On April 15, 2025, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed a package of executive orders to “Make Indiana Healthy Again.” The event was a big deal for the state, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz in attendance to support the event.

The focus of the initiative is to “help Hoosiers live healthier lives.” Some of the key goals of the program include:

• Make it easier to access fresh, local food from Indiana’s incredible farms.
• Educate Hoosiers on preventative measures for diet-related chronic illnesses.
• Address harmful additives in our food.
• Encourage fitness and health in schools through two new initiatives.
• Make big changes to food stamps by putting the focus back on nutrition—not on candy and soft drinks.

The governor rolled out nine executive orders aimed at making our state healthier. The first four executive orders have to do with the SNAP program. We won’t discuss those right now. The ninth executive order deals with the Medicaid program. We’ll leave that one alone as well.

Executive orders 5 – 8 address health and nutrition topics that could have an impact on all Hoosiers. Let’s take a closer look at the governor’s objectives, one executive order at a time.

Executive order 5: Addresses concerns with the negative effects of food dyes and increasing food transparency. We should know exactly what ingredients are in our food so we can opt for choices with fewer artificial ingredients.

The Indiana Department of Health will conduct a comprehensive assessment on the health impacts of artificial food dyes and additives, prioritizing those which the federal government and other states have identified as harmful.

This is great, but it will be a huge undertaking when you consider that there are more than 10,000 chemicals and additives allowed in food in the United States. Where do you start?

Well, a good number of the food additives we allow in the US have been banned in Europe. Taking a closer look at some of those might be a great starting point. Potassium bromate, for example, is a suspected carcinogen that’s banned for human consumption in Europe, China, and India, but not in the United States. It’s used a lot in breads to strengthen doughs. Some other substances we consume in the US that Europe has banned include titanium oxide, brominated vegetable oil, azodicarbonamide, and propylparaben.

What do all those substances have in common? They are hard to pronounce, and most people have no idea what they are. At Exercise Inc, we’ve always coached our clients to read food labels. If you don’t recognize the ingredients on the label, don’t eat the food. Following this simple rule will eliminate most harmful ingredients.

Executive order 6: Kicks off a comprehensive study of diet-related chronic illnesses with a goal of empowering Hoosiers to address the root cause of chronic illness through preventative, evidence-based interventions such as nutrition, physical activity, early screening, and disease management.

The concept is great, but I’m not sure the state needs to spend the money on a comprehensive study. Hundreds of studies have already been conducted pointing to the fact that most chronic illnesses are the result of the fact that 60% of the American diet consists of ultra-processed foods. In fact, last March I wrote a blog post discussing research that found that ultra-processed foods are linked to 32 health problems.

We know what the problem is. We need education and the support to help people make better choices. In my opinion, a good place to start would be removing all the ultra-processed foods from the checkout lines of most stores in Indiana. Ultra-processed foods are always in our face and are heavily marketed to us. Removing them from checkout lines and making them a little more difficult to access would certainly result in Hoosiers consuming less of these unhealthy, nutrition-less products.

I like Bruan’s concept on this issue, but the money needs to be spent on education and initiatives to enact change; the research has already been done.

Executive order 7:  Aims to increase access to direct-to-consumer food from local Indiana farmers. This order involves increasing awareness, availability and access to Indiana’s rich heritage of local fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products.

Under this order, the state plans to look at ways to remove regulatory and infrastructure barriers that restrict farmers from getting their products to the local markets. The goal is to increase local direct-to-consumer sales.

Yes! Yes! Yes! This is the type of legislation we need. Make it easier for local farmers to sell their products to local people.

A caveat to this order: a bill passed in 2022 regarding Indiana’s Cottage Food Vending Laws actually makes it pretty easy for home-based farms to sell their products that don’t require temperature controls directly to consumers. Cottage food businesses in Indiana have to earn a food handler’s card by completing and passing food handler training.

Again, I’m not sure much legislation needs to be done here. I think Indiana simply needs more education.

At Exercise Inc, we always coach our clients to buy food as local as you can get it. Go to farmers markets. Meet the farmers. Shake their hands. Get to know how they raise their foods. Local food is the best food. It costs more and takes a little more effort to get, but in the long run, it’s worth it.

Executive order 8: Establishes the Governor’s Fitness Test and School Fitness Month to encourage Indiana’s schools to give Hoosier kids every advantage possible to reach their full potential and lead healthy lives.

There were no details given on what the Governor’s Fitness Test will look like, other than the fact that there will be a reward program for students who demonstrate excellent performance.

I think School Fitness Month is a great idea, especially when you consider the fact that the average teen spends 4.8 hours a day on social media. That’s a lot of screen time. But it’s more important that we encourage kids to be more active outside of school when they are at home.

I’m not so sure about the fitness testing. Approximately one in five kids in the US are obese. Putting those kids through a fitness test in front of their peers can have a huge negative impact on their self-esteem.

A better option, in my opinion: the state should spend money and time educating parents on the importance of getting outside to play for at least 30 minutes a day. And, even better, the state should spend money educating the parents on the importance of spending time playing with their kids. Because people of all ages need to be more active.

I hope the governor’s executive orders do Make Indiana Healthy Again. But I also hope Indiana spends a lot more focus on education.

Stay Strong,

Bo Railey