Simon Harris, Minister for Health, joined me for a special pre-Christmas interview to discuss the health problems of the nation as well as talking about his own need for balance and healthy living to cope with the demands of being a government minister.

I was fascinated to find out how, at such a young age, he got involved in politics and then was appointed to one of the most challenging ministerial roles in the Department of Health in 2016.

As he and his wife expect their first baby in early January 2019, Simon Harris will be trying to juggle a young family, work and keeping fit and healthy, and it’s a balancing act that he knows is a tough one for families all over Ireland.

The growing obesity problem is of course one of his biggest concerns, with 60% of adults and one in four children in Ireland either overweight or obese and he wants communities in every county to ask what they can do.

“People can accuse me of ‘nanny-ism’ if they want, but what are we going to do as a society to actually to put in place policies to stop us becoming one of the fattest nations in the world?” he says. “It should be a cause of concern to every single one of us...Winning the prize for the world’s fattest nation is not where we need to be.”

“Why should we be afraid of giving citizens as much information as possible in relation to their own health and well-being to make their own decisions?” he asks and I couldn’t agree more.

Healthy living starts with every one of us making choices and small changes which make a big difference to our lives.

For more from the show go to
https://www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-real-health-podcast/

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The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

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