Foundational Nutrition

For Soldiers to perform optimally throughout their careers in assignments with varying levels of mental and physical requirements, they must be proactive and place as much emphasis on foundational health as they do on task-specific performance. This entails chronic disease prevention and immune system enhancement.

Summary

The Army’s comprehensive performance nutrition program concept and framework encompasses three components—proactive, active, and reactive. The proactive component, or foundational nutrition, entails chronic disease prevention and immune system enhancement. The active component, or operational (occupational and environmental task-specific performance) nutrition, focuses on event fueling and postevent recovery and arduous environment preparedness. The reactive component, or therapeutic nutrition, centers on specific nutritional interventions to treat (as opposed to prevent) an illness, injury, or condition. When tailored to organizational requirements, unit- and culture-specific nutrition education and services can optimize individual Soldier performance, overall unit readiness, and ultimately, mission success.

Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention

The nutritional foundation established by a Soldier’s usual dietary intake, or “everyday diet,” can greatly reduce preventable future disease. More than 60 years of peer-reviewed research has demonstrated the importance of the everyday diet to the health and longevity of an individual. Soldiers can capitalize on these findings by consuming more whole-grain products, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy products, and fish, and less processed grains, added sugars, and processed meats.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (known as HHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (known as USDA) jointly publish the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every 5 years. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides evidence-based food and beverage recommendations for Americans ages 2 and older. These recommendations aim to promote health, prevent chronic disease, and help people reach and maintain a healthy weight, and should be used to develop the Soldier’s baseline healthy eating pattern.

An eating pattern represents all foods and beverages consumed. All foods consumed as part of a healthful eating pattern unite to meet nutritional needs that promote a healthy weight, enhance performance, and prevent chronic disease. Soldiers aim to meet their nutrient needs through healthful eating patterns Chapter 8 8-2 FM 7-22 1 October 2020 comprised of primarily nutrient-dense (such as essential vitamins and minerals, complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats) whole foods. A healthy eating pattern includes the following:

A variety of vegetables from all of the subgroups—dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), and starchy (potatoes, corn, and winter squash).
Fruits, especially whole fruits
Grains, at least half of which are whole grains.
Fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) diary, including milk, yogurt, cheese, fortified soy beverages, or combination of these.
A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), and nuts, seeds, and soy products.
Oils high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

Body Composition

Following a healthy eating pattern (consuming the number of servings of carbohydrate, protein and healthy fats from the food groups to meet individual calorie needs) supports a healthy body composition. The frequency, intensity, and type of physical activity also impact body composition. To perform optimally at any physical task requires proper nutrition combined with physical training. All Soldiers are encouraged to achieve and maintain body composition. See AR 600-9 for standards for body fat.

For some Soldiers, injury, stress, lack of time, frequent travel, or other reasons might contribute to a higher-than-optimal weight. They need to determine what might contribute to a body composition higher in body fat. It is important to evaluate the amount of food and calorie-containing beverages consumed each day and to reduce the total number of calories per day to reduce body fat. It takes dedication to make adjustments to eating habits, portion sizes, food choices, physical activity, sleep hygiene, and stress management. Nutrition goals should be realistic as weight loss does not happen overnight. Soldiers can generally sustain a weight loss of 0.5-1 pound per week. To prevent lean muscle loss and nutrient deficiencies, women should consume no less than 1200 calories per day; men should consume no less than 1500 calories per day.

Soldiers use the following tips to achieve a healthy weight:

Track food intake using a daily food log.
Focus on an eating plan that consists of nutrient rich, lean sources of protein—including fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and dairy products—and incorporate whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Choose low calorie beverages such as water, low-fat milk (or soy milk), and unsweetened beverages with and between meals to stay hydrated.
Be mindful of hunger and fullness cues, keeping in mind it takes 20 minutes to feel full, so eating slowly and mindfully is helpful to prevent eating more calories than intended.
Keep a food log to stay aware of the number of calories consumed and to know whether the calorie goal is met or not. This supports understanding whether further changes in eating habits are required to support weight loss
Stay hydrated and do not starve yourself. There is a balance in caloric consumption and

Goals change depending on work schedules. For example, trainees who struggle to have enough energy to perform the physical components in BCT should not focus on losing weight; their current goal should focus on fuel to perform. Once they have passed the physical standards, then they can shift their focus to weight loss.