Airmen celebrate National Nutrition Month

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Abigail Klein
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  March is National Nutrition Month, a time to focus and re-emphasize the importance of eating right and getting plenty of exercise--time well spent for Airmen wishing to reach an "Excellent" score on their physical fitness tests.

This year's theme, "Eat Right with Color," emphasizes including a colorful variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products in a person's daily diet.

To enhance and sustain the strength of the Air Force, every Airman is personally obligated to take care of themselves, ready to answer the nation's call in accordance with the Air Force's "fit to fight" motto. In order to be prepared, McConnell's Health and Wellness center provides several methods to help improve the physical health and fitness of Airmen and their families.

"We have [nutrition] classes three times a week," said Maribeth Havran, 22nd Aeromedical Squadron nutrition consultant. "They are catered to a variety of health conditions and incomes."

These classes, which are free to Airmen, include a Cholesterol, "Weight Loss Fundamentals," a "Be Well" class mandatory for those who fail their PT test and a Diabetes refresher class. During these classes, she uses posters and visual aids that show actual serving sizes for foods people commonly eat.

The dietitian, who's just one part of the HAWC team, conducts not only group briefings, but individual meetings as well.

"The dietician services I offer cost anywhere between $75 to $100 dollars per hour [off base]," she said. "I have the same training as my off base counterparts, but I offer it for free."

During these classes, Ms. Havran offers Airmen advice on not only how to eat healthy, but to eat healthy on a budget and with a busy work schedule.

"My biggest thing is having a plan," Ms. Havran said. "If you don't plan your week, you're not going to eat well or exercise unless you remember later on. It has to be important to you and if it's not, it's not going to happen for you."

This "planning" includes bringing your own snacks and lunch to work instead of grabbing something at the last minute or touring the local snack bar. This advice is useful and effective, especially with today's high operations tempo, she said.

In addition to normally scheduled classes like the Weight Loss Fundamentals class, Ms. Havran will provide a one-hour "Meals in Minutes" class March 29 from 3 to 4 p.m., and March 31 from 9 to 10 a.m. The class will teach basic meal planning strategies and help map out a week of healthy menus. The class is open to all active duty, dependents, retirees and Department of Defense civilians.

For more information or to obtain the class schedules, stop by the HAWC or call at (316) 759-6150. To better accommodate Airmen, the HAWC is always open to new and inventive ideas that aide with Airmen's fitness.