Originally published December 13 2010
Nutrition directly related to national security
by Victor Mohyla
(NaturalNews) News reports have recently surfaced describing how our young generation is now typically too fat to serve in the military. These reports focus strictly on weight loss. When it comes to the health, strength and optimal performance of our troops, is it just the weight of a man or woman that deserves such critical review, or is there more to it that is being left unaddressed?
A news story on a primary television channel in our nation`s capital recently took a glimpse of one young man`s effort to join the Army. In "Too Fat to Fight", the audience was quickly brought through his story of hope to serve his country while being 20 pounds overweight.
Unfortunately, a closer look into the guidelines used for military nutrition reveals the same misinformation that our general population encounters in the media.
For example, our Armed Forces typically follow the guidelines that are outlined in the USDA Food Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Dietary Guidelines for Americans describes how a person on a 2600 calorie per day diet should be eating 10-11 servings of grains per day. This guideline claims that english muffins, bagels, cereal and pretzels are healthy choices!
Clearly, there is a conflict of interest in having the USDA (Department of Agriculture) decide what foods the American population should eat. Even though these examples of processed, nutrient-depleted foods have deteriorated the health of our citizens to epidemic proportions, such information continues to be indicated as the proper path to healthy weight management.
While it is a positive step that the Food Pyramid has recently been revised to include more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, it is interesting to note that the importance of eating fruits and vegetables is limited strictly to "important sources of potassium, magnesium and fiber". There is no mention of vitamins, phytonutrients or other essential micronutrients.
Fats are simply directed to be used sparingly, and the necessity of healthy fats in our daily diet is not pointed out. They are also lumped together in one group called "Fats, Oils & Sweets". It seems that Omega-3 rich fish oil and milk duds may be considered to be in the same food group.
Clearly, there is still a long way to go before the information that NaturalNews readers already know becomes common knowledge to our Armed Forces, who so bravely serve our nation. The hope is that it will not be too late once this time arrives.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2...
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/health/Too...
http://www.nourishdc.com/wp-content/uploads/...
http://www.naturalnews.com/029226_school_lun...
About the author
Victor Mohyla is a nutrition and fitness enthusiast, author and the Owner of Living Beyond Your Dreams, LLC, where he coaches individuals and corporations on the importance of how we can transform our lives from the inside out through holistic, natural nutrition and fitness principles. Known as "Your Holistic, Lifestyle Nutrition and Fitness Expert", he has made it his mission to renew the lives of as many individuals as possible, through what he has learned by his own personal health challenges and ultimate victory.
Victor offers his unique coaching programs through his website at www.Living-BeyondYourDreams.com and may be contacted via his website or by e-mail at [email protected]
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