TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --
March is officially National Nutrition Month, and the 325th Force Support Squadron wants Airmen to think about what they eat.
Nutrition plays an important part in strengthening the second pillar of Comprehensive Airman Fitness, physical fitness.
“How, when, why and where we eat are just as important as what we eat,” said April Wisdom, 325th health promotion department flight commander. “Making sure to enjoy the sights, sounds, memories and interactions associated with eating are essential to developing an overall healthy eating plan. That is why, as part of National Nutrition Month 2016, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics urges everyone to ‘Savor the Flavor of Eating Right.’”
The health promotion flight holds classes in the Health Promotion classroom on every Tuesday at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m., and as requested by squadrons and other groups. The classes include cooking demonstrations and food samplings to help educate people about the importance of good nutrition, Wisdom said. “We just wrapped a program called ‘New Year, New You,’ that helped over 60 people lose body fat and body weight through awesome nutrition guidelines. We discuss mindful eating and savoring your food as a part of our 13-week curriculum.”
Whether it is National Nutrition Month, or any month in the year, the professionals at the Health Promotion flight will continue to take care of Airmen and their families’ nutritional needs.
“The idea is to spread the message of good nutrition and healthy lifestyles for people of all ages, genders and backgrounds with articles, recipes and other resources through a variety of outlets,” Wisdom said.
After the elimination of the health and wellness centers in the Air Force, Health Promotion took over its primary duties.
“There are no longer HAWCs across the Air Force. They were eliminated in September 2014 and replaced with health promotion flights,” Wisdom said. “Health promotion flights now have a health educator and some have a registered dietitian. It’s important that people only see a nutritionist who is a registered dietitian because anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. Health promotion dietitians are charged with educating as many people in our population as possible about the effects of the food that they eat on their bodies, life expectancies and disease state.”