Editor’s Note: This story is part one of a three-part series on cultivating a positive relationship with food. Part two will provide practical tips, while part three will focuse on athletes and food.

When it comes to what you eat, it can be easy to feel like you’re not getting it right. Conflicting messages about food, new diets every week and never-ending marketing leave many people floundering.

That strained relationship with eating can have far-reaching consequences.

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“When our relationship with food is negative or a little bit off, we’re putting ourselves at risk for nutrient deficiencies and even chronic issues, such as poor bone density,” said Skylar Weir, a clinical dietitian at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. “We may not experience as much joy, we may have some anxiety or we may not feel as present in certain situations.”

Below, Weir outlines why it’s important to cultivate a positive relationship with food.

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Food stress is real: While there’s a lot of debate over what to eat, one point that can’t be debated — everybody must eat, usually multiple times a day.

“Eating is something every human does, it’s a common thread,” Weir said. “It can be social, it can have cultural purposes or it can support our performance in sports and activities.”

Because eating has to happen every day, constant stress about food can have negative impacts on mental health, physical health and even relationships.

Food stress is common: If you find you have a strained relationship with eating, you’re not alone.

“I would say it’s more common than not,” Weir said. “I hear a lot of, ‘I’m doing this, but I know I should be doing that,’ or ‘I’m doing this, but I know it’s really bad.'”

Feelings of inadequacy and even shame around eating habits often stem from conflicting messaging on food, whether it’s a soundbite on social media or an article from a news outlet.

“In reality, a lot of that is diet culture messaging, and it’s not geared to the individual and what the individual needs,” Weir said.

Food stress can make it difficult to eat healthfully: While designating certain foods “bad” to avoid or restrict them may give a sense of control, it can have unintended consequences.

“When we label a food or food group as bad, that food or food group holds a heavy power over us. We see it as this thing that’s untouchable,” Weir said.

Instead of bolstering willpower to avoid the food, the restriction can trigger the brain to want it more.

“Then if we’re really hungry and that food is in our sights, this instinct takes over and we might overly consume it,” Weir said.

Diet culture messaging is extreme: Weir points out that we’re bombarded with messages about food, many of which are divisive and may end up contributing to unhealthy behaviors.

“Oftentimes I hear my patients refer to something like bread as a ‘bad food,’ and people go to great lengths to avoid bread and limit carbs because of something they heard on social media,” Weir said. “In reality, carbs are your body’s preferred source of energy.”

People who have a goal of losing weight or improving how they feel in their body often expect Weir to suggest they start a restrictive diet, such as one that eliminates carbohydrates. While people may experience results with those diets over the short-term, they’re usually not sustainable.

“Eating one single food type or group isn’t going to make you gain weight,” Weir said.

In fact, the various food groups have a range of purposes.

“Healthy fats allow your hormones to thrive and your immune system to fight off infection, protein allows your body to rebuild muscles that you’ve worked out and carbs are providing energy you need to keep your metabolism going,” Weir said.

When patients examine their relationship with food and question some of the tenets that drive how they eat, they may experience improvements in health and decreased stress.

“The more we talk about this aspect of nutrition, the more people can feel not so alone,” Weir said.

Susan Cunningham writes for UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. She can be reached atcunninghamsbc@gmail.com.