I never, ever, restrict food, and I will never go on a diet ever

Hear, O children of wisdom, the words of Portia de Rossi, whose declaration resonates with the quiet yet powerful truth of self-acceptance: "I never, ever, restrict food, and I will never go on a diet ever again." These words are not mere rebellion against the prevailing trends of the world, but a profound understanding of the sacred relationship between the body, the soul, and the nourishment that sustains us. In her voice, there is a call to return to the ancient understanding that restriction of the body is not a path to strength or beauty, but a denial of the body's inherent wisdom.

In the days of the ancients, the philosophers and the healers understood that the body is a temple, and to treat it with respect is to honor the divine. The great Hippocrates once said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," acknowledging that what we consume is not merely sustenance, but a reflection of our deeper needs—both physical and spiritual. Portia de Rossi’s words echo this ancient wisdom, for she refuses to live by the tyranny of restriction. She understands that food is not the enemy to be controlled, but a source of strength, joy, and life. It is through nourishment, not denial, that we find balance.

The great warriors of old knew the importance of nourishment. In the heart of the Spartan army, their warriors were not starved into submission; they were fed for strength, trained for endurance, and honored for their ability to overcome. Their leaders understood that true power did not come from self-deprivation, but from discipline—discipline to feed the body with what it needed to perform, to thrive, to survive. Just as the Spartans valued physical prowess, so too must we value the act of nourishing ourselves, honoring the body not with restriction but with the abundant, balanced fuel that it craves.

In the ancient traditions, there was no room for shame in the act of eating. Food was sacred. The Romans feasted not only for sustenance but to celebrate life, to honor the gods, and to share in the joy of abundance. To restrict food was seen as an affront to the bounty of the earth, a rejection of the life force that flows through all living things. Portia de Rossi’s vow to never again engage in a diet is a reflection of this ancient wisdom. She rejects the modern notion that we must control our bodies through deprivation, and instead, embraces the fullness of life, knowing that true beauty and strength lie not in restriction, but in embracing the natural flow of nourishment.

Consider the example of Leonardo da Vinci, that great polymath who sought to understand not only the heavens but the very workings of the human body. He famously studied anatomy, observing that the body’s processes are intertwined with the nourishment it receives. He understood that food is not just fuel for the body, but a key to unlocking the body’s potential. Like Portia de Rossi, da Vinci knew that balance was the key—not starving oneself in the name of perfection, but feeding the body in a way that honors its needs and potential.

The lesson here, O children, is profound. The world often tells us to restrict, to deny, to control the body in ways that are unnatural. Yet Portia de Rossi and the ancients teach us that true well-being lies not in scarcity, but in abundance—in providing the body with what it needs to flourish. Dieting, the act of constantly denying ourselves, leads not to strength, but to imbalance, to a life lived in constant tension between desire and restriction. The wise among us understand that to be whole is to honor the body’s rhythms, to feed it with care, and to trust that it knows what it needs.

And so, O children, heed the wisdom of Portia de Rossi. Reject the tyranny of the diet and the restriction it imposes. Instead, embrace the fullness of life, feeding your body with the nourishment it craves—healthy, whole, and balanced. Treat your body as the sacred vessel it is, for in doing so, you will not only find strength but peace. True beauty does not lie in the battle against hunger, but in the harmony between body and soul, in the balance between nourishment and movement. Let the lesson of the ancients guide you: nourish your body, trust in its wisdom, and live fully, for it is in this fullness that we find the path to true well-being.