't have an eating disorder.”
“My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.”
“Cutting meat out of your diet is the best thing you can do for animals and your own health.”
“I'm only drinking white wine because I'm on a diet and I don't eat.”
“High-quality food is better for your health.”
“Frankly, I don't trust any diet that doesn't allow sugar.”
“I'm lucky, I don't like sweets, not even chocolate.”
“I don't find it a struggle to maintain a healthy diet now as my palate has changed. I don't crave rich food.”
“I am fussy, about my diet and straining my voice. I know, sounds a bit over the top. But I'm not as bad as I used to be. These days I don't drink alcohol for five days before a show - very dehydrating for the vocal cords, and all that acid reflux. I used to ban it for a fortnight. Nightmare.”
“I've never followed a vegan or vegetarian diet in the past, but I think I could do it. It would not be easy. I have worked with nutritionists who have said a vegan diet is not necessarily all positive for your health, because you need nutrients you only find in meats. I believe in a balanced diet.”
“Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”