Young people like you have a lot of things to think about – school, homework, family, friends, what you want to be when you grow up, how to save the planet, etc! We know that healthy eating and staying physically active may not always be top priority, and that is fine. But we also know that you do want to be healthy most of the time, as long as it fits into your life. We know that you want to have energy, feel good and be happy. We know you want to be living your best life, but sometimes that isn’t easy.

EACH-B is a research project testing a new way to support young people like you to make healthy choices that fit into your life. We want the healthy choice to be the easy choice, and for you to understand why it matters now, and what you can do about it. Did you know that eating healthy foods is good for the planet as well as good for you? If climate change is something you care about, it’s important to understand the links between the foods we eat and the damage we are doing to the planet.

Eating well and staying physically active are really important ways to look after yourself and give yourself the best chance of staying well as you grow older, and maybe starting a family of your own. The decisions you make now as a young person, about eating and being active, will have a big impact on these three key things:

• how you feel now.
• how you feel in the future.
• how healthy your children will be, if and when you choose to have a family.

We hope you will enjoy taking part in EACH-B and learning about how you have the power to alter your genes, and affect your future health, through the choices you make now.

If you would like to ask us any questions about EACH-B or have ideas you want to share with us, email us at eachb@mrc.soton.ac.uk.