Performance Nutrition in the Field

Taking the time and effort to eat properly in the field can pay off in increased mental alertness and physical stamina.

Weight loss in the field is a major concern. When you are in the field, you may burn almost twice the calories as when you are in garrison. Cutting back on calories will deprive you of the energy you need to keep up. Any quick weight loss during field operations consists mostly of water and muscle, which is detrimental to health and performance. This can cause fatigue and loss of strength.

• Try to eat at least a snack every 3-4 hours. This will keep your stamina up and your morale high.
• Eat all of the rations or at least some of each item to get the balance of nutrients needed. No one item is nutritionally complete.
• Eat high-carbohydrate foods for snacks when on the move— bread, crackers, granola bars, brownies, cakes, dried fruit, raisins, fig bars, caramels, and gum drops. This will keep your muscles stocked with glycogen, and keep blood sugar going to your brain.
• Fluids are essential during field training. The right amount of water can be the difference between the success or failure of a mission. Dehydration can zap your strength and erode your stamina. When ignored, it can lead to kidney or liver failure and death.
• Drink at least 4 quart canteens of water a day and as many as 12 canteens in hot climates.
• Food and water are the force multipliers that can keep you at your fighting best.

Performance Food Shopping

Shopping for performance food is getting easier all the time. Commissaries and grocery stores are stocking more and more food choices that fit into a performance diet of:

• High carbohydrate
• Low fat
• Moderate protein
• Variety of foods

Shopping for a performance diet has also been made easier with improved food labeling. Most packaged foods have labels that show you exactly what nutrients you are getting in a single serving of a product. Be sure to note what constitutes a "single serving" of a product as this can vary by brand and may affect the changes you make.

By reading food labels, you can see how a food fits into your total diet. Use food labels to make product comparisons so that you can make the best performance choices.

Power Foods

These kinds of foods are always good performance choices—low fat, high carbohydrate, or a good supply of protein. And you can find them in any commissary or supermarket.

• Breads and Rolls—especially whole grain for extra nutrition.
• Pasta—a super performance food, dense in carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores.
• Fruits and Vegetables—they supply carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Fresh are best, but frozen or canned are O.K. too.
• Milk, Lowfat Yogurt and Cheese—go with skim or 1%; a lot less fat, but all the protein and other nutrients of whole milk.
• Cereal—light on the sugar. Read the label. If sugar is first in the listing of ingredients or the sugar content is more than 8 grams per serving, you know it's sweet. Try high fiber.
• Fish and Seafood—excellent source of protein. When canned, packed in water is best.
• Dried and Canned Beans—try different kinds. Beans are a good source of protein and fiber.
• Graham Crackers, Pretzels, Baked Corn Chips,Animal Crackers, and Fig Bars—high-carbohydrate, low-fat snack foods.
• Fruit Juices and Sports Drinks—can help replace carbohydrates during and after endurance activity.

Some Tips For Successful Performance Food Shopping

Shop in the commissary or supermarket instead of a convenience store—large grocery stores stock a much wider (and often fresher) variety of foods, which you need to get a balance of nutrients. Supermarkets have more of the high-carbohydrate, low-fat foods that help your physical and mental performance. Convenience stores, on the other hand, are designed for speed— which often means high fat and lots of sugar.

Make a performance shopping list and stick to it—especially when you are in a hurry. It's easier to pick up convenience foods when you are on the fly and haven't thought out your food choices. Making a list of what you want to purchase helps cut down on those impulse buys of foods that might not fit into your performance eating plan.

Eat before you hit the grocery aisles—it's hard to stick to your performance food list when you are hungry.

Read food labels—they tell you exactly what you are getting in a product. Compare labels on similar products to find the better performance choice.

At the grocery store, work your way from the outside in—your goal is to leave the store with a variety of performance foods that are high in carbohydrate, low in fat, have adequate protein, and a balance of nutrients. All commissaries and grocery stores put their freshest foods on the outside aisles. Fresh foods are where you find many of your nutrients. Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats, and often breads are usually on the store perimeter.

Reading Food Labels

Here's a good way to read labels to see how a product fits into your performance:

1. First check the SERVING SIZE. The label tells you how much is in one serving. The amount of nutrients listed are what you will find in one serving, which may be different from your usual serving.
2. There's also TOTAL FAT. It's measured in grams. Look at the information on saturated fat, the least desirable type of fat. How does that fit into the number of grams of fat a day you want to limit yourself to? Remember that if you have more than a single label serving, you are eating more grams of fat.
3. There's CALORIES FROM FAT. Compare the calories from fat to your daily allowance.
4. Look at CARBOHYDRATES, the premium energy nutrient. A good performance food has comparatively more grams of carbohydrate and fewer grams of fat.
5. Now look at % DAILY VALUE. % Daily Values help you know if a product is high or low in a nutrient. The % Daily Values show how a food fits into a 2,000 calorie diet that meets the government’s recommended Dietary Guidelines. Daily Values are nutrient standards set by the government and are based on current nutrition recommendations. Nutrient needs for a Performance Diet may be more than the Daily Values on the label.
6. Remember PROTEIN. Protein should make up 12-15% of a performance diet—between 60 and 150 grams of protein a day.
7. Don't forget VITAMINS & MINERALS. Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron are required to be on the food label. They are listed by percent of their recommended daily value.
8. Then finally CALORIES PER GRAM. Some labels tell you number of calories are in a gram of fat, carbohydrate, and protein. See how many more calories in a gram of fat than in a gram of carbohydrate!

Weight management—the gaining, losing or maintaining of body fat and muscle—is not just a matter of eating more or less calories. It means eating the right balance of foods in the appropriate proportions to your body's fuel requirements. It is a lifestyle commitment to providing your body with low-fat and high-carbohydrate foods.