FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Beginning this week, Soldiers and community members visiting their nearest vending machine to quell their afternoon "snack attack" may be surprised by the new options offered on Fort Drum.

The first of 197 vending machines across post were restocked with healthy food items Tuesday. The vending machine at Monti Physical Fitness Center received one of the first overhauls.

"I am very excited about the new options," said Monica Smith, Monti PFC facility manager. "It is tough for me as a fitness professional to watch patrons come into Monti Fitness Center, work so hard and then purchase a candy bar on the way out of the facility."

Fort Drum provides walking trails, fitness facilities and outdoor recreation activities year round; showing the community that making small changes like choosing healthier snacks is a step in the right direction, Smith added.

"In my opinion, this is a great way to initiate (a) healthier lifestyle here at Fort Drum," she said. "The new products not only taste good but are great alternatives to the current options."

This food swap is part of the installation's new healthy vending concept, according to Chief Warrant Officer 3 Felipe Cardozo, 10th Mountain Division (LI) command food service technician. Cardozo received information from the 10th Mountain Division Health Promotion Office, which sparked the idea to implement it at Fort Drum. He then called the Exchange to find out what vending options were available.

The division, as well as the Army, is pushing for Soldiers, Families and civilians to be in better physical shape and make healthier food choices, Cardozo explained.

"We thought it was (an especially) good idea because we have 'Go for Green' concept promoting healthy diets and healthy food options at the installation dining facilities," he said. "We've made a lot of changes in the dining facilities going in that direction. We thought we'd take it one step further into the (vending machines)."

Unhealthy snacks like candy and chips will be replaced by nuts and granola bars, said Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Bennett, division command food service senior enlisted adviser.

"Our focus is on low-fat food items that have minimal or no trans fat, and do away with a lot of the high-calorie snack products that have very little nutritional value," he noted.

Roughly 30 Soldiers from across the installation participated in a food tasting in order to find out what snacks they enjoyed and which ones they would like to see in vending machines, Cardozo said. Because many of the vending machines are located in the barracks, it was important for them to have a say in what food will be available.

"The products that are going in (the vending machines) are the products the Soldiers chose," Cardozo said. "They spoke for their fellow Soldiers and told us what they would like to see."

"We took the most popular snacks, and those are the ones that will be replacing the unhealthy food," he continued.

While some of consumers' favorites will remain in stock, 60 percent of all vending machine contents will be healthier snack options, Bennett added. With the exception of one or two items, the top 10 most frequently used machines, which include the physical fitness centers, Hays Hall and Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic, will be filled entirely with smart-eating choices.

"We will slowly start pulling out the unhealthy snacks, so eventually we'll be at 100 percent healthy vending," Bennett said.