“If they really like a piece of cake, I say, ‘Have it, enjoy it, but make it the exception rather than the rule,’ ’’ she said. “Everything doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to be better.’’

Zoe Finch Totten, CEO of the Full Yield Inc., a Danvers-based company that helps clients adopt a “whole foods’’-based diet, said a key starting point is to see food as a way to nurture your body.

“Food is absolutely central to our being,’’ she said. “It’s an incredibly powerful way to connect with yourself.’’ Plus good foods are a real treat, she noted: When people accustomed to processed foods bite into a fresh, crunchy red pepper, for example, “they’re amazed by how sweet it is.’’

Many healthy foods can be prepared quickly, Totten said. Her website, Thefullyield.com, has dozens of free recipes—and of course you can always make smoothies. Or it might be fun to find a “cooking buddy’’ or two, and get together once a week to make several dishes.

“It’s motivating, there’s the efficiency of cooking bigger quantities, and those same friends can also go walk or dance or whatever they like to do together,’’ she said.

For Olszewski, who’s gotten herself down to a trim 113 pounds—and her “bad’’ LDL cholesterol to a safe level—healthy eating is a passion. She’s at Whole Foods “almost every other day,’’ stocking up on fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish. She subscribes to Cooking Light and is always trying new recipes, though with good ingredients, she said, it’s mostly “a no-brainer.’’

Take that grilled wild salmon she loves to make.