Mom was serious about diets. No cheating unless it's a diet with a cheat day. When we did low-carb, she basically banished bread from the house, and she'd count fruit to make sure I wasn't eating more of it than I was supposed to. (I'm not as good at the willpower thing as she is.)
You're good at hands-on learning, though! If you discover you like it, you could always go to school for it later.