Chapter 1. Feel Better. Stay Healthy.

A Healthier You is all about feeling better today and staying healthy for tomorrow.

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A HEALTHIER YOU

We looked around America and saw people a lot like us. Some of us in shape. Many of us not. Some of us carrying too much around our middle—some of us carrying too much on our hips. Most of us not eating right. All of us, wanting to know, what can we do about it? Not just about the weight but to be healthier.

Together, let's find our way to a Healthier You!

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Ask yourself: "How do I feel? Am I as healthy as I can be—as I want to be every single day?" Doesn't it seem like the busier we get, the harder it is to make healthy choices—and stick to them?

We are bombarded with the latest studies or findings on what to eat, what not to eat, how much physical activity to get. Do these studies have merit? Are they trustworthy? What was good for us yesterday…isn't good for us today…and tomorrow, who knows? After a point, all of it seems more like noise than helpful news or information.

Despite the desire to tune it all out, that little voice inside us wants to pay attention because we really do want to be healthy! Don't we all have the best intentions? The challenge is sorting through that conflicting, oftentimes confusing information from multiple sources or so-called experts. A Healthier You does just that. A Healthier You is not just one person's idea of science or what a diet should be. It reflects the thinking of top nutrition and health experts in the nation who have determined from the science what works. That information is in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which form the basis of this book and can be found in part V.

We also talked to people across the nation. We asked them what is important when it comes to their health—why is it important to be healthy? Virtually everyone agreed, "It's worth it because I want to be healthy for myself, my family…my future." We also talked about what scientists and nutritionists recommend for healthy eating and physical activity…and what information folks like you want. As you can imagine, we heard an earful. "Give me the basics," "…Not too much detail—or super technical stuff," while others said, "Not too little, I like in-depth information…" Everyone wants what's right for them—and, oh yeah, whatever it is has to work! But how do we know the information is reliable, proven, and right for us?

We asked ourselves, "What can we really do about this?" There's a lot. And, it's sensible—information that scientists and nutritionists agree on but that nobody has really pulled together in a way that everyone can understand and use. With that in mind, we set out to write A Healthier You. And, as Americans like you told us, "It's an investment in myself, and I have a say in what happens to me." We think that sums it up best. Reason enough to read on!

CHAPTER 2 >



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