Why do we use the word DIET?

I’ve been reading articles all day about good health and I’m so tired of the word diet.  Why can’t we use the words healthy choices?  Lets admit it….90% of diets do not work.  It’s a word that we just don’t like.  It spooks us. Lets say we’re at a party and someone asks if we want dessert. As soon as you say “no thank you I’m a diet” everyone starts giving you their opinion of what the best way to diet is.  Once I started to say “no thank you I choose not too” all the advice stopped.  I never say I’m on a diet I say that I’m making healthier choices.  The word diet comes with this perceived image that no matter which one it is it’s going to bad and your going to fail.  But when you realize all you have to do is make healthier choices…now that sounds like something no matter how long you need to do it, no matter how much weight you want to lose or the reason you need to alter your food intake.. its possible.  I tried to look on-line to see how many diets there were. Well to find that out I have to decide which diet I want a number for.  For instance…..Belief-Based Diet, Vegetarian diets, Weight control diets, Crash diets, Detox diets, Diets for medical reason and I’m sure we all know a lot more.  But when I brought up making your own personal healthy choice….there’s only one and that’s the one you chose.  So I have decided if you were planning on going on a diet Monday how about saying…Starting Monday I’m going to start making healthier choices!!!!!!