A lot of the problems in society nowadays are down to diet and

In the words of Jeremy Kyle, there rings a warning as ancient as the hills and as modern as the screen: “A lot of the problems in society nowadays are down to diet and lifestyle — be that obesity, diabetes, asthma caused by smoking or drinking.” Though spoken plainly, these words strike the heart like a prophet’s cry, reminding humankind that decay often begins not from the world outside, but from neglect within. It is a truth the wise of every age have known — that when the body is treated as a vessel of pleasure alone, it becomes instead a vessel of suffering.

For the ancients understood that the body is the temple of the spirit, and its care is not vanity, but reverence. In the schools of Greece, the young were taught not only philosophy but balance — that strength of limb must match strength of thought. The Stoics spoke of temperance, the middle path between indulgence and deprivation. Yet in our time, the balance has been lost. The table groans under excess, the lungs choke on smoke, and the mind — dulled by the rush of comfort — forgets its own sanctity. Thus, the illnesses of the flesh become reflections of the illnesses of the soul.

When Kyle speaks of diet and lifestyle, he speaks not only of food and habit, but of discipline and awareness. For diet is not merely what enters the mouth, but what one allows to shape the body, the mind, and the days of one’s life. The modern world feeds its people not only with processed food, but with processed desires — quick pleasures, easy comforts, and the illusion of control. And yet, as the ancients warned, what enters us — through tongue, through breath, through thought — becomes us. If we feed upon corruption, we shall become corrupt; if we consume only ease, we shall grow weak.

Consider the fate of Rome, the empire that once ruled the earth. Its early citizens were hardy, disciplined, and simple in diet and living. But as the centuries passed, their tables overflowed with feasts, their bodies softened with luxury, and their hearts forgot the virtues that built their power. Historians tell of banquets that lasted through the night, of gluttony mistaken for greatness, of indulgence that eroded the spirit. In time, the empire fell — not by sword alone, but by decay within. Thus, Kyle’s warning echoes across the centuries: when nations lose mastery over appetite, they lose mastery over destiny.

The ailments he names — obesity, diabetes, asthma, and the plagues of smoking and drinking — are not curses cast by gods, but the consequences of our own hands. They are the body’s rebellion against neglect, the soul’s protest through the language of pain. Yet, even in this, there is hope. For what has been built by habit can be undone by awareness. The ancients said, “He who conquers himself is the greatest of warriors.” To conquer oneself is to rise each day and choose not ease, but integrity — not indulgence, but renewal.

But let this truth not harden into judgment. Kyle’s words, though stern, are not of condemnation, but of awakening. For every soul who struggles with the weight of body or spirit, there lies the power to change — not through shame, but through reverence for life itself. When one begins to eat with gratitude, to move with purpose, to breathe with intention, the body becomes once more a sacred instrument, and the spirit plays through it like light through glass.

So, O listener, take heed of this teaching: guard your diet, but more so, your habits; tend not only to your body, but to your discipline and joy. Let your meals be simple, your air be clean, your drink be measured, and your movements be many. For the health of one person ripples outward — a stronger body makes a stronger mind, and a stronger mind builds a wiser world.

Thus, Jeremy Kyle’s truth becomes a timeless law: the care of the self is the foundation of the care of society. The ailments of a generation are not random, but reflections of its choices. If we would heal our world, we must first heal our living. For as the ancients taught — and as every heart already knows — the harmony of the world begins with the harmony of the body, and the first act of wisdom is to live with care.