When I was younger, I made a decision about my diet that forever changed my life: I will value the impact that food has on my body above the taste. At first, nothing changed overnight, but that decision gradually became my guiding principle so much so that I rarely put anything in my body that doesn’t add value to my health and energy. When it comes to our health, and building our immunity to avoid viruses, disease, and illness, what we eat is arguably the single most important decision we can make. This year has made it more obvious than ever that the United States is the sickest nation in human history, and many people are being drastically affected by preventable illnesses. However, with all this instability comes an incredible opportunity to change. Researcher and bestselling author, Shawn Stevenson—who joined me on the podcast previously to talk about his book Sleep Smarter—has just released his new book, Eat Smarter: Use the Power of Food to Reboot Your Metabolism, Upgrade Your Brain, and Transform Your Life. Today, Shawn joins me to talk about the astounding problems with our healthcare system, the importance of diet and exercise in illness prevention, and the major cultural changes that need to happen to help us become a healthier society. KEY TAKEAWAYS The major underlying issues affecting the health of so many people right now that aren’t being discussed - and what we can do about it. How the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the effects of years of ignoring chronic illness. How stress and uncertainty make us physically sicker by suppressing immune function. How to improve and optimize your gut bacteria and the other microorganisms that inhabit your body. Get The Full Show Notes To get full access to today's show notes, including audio, transcript, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit HalElrod.com/351 Subscribe, Rate & Review I would love if you could subscribe to the podcast and leave an honest rating & review. This will encourage other people to listen and allow us to grow as a community. The bigger we get as a community, the bigger the impact we can have on the world. To subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on iTunes, visit HalElrod.com/iTunes.