Total Force Kitchen: Exploring Active-Duty Service Member Performance Optimization Through Cooking.

Introduction: Obesity, overweight, and suboptimal eating habits are threats to U.S. active-duty service member (SM) nutritional fitness. Offering programs that improve diet quality and nutritional status is of high interest to military leaders. Methods: Total force kitchen (TFK) was developed as a performance-focused multicomponent program centered around culinary skills with education and skill building in key areas of nutrition, physical activity, and mindfulness. This pilot study's objectives were to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the TFK program, to make recommendations for program modification, and to determine impact on behavior, self-efficacy, and health-related outcomes. Participants were single or geographically single active-duty SMs (n = 17) who attended the 12-week, 60-h innovative culinary education and performance optimization program at a local United Service Organization facility. A mixed-method approach assessed pre- and post-program metrics, including attrition rates and participant satisfaction. Results: The TFK program retention rate was 76.5%. All participants were "somewhat satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the overall TFK program. The highest satisfaction was with the cooking-related components. Improvements in other behavioral (d = 0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.17 to 0.95), self-rated health (d = 0.58, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.16), and anthropometric measures (e.g., body fat percentage: d = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.12 to 0.10) were smaller than improvements in cooking attitudes (d = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.17 to 1.13) and self-efficacy for techniques (d = 1.80, 95% CI: 0.96 to 2.62). Participants reported positive changes in lifestyle related to what they eat and how they prepare their meals. They also highly valued active learning and instructor knowledge and enthusiasm. Discussion: This multidisciplinary evidence-based program offers ample opportunities for SMs to gain knowledge, build skills, and engage in a supportive community to optimize their performance through cooking. A successful pilot has the potential to leverage resources for the TFK program expanding its reach and impact to the larger military population and nonmilitary communities.

Go for Green® Nutrition Program: Translating Evidence Into Practice.

INTRODUCTION: Go for Green® (G4G) is an evidence-based, multi-component nutrition program for military dining facilities (DFAC) to improve nutritional fitness among Service Members. The program evolved from supporting "fueling" during initial Army training into a robust intervention across all U.S. Military branches. The current G4G program consists of eight program requirements to optimize the nutrition environment, including traffic light labeling, nutritious menus, choice architecture, food promotion, marketing, and staff training. The evolution of the G4G program, development of standardized program requirements, and lessons learned are described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The latest scientific evidence, best practices in health promotion and nutrition education, results and data from G4G implementation in the military community support the current version of G4G. Feedback and observations from program developers, military branch foodservice headquarters, installation leadership, and local G4G DFAC teams provided insight into implementation challenges, successes, facilitators, and barriers. RESULTS: The G4G program has evolved and expanded from its initial inception over 10 years ago to its current version. Research studies, nutrition science, and feedback from military community stakeholders have informed programmatic changes and improvements. CONCLUSIONS: G4G 2.0 is a robust, innovative, multi-component, performance nutrition program with clear program element requirements. Value was added to elevate the G4G program by setting program requirements, expanding program components, and establishing a centralized resource hub. Performance nutrition initiatives in local military DFAC for dining facilities, such as G4G 2.0, has great potential to impact the health and well-being of Service Members.

Perspective: Challenges and Strategies to Reduce the Sodium Content of Foods by the Food Service Industry.

Most Americans have dietary sodium intakes that exceed the recommended limits, which is a risk factor for hypertension and CVD. The share of total food expenditures for foods prepared and consumed away from home (FAFH) is ∼55%. These foods are consumed at various venues, including restaurants, workplaces, schools and universities, military installations, and assisted living/long-term care facilities. The food service industry has dealt with and continues to deal with various challenges in its attempt to reduce the sodium content in the foods that they prepare and sell. Despite these challenges, there have been various successful strategies used to reduce the sodium content in FAFH. This perspective article provides an overview of the challenges and strategies that have been used by the food service industry to reduce sodium in FAFH, as well as future sodium reduction strategies. Because of the widespread consumption of FAFH, implementing such future strategies could have a profound impact on the sodium content of the American diet.

Nutrition Program Fidelity Assessment tool: a framework for optimising implementation in military dining facilities.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to develop, refine and assess the usefulness of the Go for Green® (G4G) 2.0 Program Fidelity Assessment (PFA) tool. G4G 2.0 is a Department of Defense programme designed to optimise access, availability and knowledge of high-performance nutritious foods in military dining facilities (DFAC). DESIGN: During a multi-site study to evaluate G4G 2.0 on meal quality and diner satisfaction, subject matter experts developed and refined a PFA tool based on eight programme requirements (PR). They identified tasks critical to programme success and corresponding benchmarks, then proposed expansion of several PR and developed a scoring system to assess adherence. Three PFA were conducted (Site 1, Site 2A and Site B). SETTING: Two DFAC in the USA implementing the G4G 2.0 programme. PARTICIPANTS: Military DFAC participating in a G4G 2.0 evaluation study. RESULTS: After G4G 2.0 implementation, Site 1 conducted a PFA and met benchmarks for eight of fifteen sections. At Site 2, a PFA was conducted after G4G 2.0 implementation (Site 2A) and one 3 months later (Site 2B) with twelve of fifteen and ten of fifteen sections meeting benchmarks, respectively. CONCLUSION: Research highlights the need to maximise implementation quality to ensure interventions are effective, achievable and efficient. Using a PFA tool to objectively assess nutrition interventions can inform programme fidelity, successes and opportunities for improvement. Results identify key areas that require additional training and resources to optimise access to nutrient-dense foods that support nutritional fitness. This feedback is critical for assessing potential programme impact on Service Members.