*Actually* Making America Healthy Again

Health happens at home - me, we, community.

As a lifelong Hoosier and proud Indianapolis resident, I want to see this state and community thrive. Indiana currently ranks #36 for overall health and not too long ago we were ranked #49 in public health. With the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement bringing health to the forefront, this is a perfect opportunity for states like Indiana to take the reigns, take charge, and make transformational change.

The concept of “Make America Healthy Again” is amazing - the idea of seeing less chronic disease, less Medicaid spending, fewer hospital stays, less fake, ultra-processed foods, more fit and active kids, a more productive workforce, and generally a happier, thriving country.

At this point (2025) we all know that the national state of politics and the federal government can be messy. The national news is slamming MAHA for cutting funding, changing access to programs, and proposing new, unheard-of initiatives. The aspect of the MAHA movement that we should be focusing on is the grassroots level - how we as individuals, communities, and neighborhoods can ACTUALLY Make America Healthy Again one choice at a time.

States like Utah, Arizona, Florida, and Texas have taken it upon themselves to propose policies to begin making their states healthier by removing toxic chemicals from foods, additives from their school lunches, etc. While Indiana introduced legislation to address the issue this year, it didn’t take off and the bills died within the first few weeks of the legislative session. If you were to ask me - policies to support health is necessary for statewide impact and there should be legislation that supports schools having access to healthy foods as public schools, removes additives from children’s diets, and increases access to healthy foods for those utilizing food banks and food pantries. So let’s absolutely get bills written to begin progress on this front!

First and foremost though, we need to take control of our own lives and this transformation must begin with us - the consumer, the constituent, the parent, the CEO, the decision-maker of your life.

I’d like to share a few ways you can take control of your health TODAY by implementing nutrition, exercise and community practices to support your, your family, and your community’s health.

Begin with yourself:

Exercise - exercise 4-6 days per week, be outside and walk every day.

Nutrition - eat whole foods, remove/limit additives, and ultra-processed foods.

Community - gather with friends and/or family at least once a week, talk to someone you love at least once a day, and cultivate social connections.

Your family:

Exercise - support your family members to move their body daily - go to the gym or a workout class together, go for a walk outside together.

Nutrition - ensure what is purchased at the grocery store supports your goals of eating primarily whole foods & that everyone bringing things into the house is in agreement on the priority.

Community - spend time together at least once a day without technology and having actual conversations asking interesting questions and offering thoughtful responses.

Your community:

Exercise - when getting together with friends, go for a walk or bowling or another activity instead of always only going out for meals/drinks.

Nutrition - when ordering catering for events or bringing meals to others, choose healthy options to support the health of others. Support local businesses that offer healthy options and support health initiatives in the community (shoutout to Cafe Patachou). Consider how you can promote health in places you frequent often - how healthy are the meals being served at your child’s school, what snacks does your office offer, do your local food pantries and food banks offer healthy whole foods?

Community - engage in your community by volunteering, going to events, and learn about what is going on in your city or neighborhood by learning about current initiatives and developments.