Fort Sill MWR menus go healthy

By Monica Wood, Fort Sill FMWRJanuary 30, 2014

Food1
Chef Russ Littel, Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Business Initiatives food and beverage specialist, and John Cregg, Mulligan's Restaurant assistant food and beverage manager, work on new healthier and more flavorful recipes for the FMWR re... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla. (Jan. 30, 2014) -- Fort Sill's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation's four food facilities are on the forefront of healthy menu options for the Army.

The Impact Zone, Patriot Club, the Strike Zone in the Twin Oaks Bowling Center and Mulligan's at the golf course are the pilot sites for adding healthy choices to the menus. Customers will see the changes in these restaurants in a couple months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 35 percent of adults and nearly 18 percent of children in the United States are obese. According to the 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors among U.S. military personnel, obesity and tobacco use among military health care beneficiaries adds more than $3 billion per year to the DoD budget in health care costs and lost duty days.

Failure to meet weight standards is a leading cause of involuntary separation from the military, and obesity in the civilian community may be limiting the department's ability to recruit qualified personnel.

To help combat obesity, military installations should provide dining environments that encourage good nutrition and offer healthy eating choices. As part of the Healthy Base Initiative, the Office of Military Community and Family Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense in coordination with service-level MWR representatives are recommending a "Better for You" menu labeling system in MWR-operated food outlets to highlight healthier menu choices.

Menu items that meet the "Better for You" criteria will be indicated with a marker on menu boards and printed menus as well as an icon on digital menu boards. The "Better for You" indicator logo is a plate and utensils which will be next to menu items that offer a healthier choice.

Customers will see the "Better for You" menu labeling in Fort Sill MWR-operated food establishments by March.

To help the post implement the menu labeling program, Chef Russ Littel, food and beverage specialist for FMWR Business Initiatives, has come to Fort Sill to assist with the changes in food options at FMWR food outlets.

"Since Fort Sill was selected to be a pilot site for the Healthy Base Initiative, and because the team came here to assess what changes should be made, it made sense to start with Fort Sill to implement those changes," said Littel. "This is just the first wave of changes for Army restaurants. Once we get the healthy items on the menu, we plan on going in and making other changes, and you'll start to see a lot of different products married together.

"There won't be drastic changes to the menu, just things like offering different breads and making the items offered more nutritious. We are not really cutting out fat or protein; what we are doing is adding spinach instead of lettuce, wraps or whole grain breads instead of plain white bread or flat bread offered with a salad instead of crackers," said Littel. "So we are not necessarily cutting calories -- we are making the food more nutritious and healthier. We will offer light and more flavorful dressings, like a vinaigrette."

According to Littel, this is an exciting time for Fort Sill because there will be more options and more nutritious foods available for consumers.

"This is what my job at IMCOM is to reach out in the field to the numerous garrisons worldwide and assist them with menu and recipe development, product standardization, training the staff and kitchen redesigns, and helping to design new and renovated facilities," he said.

Littel helps garrison clubs prepare and work big events, and assists and trains the staff how to efficiently and effectively conduct big events and demonstrate how to continue offering those events in the future.

He said customers can expect to see a lot more multigrain and whole wheat items to include turkey wraps, new bread, whole wheat pizza crusts, leaner meats, less fatty sauces and dressings and more different flavor combinations and flavorful offerings.

A Soldier until recently, Littel served 16 years active duty and as a reservist.

"I just came back from deployment from Afghanistan last year," he said. "I'm a sergeant first class in the infantry and a food service specialist for the Army ... now I am in the Texas National Guard.

"This is my job and I love what I do. We reach out to multiple places. This is going to benefit not just Fort Sill but worldwide. It is the footprint other installations will follow to include not just the food service items and menus but also marketing. This hasn't been done before with healthier items," said Littel.

"I get satisfaction from being a Soldier and helping other Soldiers and military families to have healthier, nutritious options and my co-workers -- both the civilians and Soldiers I work with so we all reap the benefits," he said.

"This is a positive and healthy step for us all. Not just healthy but different. Many things in the military have not changed in years and it's time for a change. Change is positive. The Internet and food channels have informed and enticed viewers and if we don't change what we offer to allow them those choices, we are doing them a disservice," he said.

Another place that Littel said he is helping to implement change is at the child development centers.

He said the Army is developing a standardized menu that will be offered in the centers. It will follow health trend guidelines providing Army children better nutrition.

The CDC menus will be offered in the future and Fort Sill will be the pilot for that as well.

Brenda Spencer-Ragland, Fort Sill FMWR director, said menu changes might lead to other changes at some establishments.

"As we try to revitalize the Impact Zone, and meet the needs of our customers, we are reviewing hours of operation, program offerings and working a 'menu renovation' to introduce healthy food options to our customers," she said.