Check the climate of your nutrition environment!

By Jane Heetderks-Cox, MS, RDN, LD, Registered Dietitian and Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel 

You might have heard about the role of greenhouse gases, carbon emissions, and other negative factors on your physical environment. But have you ever thought about your nutrition environment and whether it supports your health and fitness goals?

Health and nutrition professionals use the terms nutrition environment or food environment to describe the quality and quantity of foods and drinks available where you live, work, play, and learn. Your nutrition environment includes all the places you buy and eat foods, including restaurants, school and work cafeterias, grocery stores, gas stations, and vending machines. The military is working on ways to improve your local food environment in dining facilities, grocery stores, and more.

Nutrition experts use 2 main strategies to improve the food environment:

• Increase the number of choices for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy items, and low-sugar drinks.
• Place and promote healthier items where they’re the most attractive, desirable, and convenient.

When you eat out, you can use the same methods to manage the “climate” of your personal nutrition environment that you use at home. When you have plenty of nutritious options nearby, you’re more likely to reach your fitness and nutrition goals. The following are some ways to make healthier choices in places where you might have limited control over your options.

 At work 

• If there’s a refrigerator, stock it with nutritious snack options such as low-fat cheese sticks, low-sugar yogurt, fresh fruit, and vegetables instead of visiting the vending machine.
• Bring your own healthy meals and low-sugar drinks instead of going out to eat.
• Invite coworkers to bring healthy items for potlucks and office celebrations.

 At your favorite restaurant or cafeteria 

• In military dining facilities, look for healthier foods and drinks identified by labels or logos, such as the Go for Green® (G4G) program.
• If you don’t see it, ask for calorie and nutrition information.
• Ask for a take-out container to take half of your meal home.

 At the grocery store 

• At the commissary, look for Dietitian Approved Thumb items and fueling stations to help you find nutritious foods.
• Visit the outer aisles first. They contain the healthiest items: produce, meat, poultry, and dairy.
• Try to fill half your cart with fresh fruits and vegetables.

 At the convenience store 

• Look for signs, logos, or displays (such as the AAFES Be Fit Program) that promote healthy items.
• Take advantage of “grab ‘n go” salads, cut fruit, veggies, and sandwiches with lean meat.
• Select water or low-calorie drinks.

If you don’t see the healthy items you’re looking for, ask the cashier or manager how you can request them.

Visit HPRC’s website for more ways to build a healthier nutrition environment—in your kitchen, at your desk, and when you go out to eat.

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The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of USUHS or DoD. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not reflect the views, opinions, or policies of The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The author has no financial interests or relationships to disclose.

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