REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Army Materiel Command recognizes its annual National Nutrition Month and collaboration with Department of Defense agencies.
National Nutrition Month was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 1973 to raise awareness of the importance of making informed food choices and developing lifelong healthy eating habits. It is an annual event. It emphasizes the role of proper nutrition in promoting optimal health, injury, lifestyle disease prevention, and overall well-being.
Throughout the month, Army organizations are encouraged to implement a variety of educational activities and initiatives to enhance balanced eating and fitness to improve overall health. This month, we remind you to prioritize your overall health and fitness to improve your quality of life.
“March is National Nutrition Month, and the Army Commitment to Improve Total Nutrition (ACTION) will improve the nutrition, readiness, and lethality of Army Soldiers while maintaining and providing a ready combat formation.” said Sgt. Maj. Jimmy Sellers, Army Materiel Command sergeant major. “In an effort to support H2F, ACTION aims to achieve and maintain improved nutritional status for soldiers and increase overall readiness.”
With support from Department of Defense agencies like the Army Wellness Center, installations across the Army are providing standardized general nutrition education to Soldiers in-person and virtually, focusing on the role of food in meal planning and overall health. We provide teaching support.
“AFWC works with Warrior Restaurants to promote nutrition and resiliency best practices, teaches healthy cooking classes to culinary professionals and unaccompanied soldiers, and engages H2F teams to promote healthy eating habits. in partnership with,” said AFWC Sgt. Maj. Kelvin Windham, Army Materiel Command G4 sergeant major.
Megan Amadeo, project officer for AFWC at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, said one of AWFC’s main core programs is healthy nutrition, which aligns directly with Army and commander priorities. He said his focus is on the role of nutrition in relation to injury prevention, weight management, nutritional management and more. and general longevity strategies that are critical to maintaining readiness across the force.
“AFWC is planning a very strong and busy month of nutrition-focused initiatives, with more than 50 individual events currently scheduled throughout March and more to come,” Amadeo said. . “For example, many AFWCs are partnering with local Warrior restaurants to provide education to diners on how to create nutritious plates on-site, or partnering with local concession stands to help shoppers enter the store. Sometimes we offer tips for healthy shopping.
“These core programs are accomplished through health education and standardized assessments such as body composition testing, resting metabolic rate testing, and aerobic fitness testing to continually track trends in injury and disease risk. ,” Amadeo said. “AFWC teams at all locations are standardized and well-versed in providing education to improve health literacy, including meal preparation, understanding food labels, and portion control to meet overall goals. Masu.”
ACTION, H2F, focuses on improving Soldiers’ overall physical fitness, and the facility conducts events, fitness challenges, and educational classes to educate the troops.
“A key element of the action to help Soldiers choose healthier options for National Nutrition Month includes promoting and emphasizing nutrition awareness by facility personnel,” Windham said. Stated. “The Department of Defense is promoting an interactive web and recipes for National Nutrition Month, authorizing dietitians to create their own baskets, and Grab/Go refueling stations and facilities are offering direct-to-action and combat-ready combat We are running a 30-day fitness challenge that offers formations.”
While National Nutrition Month is a great time to campaign for healthy nutrition habits, AFWC is available year-round to support healthy nutrition education and choices. This campaign provides an opportunity for Department of Defense agencies to partner and collaborate to educate Soldiers about healthy food choices and fitness related to H2F.
“March is a great month for members within our community to be the first to participate in nutrition-focused events like cooking demonstrations and recipe challenges, read our nutrition-focused newsletters and social media activities, and more. This is a great opportunity to do so,” Amadeo said. “For up-to-date information on events, be sure to follow our centralized AFWC LinkedIn page, as well as your local facility’s social media pages. Search the hashtag #AFWCNNM.