DVIDS – News – Fit for 2022: Commissaries offer plenty of tips, ideas, resources to help patrons improve their health and wellness

By Kathy Milley, DeCA public affairs specialist

FORT LEE, Va. – The brand new yr is all the time an thrilling time of evaluation and recommitment, particularly in terms of wellness. No matter well being objectives you might have resolved to satisfy in 2022, the commissary is right here to assist steer you in the precise path with ideas, concepts and assets to enhance diet.

“Well being and wellness is a key precedence for our patrons, so it’s vitally essential to us,” stated Bonita Moffett, the Protection Commissary Company’s gross sales director. We work diligently to supply our patrons the right combination of merchandise and assets to assist their wellness targets all whereas saving massive on the checkout.”

In line with Deborah Harris, DeCA’s dietitian and well being and wellness program supervisor (who holds a grasp of Public Well being diploma and is a registered dietitian and licensed diabetes care and schooling specialist), when committing to a more healthy life-style and wellness objectives, the commissary strives to maintain patrons motivated by providing simply identifiable high-performance meals and easy-to-use, fast meal options and wellness assets.

• Dietitian Accredited Thumb (DAT): The “Thumbs Up Dietitian-Accredited” tags on cabinets makes it simple for patrons to shortly establish high-nutrition-quality meals to include right into a wholesome consuming sample. DAT makes use of distinctive software program that analyzes and identifies merchandise in many of the commissary meals classes based mostly on as much as 86 of the FDA-defined well being attributes. The attributes analyzed range by meals class, however will higher establish dietitian-approved meals that restrict added sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats whereas providing complete grains, wholesome fat, fiber or lean protein in addition to establish objects that qualify as USDA Natural. As soon as these merchandise are recognized, they’re marked on the commissary cabinets with a “Thumbs Up Dietitian-Accredited” tag.

• “Pondering Outdoors the Field” recipes: Getting ready nutritious meals at house doesn’t need to be tough or costly. With “Pondering Outdoors the Field” recipes, your commissary frequently affords meal options which are fast, wholesome and economical with components sometimes provided at enhanced financial savings to our clients. The recipes are all the time accessible on commissaries.com underneath the “Wholesome Residing” tab. This library options fast and simple, dietitian-approved recipes for appetizers, entrees, salads, aspect dishes and even desserts.

• Commissary CLICK2GO: Use Commissary CLICK2GO, the commissary’s on-line ordering service, to immediately add the components of your favourite dietitian-approved recipe to your digital grocery cart. When doing all your Commissary CLICK2GO ordering on Commissaries.com, click on on the Recipe hyperlink (https://store.commissaries.com/recipes), choose the recipe you want to add to your meal plan for the week and easily click on the “Add to Cart” button beside every of the components you’ll want to put together the meal. Getting ready nutritious meals at house has by no means been simpler.

• Fueling stations: The Dietitian-Accredited Fueling Stations, positioned close to the front-end checkout aisles in over 170 commissaries, supply handy, tasty, nutritious meals and snacks to provide patrons the comfort they want with out the high-calories or high-cost of a quick meals restaurant meal. Clients can anticipate to see merchandise that provide protein, wholesome fats, complicated carbohydrates and a low-calorie type of hydration like low-calorie waters and sports activities drinks, deli sandwiches, single-serving hummus, ready-to-eat lean protein, fruits and cheese, no-added-sugar yogurts, low-sugar protein bars, or ready sliced fruits and salads.

• Fast home-cooked meals: Lack of time shouldn’t stop patrons from getting ready nutritious home-cooked meals. DeCA has ready a listing of no-fuss entrées (https://commissaries.com/websites/default/information/2019-09/no_fuss_entrees.pdf) chosen from the various dietitian-approved “Pondering Outdoors the Field” (https://www.commissaries.com/healthy-living/healthy-eats) recipes featured on commissaries.com. The listing is designed to reduce preparation time with fast and simple meal options that includes components that may get monetary savings on the commissary. It options hyperlinks to quick-prep recipes utilizing a sluggish cooker, microwave or strain cooker; make-ahead freezer meals; one skillet meals and entrees utilizing ready protein like rotisserie hen and canned tuna.

• Meal planning: To take the work out of meal planning, DeCA has created two dietitian-approved dinner menu plans together with weekly purchasing lists, every for a complete month of household meals. These month-to-month menu plans can be found on commissaries.com at these hyperlinks: Meal Plan #1 (https://www.commissaries.com/websites/default/information/2021-02/nutrition-month-calendar-2b.pdf) and Meal Plan #2 (https://www.commissaries.com/websites/default/information/2021-09/Meal-plan-calendar-with-links.pdf) . Select your most popular plan and easily print off the purchasing listing for the week, add breakfast and lunch objects and your purchasing listing is prepared. You’ll have the whole lot you want for the week. If you want to create your individual menu plan tailoring it to your loved ones’s preferences, use our easy-to-follow planning aids, the Dietitian-Accredited Menu Planner (https://www.commissaries.com/websites/default/information/2019-02/Dietititan_Approved_Menu_Planner.pdf) and the Weekly Meal Plan Worksheet (https://commissaries.com/websites/default/information/2020-06/Weekly_Meal_Plan_Worksheet.pdf).

“Make fruit and veggies your go-to snack, experiment with nutritious substitutes like cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles for starchy rice or pasta or attempt a brand new fruit or veggie every month,” stated Harris. “All these concepts coupled with our applications which establish excessive efficiency meals, our easy-to-use, fast meal options and our many wellness assets give our patrons a head begin on assembly their wellness objectives whereas stretching their meals greenback.”

-DeCA-

About DeCA: The Protection Commissary Company operates a worldwide chain of commissaries offering groceries to navy personnel, retirees and their households in a protected and safe purchasing surroundings. Commissaries present a navy profit, saving licensed patrons hundreds of {dollars} yearly on their purchases in comparison with related merchandise at business retailers. The discounted costs embody a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the prices of constructing new commissaries and modernizing present ones. A core navy household assist aspect, and a valued a part of navy pay and advantages, commissaries contribute to household readiness, improve the standard of life for America’s navy and their households, and assist recruit and retain the perfect and brightest women and men to serve their nation.