WELCOME

It’s all here. This book is the culmination of the 12 Healthy Habits program that began in Cooking Light magazine and on CookingLight.com. Our hope is that this book will help you make changes that will have a positive effect on your health and happiness. I was especially thrilled

to be a part of this project because the approach is so consistent with my own nutrition philosophy as a registered dietitian. The emphasis is on health, not weight. No foods are forbidden, and eating is revered as a source of pleasure, not guilt or regret.

Rooted in the science of habit formation, this book is a guide to making positive, lasting changes in your life. Basically, everything we do is a bunch of habits. All the choices we make every day—the foods we buy, how much we eat, and how often we exercise—may seem like well-considered decisions, but most of the time they’re automatic choices.

It’s tough to fully eradicate old habits; they must be replaced by new behaviors. This book will help you do that. Each chapter is an action plan for adopting a new habit. The goal is to make these behaviors your new routine. Our 6-week plan starting will help you get started and keep you on track.

Change seems more doable when we see others succeed. That’s why researchers have found that healthy behaviors can be contagious in social networks—whether that community is virtual, at work, or in your neighborhood. We saw just how influential online communities can be with the 12 Healthy Habits program. You can benefit from those inspiring personal stories and the tips and tricks that have worked for others. Now it’s up to you, and we hope you enjoy the journey.

To your health and happiness,

Janet Helm, MS, RD