Celebrate National Nutrition Month with the Defense Commissary Agency ‘March Forward to Wellness’ Campaign

NOTE: To see a DeCA video related to this release, click here.

FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – To celebrate National Nutrition Month® in March, the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is “Marching Forward to Wellness,” a promotion highlighting a trio of programs along with weekly meal plans designed to save time and boost daily nutrition.

“Whether trying to boost your performance nutrition, lose weight or improve overall health, your local commissary can assist you in building a healthy eating pattern,“ said Deborah Harris, DeCA’s dietitian and health and wellness program manager (who holds a master of Public Health degree and is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist). “Build your basket with mostly fresh produce, lean meats, heart healthy fats from fish, nuts and seeds, avocados, etc. and use your commissary’s trio of wellness programs, Thinking Outside the Box and other dietitian-approved recipes, the Dietitian-Approved Thumb, and Grab-N-Go Dietitian-Approved Fueling Stations to improve your nutrition and wellness.”

“March Forward to Wellness” with the following DeCA health and wellness resources:

• Thinking Outside the Box (TOTB) Nutrition Education and Recipes – Find a list of dietitian-approved, no-fuss recipes featured on corp.commissaries.com. TOTB recipes are designed to minimize preparation time with quick and easy meal solutions featuring ingredients that are nutrient-dense and explain why the meal is dietitian-approved. The recipes will also save you money at your commissary. Shopping for TOTB recipe ingredients is easy when using Commissary CLICK2GO. Simply open your sales flyer on shop.commissaries.com, find the featured TOTB recipe and click each recipe ingredient to add to your cart. Fill your basket right from your online sales flyer. During National Nutrition Month, DeCA will feature interactive meal plans each week on shop.commissaries.com that will make meal planning a breeze.

• Dietitian-Approved Thumb (DAT) – The “Thumbs Up Dietitian-Approved” labels on store shelves make it easy for patrons to quickly identify high-nutrition, quality foods to incorporate into a healthy eating routine. DAT uses FDA-defined health attributes to identify dietitian-approved foods that limit added sugar, sodium and unhealthy fat. DAT labels identify foods with whole grains, healthy fats, fiber or lean protein. With one glance at the shelves, it is easy to identify foods that will boost nutrition without having to decipher the Nutrition Facts label.

• Grab-N-Go Dietitian-Approved Fueling Stations – The Grab-N-Go Dietitian-Approved Fueling Stations, located near the front-end checkout aisles in over 170 commissaries, offer tasty, nutritious meals and snacks that provide patrons shopping convenience without the high-calories or high-cost of a fast-food restaurant meal. Customers can expect to see products that offer protein, healthy fat, complex carbohydrates and low-calorie forms of hydration like low-calorie waters and sports drinks, deli sandwiches, single-serving hummus, ready-to-eat lean protein, fruits and cheese, no-added-sugar yogurts, low-sugar protein bars and prepared sliced fruits and salads. You can find a list of participating locations as well as a list of dietitian-approved salads, sandwiches and wraps that may be available in your commissary’s deli department on corp.commissaries.com. 

Readiness and resilience are important to our military community, so DeCA strives to offer high performance foods and easy-to-use, quick solutions and resources to ensure our patrons meet their health and wellness needs.

“Nutrition doesn’t have to be scary, difficult or perfect,” Harris said. “Any efforts you make to improve the nutritional quality of your diet are steps in the right direction, and this trio of programs is designed to encourage and support you in taking those steps in ways that work for you. Our resources are designed to be flexible, easy and economical and used in any combination will make a big impact.”

At 2 p.m. EST on March 11 and March 25, join DeCA’s Senior Enlisted Advisor, Navy Command Master Chief Mario Rivers, and Harris for live commissary chats on the DeCA Facebook page.  Stop in each day to ask questions and learn how to use our dietitian-approved resources.

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About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.