EAT: left once, then down
Trace EAT from E at row 3, column 4. Move left to A at row 3, column 3, then down to T at row 4, column 3. Those three selections spell E, A, T in order. The final move is vertical, so keep the A as the turning point rather than looking for a straight three-letter line.
This route has two moves and one turn, occupying two rows and two columns. Neither move is diagonal, and none of its three cells lies on the board's outer edge. If your candidate has the right spelling but a different shape, compare the left-then-down sequence with the cells you selected. Both the starting and ending cells have two open orthogonal neighbors on the original board.
Finishing this first entry accounts for three distinct cells and leaves 16 open cells for the remaining words. Check that you have counted three selections, including the start, rather than just the two movements between them.