It's important to have a healthy balanced diet but not to get too

In the simple yet luminous words of Katie Taylor, champion of both strength and spirit, there lies a wisdom that stretches beyond the realm of sport: “It’s important to have a healthy balanced diet but not to get too bogged down about it. It’s important to enjoy your food, too.” Though these words may seem gentle, they carry the weight of harmony—the eternal balance between discipline and delight, between care for the body and nourishment of the soul. Taylor speaks not merely of food, but of life itself: of how one must strive for order without losing joy, for health without losing heart.

From the dawn of civilization, the wise have taught that excess in any direction leads to imbalance. The ancient Greeks spoke of the Golden Mean, the sacred middle path between indulgence and denial. Even the greatest athletes of Olympia knew that temperance was the mother of excellence. To train without rest, to eat without pleasure, to live without balance—these were seen not as virtues, but as chains that bind the spirit. And so Taylor, in her modern voice, reminds us of that same ageless teaching: that wellness is not only measured in strength, but in serenity.

The first half of her counsel—“to have a healthy balanced diet”—echoes the discipline of the warrior. Katie Taylor, herself a world champion boxer, lives by structure, focus, and restraint. She knows that the body is the temple of purpose, and what one feeds it determines its endurance. To eat with mindfulness is an act of respect, a declaration that one’s mission deserves care. Yet, as every sage and fighter learns, devotion can harden into obsession. The mind that counts every calorie may soon lose its peace, and the heart that fears food forgets gratitude. Thus comes the second half of her wisdom: “It’s important to enjoy your food, too.”

There is a story from the East, of a monk who ate only rice and water for ten years. He sought enlightenment through denial, but his body grew weak and his joy faded. One evening, an old traveler came to his monastery and shared a bowl of spiced stew, fragrant and warm. The monk, reluctant at first, tasted it—and as flavor returned to his tongue, he felt life return to his soul. “Why do you starve the body that houses your spirit?” asked the traveler. “Even the Buddha accepted food offered with love.” From that day on, the monk practiced moderation—not asceticism. He learned that discipline without joy is emptiness.

Taylor’s message, like the traveler’s, reminds us that food is not merely fuel; it is communion, memory, and art. It connects us to the earth, to our families, to the rhythm of seasons and the stories of our ancestors. To enjoy food is to honor life itself. The ancients broke bread together not only to fill their hunger, but to strengthen the bonds of fellowship. The meal was sacred—a pause between battles, a celebration between labors. To eat joyfully is not a sin against health, but a song of gratitude for being alive.

Yet, as with all wisdom, there is a delicate balance. Pleasure without discipline is decay, but discipline without pleasure is despair. Katie Taylor stands between these poles, showing us the middle way. She fights with focus but laughs with ease; she trains with rigor but feasts with gratitude. Her words remind us that true health is wholeness—not merely the absence of illness, but the presence of joy, peace, and love for what we do and consume.

So let this be your lesson, seeker of strength and serenity: care for your body, but do not worship it. Eat well, but eat with delight. Honor your health, but do not fear the sweetness of life. When you sit before a meal, let it not be a calculation, but a celebration. Choose foods that nourish both body and heart; give thanks for the hands that grew them; and share them with those you love.

For in the end, the balanced diet that Katie Taylor speaks of is not merely of food—it is of the spirit. It is the harmony of effort and ease, of nourishment and gratitude. The path to strength does not demand the death of joy, but its integration. So eat wisely, laugh often, and live fully—for the soul that finds balance between discipline and delight is the one that truly thrives beneath the sun.