Airmen learn skills to fight the battle of the bulge, poor nutrition

  • Published
  • By Diane Betzler
  • Staff writer
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Airman 1st Class Nathaniel Fisher, 412th Maintenance Squadron, is conscious of his eating habits and thought he was eating healthy.

"My grandparents are diabetics and I want to make sure I don't end up with the disease," he said.

To combat his chances of being inflicted with a disease that appears to run in his family, the Airman said he began to pay attention to his diet, and before a two-part commissary tour for first-term Airman, he thought he was doing a good job of it.

"I learned through this course that I still have to make a lot of improvements," he said.

Team Edwards has declared war on bad eating habits and is doing its best to educate its Airmen about how to make healthier choices at meal times.

To do that, officials have made it mandatory for first-term Airmen to attend the First Term Airmen Center commissary tour and cooking class, which is conducted by the Edwards Health and Wellness Center. The course teaches Airmen to select healthier foods and then learn healthier ways of cooking.

"A lot of our Airmen are young and less concerned about tracking their fat and sodium content," said Alice Torres, a dietitian from the HAWC who conducts the tours.

Mrs. Torres points out that individuals who consume foods high in fat and sodium not only run the risk of unhealthy weight gains but also put themselves at a higher risk of developing a myriad of health disorders, many of which don't become apparent for years.

"That's why it's important to educate the Airmen while they are young," Mrs. Torres said. "During the commissary tour I teach Airmen how to shop."

To become a smart shopper people need to read labels.

"I teach them how to understand the nutritional facts on the labels so that they understand what they are purchasing."

Mrs. Torres said once people understand good nutrition they are able to make healthier choices and begin to trade high fat and high sodium products for healthier foods with much less fat and sodium.

While guiding a group of Airmen around the Edwards Commissary she talked about the benefits of switching to leaner meats, whole grains and foods with low sodium and low sugar. She said eating healthy today could help ensure a healthier quality of life in later years.

One of the biggest challenges she faces is putting to rest the myth that healthy foods are tasteless.

"I do that during the cooking demo class. I apply all the information they received during the commissary tour and show them how to make a healthy home-cooked meal from all the right foods we selected during the tour."

After their shopping trip, the Airmen are taken over to the HAWC. That's when they get to see first hand that a nutritious and balanced meal doesn't take long to prepare.

"They get to eat the meal as well and learn that eating healthy isn‟t necessarily bad tasting," said Mrs. Torres.

"If they start now, they will be healthy throughout their career and into their retirement years. We definitely want to keep our Airmen fit to fight," she said.

Airman 1st Class Enrico Miller, 412th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, was one of five Airmen who attended the June 7 commissary tour. He said he believes in the eating-for -good-health concept and said he found the two-part course helpful.

"I want to focus on reducing the fat in my diet and increase my intake of protein," he said.

He said this course showed him how to do that.

FTAC classes are given once a month and are open to first-term Airmen only, however, the Health and Wellness Center is looking to expand the commissary tour and cooking class to anyone with base access who is interested in attending.

Mrs. Torres said although contractor personnel cannot shop at the commissary, they are allowed in to attend a tour.

"Just because you're not able to shop at the commissary, you can still go in and we can do a tour and learn how to adjust unhealthful eating habits," she said.

Anyone interested in either signing up for a commissary tour, the healthy cooking class that follows or both should contact the HAWC at 275-4292.