I love meat and vegetables. If I did a diet, I would do Paleo

In the joyful and self-aware words of Chrissy Teigen, we find not mere humor, but the echo of an ancient truth about balance and humanity itself: “I love meat and vegetables. If I did a diet, I would do Paleo, except they have no cheese, which is very upsetting. I'm going to start my own Chrissy diet that's like Paleo plus cheese. Plus late Saturday night drive-through.” Though her words are lighthearted, they shine with deeper meaning — a gentle rebellion against the tyranny of perfection, and a celebration of the sacred balance between discipline and delight. For in every age, the wise have known that to live well is not to deny joy, but to hold it in harmony with virtue.

The origin of this quote lies in Teigen’s open-hearted approach to food, life, and authenticity. A lover of both good meals and good humor, she stands as a modern philosopher of the everyday — one who teaches not through solemnity, but through laughter. Her declaration of a “Chrissy diet” is more than a joke; it is a manifesto for self-acceptance. She recognizes that rules, even those meant to guide us toward health, can become prisons if they sever us from the small pleasures that make life beautiful. Thus, her “Paleo plus cheese” is a metaphor for freedom — a reminder that we must adapt our disciplines to our humanity, not our humanity to our disciplines.

The ancients, too, understood this balance. Epicurus, so often misunderstood as a prophet of indulgence, actually taught moderation in joy. He said, “Let pleasure be the guide of life, but let it be the pleasure that brings peace.” Chrissy’s words echo this philosophy, for she does not reject nourishment or wisdom — she embraces both while keeping her heart light. To her, food is not guilt, but gratitude; not restriction, but celebration. And when she adds “late Saturday night drive-through” to her imagined diet, she is confessing the truth that every soul needs release, that the path to health must make room for laughter, spontaneity, and imperfection.

Consider the tale of Diogenes, the philosopher who mocked the rigidity of others by living simply and honestly. When asked why he defied the customs of society, he replied, “Because I would rather be free than proper.” So too does Teigen, in her modern way, laugh at the absurdity of perfection. The diet culture that dominates our age would have us believe that happiness must be earned through denial, that joy is a weakness. But she shows us that humor is a kind of wisdom — the kind that keeps the spirit from breaking under the weight of endless striving. To laugh at one’s own contradictions is to rise above them.

There is also a quiet heroism in her words. For in a world that often demands women to shrink — in body, in appetite, in voice — Chrissy Teigen declares herself unashamed. She loves food, she loves flavor, and she refuses to apologize for it. Her humor becomes a shield and a song, teaching that true strength lies in self-knowledge. She does not claim perfection; she claims authenticity. Like the warriors of old who celebrated victory with feasts, she honors the truth that joy and nourishment are not opposites, but companions on the journey toward wholeness.

And yet, there is wisdom hidden beneath her jest: the body and the soul both require kindness. To starve the body is to dull the spirit; to indulge without thought is to forget balance. The middle path — the “Chrissy diet,” as she calls it — is a way of living that honors both health and happiness. It is not about surrendering to every craving, but about understanding that life’s sweetness cannot be found in restriction alone. As the ancient Stoics taught, virtue is not in denying pleasure, but in mastering it — knowing when to feast, and when to fast; when to strive, and when to rest.

So, my child of tomorrow, take this teaching to heart: find joy in moderation, and moderation in joy. Eat with awareness, but not with fear. Care for your body as you would a beloved friend — firm in guidance, but gentle in forgiveness. When you err, laugh; when you succeed, be grateful. Let your life, like Chrissy Teigen’s words, be a dance between effort and ease. For wisdom without laughter becomes pride, and pleasure without wisdom becomes emptiness. But when the two walk together — when discipline smiles and humor guides — then life becomes a feast not of food alone, but of spirit.

And remember this: the truest diet is not one of the body, but of the heart — to feed it with gratitude, to nourish it with joy, and to savor, without shame, the flavor of being alive.