Serving Those Who Protect Our Nation
2017; Elsevier BV; Volume: 117; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/j.jand.2017.04.021
ISSN2212-2680
Autores Tópico(s)Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
ResumoIn July, the month of our nation’s independence, let’s give thanks to the registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) who work with our service members and veterans, and their efforts to safeguard and improve the nutritional health of those who serve our country. The Academy’s commitment is strong to provide these heroes and their families with nutrition services and education1Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Providing nutrition services and education to active-duty service members and veterans. http://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/advocacy/healthy-food-systems-and-access/hunger-and-food-security/providing-nutrition-services-education-active-duty-veterans. Accessed May 22, 2017.Google Scholar and to address issues of food insecurity that too many of them face.2Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Food insecurity among active-duty service members and veterans. https://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/advocacy/healthy-food-systems-and-access/hunger-and-food-security/food-insecurity-active-duty-service-members-veterans. Accessed May 22, 2017.Google Scholar The Academy’s Policy Initiatives and Advocacy Team, with member volunteers, continues to work with our supporters in Congress to address both these issues and others of immense importance to service personnel and veterans. RDNs in the military have played a central role in the Academy since our first days. The Academy was founded (under its original name, the American Dietetic Association) in large part to aid in the war effort at home and abroad. Today, RDNs serve vital roles in the Air Force, Army, Navy, and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, as well as through civil service and the VA health care system. Building and keeping a strong, resilient military begins with fit, healthy children who are able to serve. A 2010 report by Mission Readiness, an organization of retired military leaders, found more than 1 in 4 Americans of potential military enlistment age (17 to 24 years) were “too fat to serve.”3Mission: Readiness. Military Leaders for Kids. Too fat to fight: Retired military leaders want junk food out of America’s schools. http://cdn.missionreadiness.org/MR_Too_Fat_to_Fight-1.pdf. Accessed May 22, 2017.Google Scholar The Academy considers the military a powerful partner in obesity prevention programs in the wider population, and lessons we learn in our schools and communities can translate to the military setting as well. It’s my privilege to work as a school nutrition director in a county whose residents have a long and proud tradition of military service—and to live near Fort Gordon, an Army installation of more than 30,000 men and women that was founded in 1917, the same year as our Academy. Carol Carr, MS, RD, LMT, served 5 years on active duty in the Army before transitioning into the Reserves; she now works as a civilian RD for the Department of the Army at a military hospital. She taught classes to basic trainees and specific units alike on performance nutrition and served in the outpatient clinic, providing medical nutrition therapy and nutrition education classes. “I also provided for inpatient needs such as enteral or parental nutrition orders. As a civilian, I primarily work in an outpatient clinic and I am our lead bariatric dietitian for military dependents. My patients are military service members, their dependents, and military retirees or veterans. I’ve provided a wide range of medical nutrition therapy such as pediatrics, weight loss, performance nutrition, diabetic, GI, and cardiac-related education, to name a few.” Of her experience, Carr says, “I find every day truly rewarding. It’s always been an honor to serve those who are willing to give their lives for each and every one of us daily. I love being able to help a soldier meet their nutritional goals and live a healthier lifestyle.” Thanks as well to RDNs who work with veterans to help them recover from injuries and improve their quality of life. “It’s mutually gratifying and a great learning experience,” says Angel Planells, MS, RDN, CD, who works for the VA Puget Sound Health Care System’s home-based primary care program. “Most of the veterans we work with served at the tail end of World War II, in Korea, and Vietnam. Many of them are 90 to 100 years old. One of our vets just celebrated his 102nd birthday. I talk with them about ways to improve their quality of life, and they fill me in on what the secrets of life are.” And what are veterans’ secrets of life? “They have stayed active, both mentally and physically. They may not be going to the gym, but they take walks and do other activities. They read and stay mentally engaged.” Planells says getting to work with veterans in their homes helps develop a rapport that may not be possible in a clinical setting. “You’re in their environment. You have to play on their turf and by their rules. They definitely appreciate us coming to them.” Everyone at the Academy appreciates and thanks all our members who protect and improve our national security. When I think of the Fourth of July, I think of fireworks and celebrating all that is great about our country. When I think about our Academy’s Second Century, I also want to celebrate all that is great about our Academy and our exciting future.
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