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Healthy choices: Program raising awareness of healthier options

  • Published
  • By Howdy Stout
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  You are what you eat.

That's why representatives from various organizations across Tinker are looking at healthier eating options for those on base. Last year, Tinker was selected as one of the first Air Force bases to conduct a survey on what food is available here, ranging from the dining facility to fast-food outlets. The survey is the first step in a larger program called Developing Improved Nutrition Environments, DINE, which is designed to increase and promote healthy eating choices.

"The intent was to assess the environment," explained Wendi Knowles, a dietitian with the Health and Wellness Center.

The survey, conducted by representatives from organizations throughout Tinker, used a questionnaire to assess eating options available on base, including vending machines, fast-food outlets, clubs and cafes.

Not surprisingly, some vending machines provided little healthy eating choices while others -- including the fast-food outlets -- scored much higher.

"We get a lot of feedback that our environment is not healthy," Ms. Knowles added. "But I don't think that's necessarily true. It's perhaps more of an awareness issue."

And raising awareness about healthy eating options at Tinker is part of the goal of the DINE program. Most of the fast-food outlets on base and the café in Bldg. 3001 have calorie and nutrition information available for customers to review online, Ms. Knowles said, making it easier for people to make healthy eating choices.

"You can't really tell a restaurant what to serve," she said, "but you can highlight healthier items."

In fact, she said, using the nutritional information provided by four of the fast-food outlets on base, healthy lunch options are easily available.

But not all vendors on base provide nutrition information nor have healthy choices. In fact, refrigerated vending machines scored lowest in the survey with no healthy alternatives. Changing the variety of what vending machines offer or adding certain items, such as fruit or yogurt, would be step in the right direction, Ms. Knowles said.

Poor food choices are not just a Tinker issue, but a national one as the American population is becoming increasingly overweight and obese. A recent study says that Americans spend an estimated 50 percent of their monthly food budget at restaurants and fast-food outlets. And with the average restaurant meal two to eight times larger than a healthy-sized portion, the result is a bigger -- but not necessarily better -- America.

"Over 30 percent of Oklahoma's population is obese," Ms. Knowles said. "Oklahoma City was ranked the second fattest city in the United States by Men's Fitness Magazine for 2009. In part this is due to Oklahoma having three restaurants for every 1,000 people."

Although Airmen tend to be healthier than their civilian counterparts, Ms. Knowles said, weight issues continue to be a challenge for the service, with more than 50 percent of active-duty personnel either overweight or obese.

Being overweight or obese affects overall general health, she added. The Department of Defense estimates it spends more than $1.1 billion annually on medical care for overweight active duty personnel in all of the nation's armed forces.

The Air Force, however, is attempting to address the issue with revised fitness standards geared to making sure Airmen are fit across a broad range of measurable standards, one of which is the waistline.

"It is the single, best measure of health risk," Ms. Knowles said.

Fighting the battle of the bulge, however, requires education and information. Having calorie information for meals, coupled with the knowledge that the average adult only needs 2,000 calories per day, is a good way for people to be more aware and make better eating choices, Ms. Knowles said. To find your personal calorie needs, a good site to reference is Mypyramid.gov.

Ms. Knowles said the DINE program participants are planning to conduct another survey to see if suggested changes have been implemented and to expand the group's knowledge base.

"We're at the point of doing another survey," she said. "And we're looking at including the schools. We'd like to get them involved."

In some cases, she said, recommended changes as a result of the DINE studies might require larger policy changes at the Air Force level. But, with the health of Airman at stake, change may come sooner rather than later. In any event, Ms. Knowles added, Air Force Materiel Command is planning to implement the DINE program service-wide.

"The overall intent will be to see what can be changed locally while looking globally," she said.

At the most basic level, though, the DINE program will allow us to ensure we have an environment that supports healthy choices and makes them easier to obtain.

"We're trying to get the community involved in helping us help ourselves," she said. "Everyone should always be looking at their health and we're just trying to help."