Photo By Sgt. Maj. Shelia Fourman | Soldiers from the 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Campbell, Kentucky team up with Armed...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – The Army Materiel Command recognizes the annual National Nutrition Month and its collaboration with DoD agencies.
National Nutrition Month is an annual observance created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 1973 to raise awareness on the significance of making informed food choices and developing lifelong healthy eating habits. It emphasizes the role of proper nutrition regarding optimal health, injury, and lifestyle disease prevention, as well as promoting overall wellbeing.
Throughout the month, Army organizations are encouraged to implement various educational activities and initiatives to enhance balanced diets and fitness to improve total health. This month serves as a reminder to place high prioritization on holistic health and fitness to improve quality of life.
“March is National Nutrition Month and the Army Commitment to Improving Overall Nutrition (ACTION) improves Soldiers’ nutrition, readiness, and lethality for the Army while maintaining and delivering ready combat formations,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jimmy Sellers, command sergeant major of Army Materiel Command. “In an effort to support H2F, ACTION aims to achieve and sustain improved nutritional fitness of Soldiers and increase overall readiness.”
With the assistance of DoD agencies like the Armed Forces Wellness Center, installations across the Army provide support to Soldiers in-person and virtually to teach standardized general nutrition education focused on meal planning and food’s role in overall health.
“AFWCs are partnering with their installations imbedding with Warrior Restaurants to promote best practices for nutrition and resilience, teaching healthy cooking classes to culinary specialist and unaccompanied Soldiers, and partnering with H2F teams to promote healthy eating habits,” said Sgt. Maj. Kelvin Windham, Army Materiel Command G4 sergeant major.
Megan Amadeo, the project officer of AFWC at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md, stated that with one of the AWFC’s primary core programs being healthy nutrition, it aligns directly with Army and commanders’ priorities and focuses on nutrition’s role concerning injury prevention, weight management, and general longevity strategies that are crucial for maintaining readiness across the Total Force.
“The AFWC have a very robust and busy month of nutrition focused initiatives planned, currently over fifty individual events throughout the month of March and counting,” said Amadeo. “For example, many AFWCs have collaborated with their local Warrior Restaurants to provide education to diners on building a nutrient dense plate within the facility as well as partnering with their local Commissaries to provide healthy shopping tips as shoppers enter the store.”
“These core programs are accomplished through health education and standardized assessments to include body composition testing, resting metabolic rate testing, and aerobic fitness testing to continually track trends of injury and illness risk,” said Amadeo. “The AFWC teams across all locations are standardized and knowledgeable with providing education to improve health literacy such as preparing meals, understanding food labels, and controlling portions to reach overall goals.”
With a key focus on ACTION, H2F, and improving overall total fitness for Soldiers, installations are conducting events, fitness challenges, and educational classes to educate the force.
“Key elements of ACTION that are enabling Soldiers to make healthier options for National Nutrition Month include installation stake holders promoting and highlighting nutrition awareness,” said Windham. “The Defense Commissary Agency is promoting National Nutrition Month interactive web and recipes, dietitian approved build your own baskets, and Grab/Go refueling stations and installations are conducting 30-day fitness challenges which are directly tied to ACTION and delivering ready combat formations.”
While National Nutrition Month is an excellent opportunity to heavily campaign healthy nutrition habits, the AFWC is available year-round to support healthy nutrition education and choices. This campaign offers DoD agencies the opportunity to partner and collaborate to educate Soldiers on health food options and fitness associated with H2F.
“The month of March is a great opportunity for members within the community to initially attend nutrition focused events, such as cooking demonstrations and recipe challenges, or read nutrition focused newsletters or social media engagements,” said Amadeo. “Be sure to follow the centralized AFWC LinkedIn page for updates of the events as well as local installations’ social media pages; search the hashtag #AFWCNNM.
| Date Taken: | 03.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.27.2024 13:24 |
| Story ID: | 467161 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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