A top US diet expert is to headline a week devoted to improving health.

Dr Joy Dubost, a nutritionist and researcher, has been signed up for the Island’s Public Health Week.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: “Every year, chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes are responsible for many premature deaths.

“Bermuda residents miss days of work because of these illnesses and all of that lost productivity adds up in costs to employers.

“Catching and preventing these illnesses before they develop is the key to improving our Island’s health.

“There are numerous small steps we can take to begin leading healthier lives — sometimes it just takes a little motivation.”

Dr Dubost, brought to Bermuda in partnership with the Bermuda Diabetes Association, will appear on TV’s Let’s Talk on Monday, where a panel of experts will discuss Bermuda’s health problems and risk reduction.

She will also appear at a public forum at Hamilton’s City Hall on Tuesday night, where she will talk about her involvement in the Let’s Move! programme, kickstarted by US First Lady Michelle Obama, which aimed to reduce obesity rates.

And the Department of Health will launch its own fitness programme — Move Bermuda: Getting Fit while Having Fun — at Victoria Park in Hamilton on Wednesday evening.

Dr Dubost was a pioneer of the award-winning US healthy eating Kids LiveWell programme in the US and is senior director of the nutrition at the National Restaurant Association.

Local restaurants will also get in on the act, with a competition for dishes designed to fit in with the EatWell Plate guidelines on healthy eating.

A people’s choice vote and a panel of professionals will each pick a winner, with the overall winner being announced later this month.

For more information on Public Health Week, call 278 6504 or email healthpromotion@gov.bm.