Military nutrition: finding a daily balance, optimize output

Nutrition is a daily struggle for most people and many people in the military encounter additional challenges with erratic schedules, diverse living arrangements and a constantly changing work tempo. It is easier to choose foods that are fast and convenient over foods to properly fuel our bodies, often leading to struggles with weight.

The good news is that all of this can be remedied with some basic knowledge and a little motivation to learn. Understanding nutrition and developing good eating habits can enable anyone to take control of their health, keeping the weight in check and increasing performance.

It is common to see service members in the store buying a candy bar and energy drink for lunch. Unfortunately, many service members regularly eat processed foods for convenience because they don’t know how to plan their meals ahead of time, are misinformed about good nutrition and often do not realize there are many healthy and delicious alternatives available.

Processed foods have little nutritional value and do not provide the body the nutrients it needs to function optimally, which can lead to decreased performance and increased body fat.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, “eating a balanced whole-food diet … is a foundational requirement for optimal nutrition. It can be quite difficult to get sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals from your diet if you do not eat real food.”

Healthy food can taste mild and uninteresting after a lifetime of processed food. With a step-by-step commitment to a permanent lifestyle change, this can easily and quickly change.

The first thing to consider when choosing food is macro nutrients, which are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. These are the primary nutrients that sustain life. Proteins are needed for tissue growth and repair; carbohydrates are needed for energy; and fats are needed for energy and cell growth. All calories come from macronutrients, so knowing proper portions of macro nutrients will help control calories. The second thing to consider are micro nutrients, which are vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients that are responsible for hundreds of functions in the human body.

Balanced meals should combine macro and micro nutrients to give the body a variety of nutrients it needs to function optimally.

The Harvard Medical School Guide to Health.

Having a basic understanding of macro-nutrients and micronutrients will help you make better choices and guide you to prepare well-balanced meals to function optimally. Learning to read labels and fit foods into a plan based on a general guideline gives people freedom and opens up choices people may not have realized existed.

Developing good eating habits is not just about choosing high-quality foods; it’s also about planning and preparing your meals so you do not eat for convenience only.

Social media has made it easy to learn healthy cooking and shop for taste and health. Many social media sites have free groups or support networks to help you get the ball rolling in the right direction as well as easy “how to” videos for simple recipes.

It’s also important to find a balance between taste and efficiency which takes some trial and error. The challenge of meal prep is finding ways to make your food taste good, and limiting your time cooking.

The other key to developing good eating habits is consistency. The people who have the greatest success are the people who are the most consistent and if they slip and fall, they quickly get back up and keep moving forward.

Not preparing your food for the day makes you reactive versus proactive. By front-loading the beginning of your week with a general plan and some easy meal and snack ideas prepared on the weekend you can save both time and money.

Most people don’t fully understand the benefits of healthy eating until they have experienced it for themselves. People who eat well often say they have more energy, feel stronger, and have increased cognitive function. They also realize it’s much easier to control their body weight through healthy eating.

“Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services of North Dakota,

Having a solid eating plan will ensure you provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function properly, and give you the energy you need to perform your best. Making small changes to your nutrition habits and lifestyle can have a significant impact on your military career. Next time you reach for fast food think about how you can make a better choice in that moment.

If you’re confused or need some guidance, seek out the resources available to you and make your health a priority.

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