You are what you eat

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nick McNaughton
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  On Monday you are a Big Mac with an order of fries. On Tuesday you are a bucket of the Colonel's best kept secret at KFC. On Wednesday, you are Big Montana and some curly fries. On Thursday, you head south of the border and turn into a grilled stuffed burrito and a nachos bel grande. Who knew you had so many layers to you!

Well, if you go by the old adage "you are what you eat", chances are you're suffering from an identity crisis, so it might be time for a change. What better time than now since March is National Nutrition Month?

The theme for this March is "Nutrition from the ground up", and is a campaign created by the American Dietetic Association. According to their web site, www.eatright.org, "The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits".

Although March is officially the month for nutrition, why not make these last nine months of 2010 all nutrition months?

According to Maj Cathy Snowball, 48th Aeromedical Squadron Health and Wellness Center flight commander, if one of your new year's resolutions was to eat better, you should set long-term, attainable goals.

"Eating a healthy diet that contains all of the major food groups with a caloric intake that helps you maintain your weight, if it is a healthy one, should be a goal for everyone," she added. When your weight yo-yos up and down, it is very hard on your body as well as your self esteem. If you can strive for a goal to keep your weight in a realistic range, you are much better off."

There are numerous tools out there to assist you with your nutritional goals, and best of all, your local HAWC offers them for free.

According to Major Snowball, "The Health and Wellness Centers on RAF's Lakenheath and Mildenhall offer weight loss classes, healthy cooking demonstrations, commissary tours, cholesterol reduction and tobacco cessation classes free of charge to all base members, active duty, families, retirees, civilians and Ministry of Defense staff". She went on to say that every other month the HAWC exercise physiologists offer running clinics, and the nutrition technicians provide sports nutrition classes.

Now, if you are one of those people riding the social media wave, there are numerous free web sites out there that allow you to enter your daily caloric intake, join online groups of people with goals similar to yours; and even generate a shopping list based on the healthy meal plan you have created.

There are so many options to help you live a healthier lifestyle and eat more nutritiously. Major Snowball stresses that it is vital to make a plan and stick to it, whether you are in a rush, at a temporary duty assignment or just not in the mood to cook.

"The biggest thing is to have a plan," she added. "Prepare a menu for a week or two weeks. Know your calorie range and do your menus around that. Basically, ward off temptation to run to Burger King or head to your unit's snack bar when you are starving. Like everyone else, you will grab the first thing that appeals to you and it may not be a good choice."