Go For Green to optimize health and fitness
Story and photos by Sgt. Barry St. Clair, 24th Press Camp Headquarters
FORT BLISS, Texas -- Three of the most popular New Years' resolutions involve diet, exercise and fitness.
Most people realize that making changes in habit patterns requires more determination and resolve than a hasty decision on New Years' eve.
The Go For Green program at Army dining facilities assists patrons with food choices by rating each food product. This program enables people to make better choices at each meal while going through the food line.
"When you go to order your food, the more green products you choose, the better for your overall fitness," said Selite Ornelas, a registered dietitian with William Beaumont Army Medical Center's Nutrition Clinic.
"The Go Green program is one of the tools we use to train dining facility managers and cooks. With proper utilization they provide Servicemembers with better options for optimum performance," said Jeff Morgan, Installation Food Advisor.
"In providing healthy choices, there is usually a higher cost involved," Morgan said. "We give the cooks and manager's tips like when you have a moderate protein, you can move it up from red to amber by baking instead of frying."
Posters displayed around the dining facilities explain the green, amber, and red color codes. Green food items are high performance foods that should be chosen often for Soldier athletes and those interested in weight loss. They are less calorie dense foods. Amber foods contain more calories, but less vitamins and minerals. They should be chosen occasionally, and avoided for those wishing to lose weight. Finally, red foods are performance inhibiting and should be selected rarely.
"How can I keep it green? That is the question we train for. Market share and patronage are our focus, even though we are not-for-profit," said Morgan. "How can we serve the meal card holder with a valuable product is our goal."
The Nutrition Care Division at William Beaumont Army Medical Center is setting the example with a resolution to makeover the menu of the Saint Martin's Dining Facility managed by NCD staff.
"We thought that the hospital nutritional service that prepares meals for both the dining facility and inpatients of WBAMC should lead the way when it comes to healthier choices," said Lt. Col. LesLee Funderburk, chief of nutrition services. "There has been much positive feedback from the new menu options."
All performance limiting foods have been removed from Saint Martin's menu. These items were replaced by healthier choices. In the case of French fries, they are no longer deep fried, "fries" are baked instead.
"The GFG program is a visual educational tool to assist Soldiers and family members in making healthier choices," said Capt. Megon E. Carter, chief of inpatient dietetics, WBAMC.
"Any beneficiary is able to see a dietician for lifestyle choices that may be related to weight concerns or other medical conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes," said Carter.
"It all comes down to choice and motivation," Carter said. "It requires knowledge coupled with consistent choices to make behavioral changes."
For information on the GFG program or Soldier Fueling Initiative on the web, type http://www.army.mil/article/65799/ into your browser.
To schedule nutrition classes for yourself or your unit call the Nutrition Care clinic at 742-1377.
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