diet

noun

1 food sb/sth usually eats

ADJECTIVE

▪ good, healthful (AmE), healthy, nutritious, sensible

▪ balanced, varied, well-balanced

▪ adequate

▪

People can fight infection more easily if they have an adequate diet.

▪ bad, poor, unhealthy

▪ staple

▪

a staple diet of cornmeal and vegetables

▪ daily

▪ vegan, vegetarian

▪ American, Mediterranean, Western, etc.

VERB + DIET

▪ consume, eat, have

▪

It is important to eat a balanced diet.

▪ live on, survive on

▪

They had to survive on a diet of insects and berries.

▪ feed sb, feed sb on, keep sb on

▪ change

▪

She was told to change her diet and quit smoking.

▪ supplement

DIET + VERB

▪ consist of sth, contain sth

▪

The animal's diet consists mainly of grasses.

PREPOSITION

▪ in a/the diet

▪

the amount of fat in your diet

▪ on a diet

▪

These animals live on a mainly vegetarian diet.

▪ diet of

▪

They were fed on a diet of rice and vegetables.

PHRASES

▪ a diet high in sth, a diet rich in sth

▪

a diet rich in vitamins and minerals

2 when you want to lose weight/are ill

ADJECTIVE

▪ strict

▪ weight-loss, weight-reducing

▪ crash, starvation

▪

Crash diets are not the best way to lose weight.

▪ fad

▪ calorie-controlled (esp. BrE), low-calorie (esp. AmE)

▪ restricted, special

▪ dairy-free, gluten-free, etc.

▪ high-fibre/high-fiber, high-protein, etc.

▪ low-carb, low-fat, etc.

VERB + DIET

▪ follow, have

▪

If you follow this diet, you're bound to lose weight.

▪ go on, start

▪ stick to

▪

I have to stick to a low-fat diet.

▪ be on

▪

I'd love a dessert, but I'm on a diet.

DIET + NOUN

▪ drink, food

▪ Coke™, soda (esp. AmE)

▪ pill

▪ plan

▪

Lose pounds with our new diet plan!

▪ book

PREPOSITION

▪ on a diet

▪

athletes on a special high-protein diet