I've had the good fortune to visit many of your communities all across America. During our time together, I'm always impressed by your warm hospitality and by the concerns we share. One of those concerns is how to take the best possible care of our families. More and more, we are realizing that making healthy choices for them has to start with making healthy choices for ourselves.

With today's busy schedules, we frequently eat on the go, and family mealtimes don't happen as often as we'd like. Being physically active often falls down to last place on our to-do list. But with just a little planning, we can make good choices about what we eat and how active we are — important keys to help us increase our chances of enjoying a longer, healthier life.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has published A Healthier You, based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This book is easy to read and fun to use, and it will help us make a difference in our own lives and the lives of our families, friends, neighbors, and communities.

And here's the best part — we don't have to give up the foods we love, like barbecue and enchiladas! Thanks to A Healthier You, we can learn how to make them part of an overall healthy eating and physical activity plan. The great tools and tips in this terrific book are exactly what we need to get started. Even small steps can make a big difference in our health and well-being, and even small improvements can bring greater pleasure to every part of our lives.

Enjoy the book, and enjoy being a Healthier You!