Nutrition on the go: things every Sailor should know

All Hands, August, 2007 by Rebekah Blowers

Regardless of what time of year it is, the Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) is always right around the corner, and Sailors are told to prepare for it all year round. Being prepared doesn't mean only running, swimming and other physical exercise the week before the PFA, or starvation dieting to lose that extra five pounds. Sailors should be eating right, balancing a healthy diet and exercise to always be mission ready.

Lt. Cmdr. Linda S. Hite, department head, National Naval Medical Center Bethesda Nutrition Management, said that stress and eating on the go can affect Sailor's eating habits and deter them from meeting their fitness goals.

"The best way to eat healthy and to lose weight is to eat more fruits and vegetables--the more colorful the fruit or vegetable, the better. Strive to eat a wide variety each day, including red, green, blue/purple, yellow/orange, red and white foods," Hite said.

Sailor's lifestyles can be stressful, whether underway or on shore, balancing family, friends, work, education and whatever else comes their way. Hite said that stress is handled differently by everyone. Some people overeat while others drastically reduce their food intake.

"The best defense is for the person to understand what their response to stress is and then begin strategies to better manage it," she said.

If a Sailor overeats, Hite suggests the individual have plenty of low-calorie, low-fat foods available. Things such as raw vegetables and fruits, low-fat popcorn, pretzels, flavored water, sugarless gum and hard candies can be used.

"This [type of] person needs to watch out for high fat, high sugar items. If [foods such as] candy, chips, cookies, nuts, seeds and regular soda are conveniently located, typically that person will consume large quantities when stressed without even realizing the number of calories consumed," Hite said.

For Sailors who tend to stop or reduce food intake when stressed, Hite said the strategy is to have easy to consume and easy on the stomach food available.

"For example, nutritional drinks, either canned or those designed to be mixed with milk, can be helpful. This type of eater often experiences stomach fullness and bloating when stressed. Thus the goal is to minimize the volume of food and reduce fiber intake until the stress subsides. Liquids are often more easily tolerated," she said.

She suggested Sailors stay away from diet and other low calorie drinks because while the liquid will fill up the stomach, it doesn't provide needed calories. Hite also suggested Sailors should try a variety of nutritional drinks when not stressed and choose the ones that are tolerated the best.

Hite also had some helpful tips for Sailors who are on the go and trying to eat right. If Sailors have time to plan, fruits and vegetables are light weight and easy to pack. Snack mixtures such as trail mix with nuts and seeds are loaded with nutrients, but are rich in calories, so Hite advises Sailors to eat them sparingly if they are watching their weight.

When grabbing food from fast food restaurants or from convenience stores, Hite said to consider these tips: Choose grilled, broiled or steamed food over fried items; order regular or child size portions versus super-sized servings; boost calcium intake with a low-fat milkshake or skim milk as a beverage; replace French fries with a side salad; share an order with a friend and eliminate half the calories; enhance a sandwich's nutrients with veggies--tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and more; choose submarine sandwiches made with lean turkey, beef or ham and use more mustard and veggies--limit mayonnaise and serve on whole wheat bread; choose salad bars whenever possible and load up on the colorful veggies such as dark lettuce, spinach, carrots, broccoli and peppers.

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Balancing food and exercise is vital to Sailors who are trying to lose weight. For Sailors trying to maintain a healthy weight, calories consumed must balance calories expended during exercise. To lose weight, calories expended must exceed calories consumed. But, Hite said this doesn't mean Sailors have to starve themselves.

"Since 3,500 calories equates to one pound of fat, reducing calories by 500 per day results in a one-pound weight loss per week. But, this doesn't mean you have to cut out 500 calories of food. You can combine exercise and food intake," Hite said. "For example, if you increase your exercise by 200 calories, such as running two miles at a brisk pace, and reduce food calories by 300, the total calorie reduction is 500 for the day."

Hite stressed that Sailors can do little things like substitute a grilled chicken sandwich for a double-decker hamburger. This can easily reduce their calorie intake by 300 to 400 calories. The high fat content of the double burger is the culprit.

"The single most important change to reduce food calories is to reduce fat intake. Fat has more calories per weight than any other nutrient. So by simply reducing fat, calories are reduced as well," Hite said.