Welcome to the Guide to Healthy Living !

 

It gives me great pleasure to write for The NHSTA's Guide to Healthy Living. The Guide contains a wealth of information on issues such as obesity, heart health, nutrition, exercise and many other issues that are so important to avoiding illness and living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So much of the diseases that are common in western society nowadays are attributable to our lifestyle, and our lifestyle is something that is very much under the control of the individual.

By working with your GP you can also identify whether you are at greater risk from certain illnesses which are linked to hereditary factors but, even if you are, you will find a lot of information in the Guide to help give yourself ‘an edge’ and cut down those risks, bringing you into line within normal ranges for a person without the additional risk. In particular, diabetes is a growing problem and while there is a genetic link involved, there is still much that we can all do to help reduce our risk by making lifestyle changes.

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this edition of the Guide. I have also been pleased to receive articles from some of the companies who appear as advertisers. Where these articles are of a commercial nature, this is indicated by the reference ‘advertisement feature’.

I hope you find the information in this new Guide helpful and that you will take on board its message of living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle by making sensible lifestyle choices, choosing and using the right foodstuffs, the right diet and products which are specifically designed to focus on the healthier option.

 

Dr David Tod OBE FRCGP

Chief Executive, NHSTA, Editor-in-Chief, NHSTA's New Guide to Healthy Living