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eliminated from a diet without any repercussions or accountability. As we have said before, nutrients do not work alone; they work in an ecosystem with other nutrients. Fad diets are unsustain-able, and the weight will return eventually. Sustainability is the key to success.

Establish a Healthy Relationship with Food

All the uncontrolled diet fads on the market have damaged our relationship with food. Words like clean eating, detox, and cleanse give the illusion that certain foods should be put on a pedestal, while other foods will cause long-term irrepar-able damage. All the misinformation and fear mongering surrounding what is considered “healthy” is becoming more than just a marketing tactic to make more money; there are now serious consequences with the lack of account-ability to erroneous nutritional claims.

This new trend of fear over facts has led to the concern of a potentially new form of disordered eating called Orthorexia Nervosa. It is an unhealthy obsession of being so fixated on righteous eating that people become paralyzed by fear, afraid to eat anything because it may cause cancer, or it may contain “bad fat,” or it isn’t a complete protein and so on. They become so focused on a perfect orthorexics’ diet that they develop malnourishment. While it is not considered an official diagnosis, it does highlight a growing concern about the fear-based nutrition environment we are living in.

The psychological connection we have with our food, if not addressed, could be more dangerous than a rogue sugar or fat molecule. Building healthy relationships with food means taking away the food labels of good and bad, it means taking away the feeling of guilt or shame with having a treat, it means tossing out the concept of “cheating,” and it means finding joy in food and eating patterns. The Complete Plate celebrates delicious and healthy food in moderation. We give people permission to enjoy food.

Create Realistic Goals and Expectations

Sustainable, healthy eating habits and weight loss require realistic goals. If you expect to look a certain way after eating one salad, you will be disappointed. Behavioral changes cannot be done overnight. Sustainability means making changes slowly to break long-term habits. Eventually, these slow and steady changes will result in healthier new habits. The goal of any lifestyle change should be to improve your overall health and wellness.

Embrace Variety

Resenting the process is the main reason people give up at making lifestyle changes. If you feel healthy eating means just consuming chicken, quinoa, and veggies the rest of your life, it will get old quickly. As you make changes to your eating habits, consider adding foods to your diet rather than eliminating foods.