NOTE FROM TED: The diet and health information in this talk is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf The United States spends more per person on healthcare than any other nation in the world, yet our health outcomes are near the bottom of the list when compared to countries with similar education and economic resources. The chronic disease epidemic that has emerged over the last 50 years, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia, can be attributed to the cumulative effect of lifestyle choices we make every day.  Meagan L. Grega, MD, is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Kellyn Foundation (www.kellyn.org), a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice. Kellyn provides school-based healthy lifestyle education and “Garden as a Classroom” programs; supports access to nutrient-dense produce via the Eat Real Food Mobile Market and Lehigh Valley Corner Store Initiative; engages participants in hands-on, plant-based cooking classes in community settings and offers intensive therapeutic lifestyle change interventions for individuals and families. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Bucknell University with a B.S. in Biochemistry/Cell Biology and earned her MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Child/Family health in general, and the obesity epidemic in particular, are issues in which Dr. Grega has had a long-standing interest. She believes the benefits of regular exercise, adequate sleep, supportive social connections, healthy food choices and the art of balance are the keys to improving our children’s future, as well as our own. Towards that end, she is committed to finding practical solutions that can be implemented by families and communities to strengthen each other physically, emotionally and spiritually. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx