People are comfortable with what is familiar and what they know. Change can be difficult.

This is true about a lot of things in a person’s life. Routines and habits extend also to our diets. Many people choose to eat mostly the same things week after week without much variety and often are uninterested in trying something new, even if told that “it’s better for your health.”

In our Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative Food Pantry, we talk a lot about trying to make it easier for people to choose healthier foods. We are instructed by our nutrition educators from Second Harvest Food Bank to place items that are more nutritious at eye level, on the top shelf. Fruits and vegetables are first in line of things to choose, just as produce is usually near the entry of a grocery store, so you choose them first.

However, many people are content to continue with their usual habits and are not buying into the recommendations to reduce sodium and sugar or to choose less processed foods over the easy-to-prepare or ready-to-eat items, which contain more preservatives and other ingredients.

In a recent meeting with Kim Slack, registered dietitian and the nutrition educator from Second Harvest, we talked about people who show little or no interest in making the healthy choices that are available when grocery shopping. She suggested we simply need to meet people where they are in their journey to make changes in their lives and be available to help when they are ready.

If someone isn’t ready to make a change, it won’t happen. I thought about it in terms of physical activity. Someone who never exercises does not suddenly go out and run a marathon. It’s a long process with many phases that begins one step at a time, gradually increasing daily activity, walking, jogging, running and adding distance.

The same is true for any type of change we want to make in our lives and our diets. We often know we should make changes, and it takes some time for us to get started and become consistent.

Dietary change isn’t easy for anyone. People often get frustrated because they try to change many things at once and give up after a short period of time when they don’t see results quickly.

“It’s best to make one small change and stick with it,” Slack said. “It doesn’t have to be an overhaul.”

Keep in mind there is no rushing the process. It takes a long time, but making a small change you can stick with becomes a habit.

“When that’s easy, pick the next small thing,” Slack noted. “The less-is-more approach is more likely to be successful.”

When talking about those small changes, Slack suggests a “focus on positive change.” Try incorporating a healthy snack into your day rather than subtracting something or perhaps making substitutions instead of subtractions. Restrictions are not always the answer.

Overall, she said, “a person is not gaining weight from the one candy bar eaten today; it’s the cumulative effect and how it all adds up over time.”

The goal is to use the positive side of that cumulative effect and make a small change you can commit to. One step, one small change and one habit at a time.

Editor’s note: This column was written by Jenn Dietz, Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative healthy pantry initiative chair.