- Pre-contemplation—You don’t yet know or you are not acknowledging that there is a problem
behavior that needs to be changed, such as eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), focusing on
weight loss alone at the expense of your health, or thinking you are eating healthy when you are
really just eating healthier as compared to the SAD diet (but not yet nutrient-rich). - Contemplation—you are finally acknowledging that your attention is needed on a potential
problem, and you are thinking about changing your behaviors. That’s what you are doing right now
as you begin to read this book, if you are not already into the next stage. - Preparation/Determination— you are actively changing by making small changes on the “low-
hanging” fruit level, and readying yourself to make significant changes over the next 30 to 90 days
or so (by learning The Nutrient Rich® Way to Eat) - Action/Willpower— you are in the action stage if you have already begun changing the behavior
(for our purposes here, the way you eat). You are engaged in the change process, taking deliberate
actions every day. You are reading this book for more inspiration and education, and are using our
support to help you get further down your path. - Maintenance—you are maintaining the behavior change (new healthy eating style) with a
community of friends who are going through a similar process. You may also have been in this
dietary change for up to six months or more, and are now improving your knowledge and skills. - Relapse—you are returning to older behaviors and abandoning the new changes. Don’t mistake
this for eating an old food favorite from time to time, or 10% or less of your total dietary intake.
This will happen. It is NOT a relapse. A relapse means you just decided not to eat nutrient rich. This
will probably only happen if you don’t have a community of friends that support your new behavior
and the ideal approach. If you are a member of NutrientRich.com, are participating in the broader
plant-based movement, and are expressing your new values, you are very unlikely to relapse.
Keeping It Simple
If you learn nothing else about nutrition but what you know right now, think about this—what is
better for your life: eating nutrient rich or nutrient-poor?
You don’t need to know all the inner workings of a clock to tell time, but you do need to know
enough to tell time. I truly want to keep things as simple for you as possible. If you’re like most
people, you have enough to do, and don't need to become a nutritionist or a chef before you can
understand this revolutionary—yet natural—new way to eat.