Nutrition and dietary factors play important roles in health promotion and chronic disease prevention.  It is increasingly evident that preventive health measures emphasizing the role of healthier food choices and physical activity are needed to increase health and well-being.  Health promotion empowers communities, families, and individuals to develop and maintain maximum health.

Fruit and Vegetable Program

The Fruit and Vegetable Program (formerly the 5 A Day for Better Health Program) promotes a simple, positive message – eat more fruits and vegetables every day for better health. The program is part of a nationwide nutrition education campaign.

Get Healthy, Be Active NH!  

Get Healthy, Be Active NH is an initiative that provides a number of resources and tools for New Hampshire residents, educators, worksites, and health care providers to help people achieve a healthy lifestyle through increased physical activity and healthy eating.  Get Healthy, Be Active NH resources and activities are designed to encourage and support behavior change that can be incorporated into daily living for adults, children, families and employees. 

Daily physical activity supports healthy growth and development in children from birth through early adulthood.  Children's fitness is linked to better test scores in school and higher self-esteem.  Children who are a healthy weight and physically active are less likely to develop a chronic illness later in life.

The number of children and adults in New Hampshire who are overweight has increased over the last several years.  Reaching a healthy weight and staying at that weight reduces the risk of developing many chronic diseases. For people living with a chronic disease, a healthy weight can improve quality of life and make it easier to manage illness.  Being physically active helps reduce stress, reduces weight gain, helps you sleep better, and improves mental health.   

Small steps can make a big difference!  Check out the Get Healthy, Be Active NH web pages for ideas and suggestions about how to get started and have fun!

As part of a healthy diet, eating fruits and vegetables instead of high-fat foods may make it easier to control your weight.  Learn more about how to do this at the NH Fruit and Vegetable website.