Your Commissary — Connecting You with Balanced Nutrition!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Pursue balanced nutrition at Your Commissary during National Nutrition Month® and all year long!
Observing National Nutrition Month® in March
March 2025 marks the 52nd anniversary of what is now known as National Nutrition Month®! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics first launched the campaign in 1973 as National Nutrition Week, expanding it into a month-long observance in 1980 due to growing public interest in nutrition.
This year’s campaign theme is “Food Connects Us.” The Academy notes that food is a connecting factor for many of us, and the same is true in military communities around the world. Factors like memories, traditions and seasons can impact our relationship with food. This can influence the foods we eat, which, in turn, affects our health.
That’s why, this National Nutrition Month®, we are focusing our discussion on how Your Commissary connects you with balanced nutrition! As you may know, we offer tools to help you establish and maintain healthier habits, such as building your shopping basket with nutrient-rich foods and cooking more meals at home to fuel your body for every stage of life.
Connecting You with Balanced Nutrition
Dietitian and Health & Wellness Program Manager Deborah Harris (MPH, RDN, CDCES) has developed health and wellness resources designed to meet you where you are and help you adopt a sustainable approach to building healthy habits. These resources are not only dietitian-approved, but they are also based on scientifically credible principles of nutrition and expert guidance from official government sources, like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Harris designed these resources to be user-friendly and adaptable to your personal health & wellness goals. “Recognizing that everyone connects with food differently, I encourage you to use these resources in whatever combination that you find works best for you as you pursue balanced nutrition,” she explained.
Making these kinds of lifestyle changes doesn’t have to be as challenging as it might seem. “Even simple changes, like cooking more meals at home or swapping out some recipe ingredients, can make a big impact and help you build sustainable habits,” Harris said. “All foods can fit in a balanced diet.”
A Trio of Programs Ready for You!
Thinking Outside the Box (TOTB) Meal Solutions: Cook More Meals at Home!
Thinking Outside the Box meal solutions pair quick, nutritious, budget-friendly recipes with scientifically credible, dietitian-approved guidance on how these meals can improve the nutrition quality of your diet. The meal solutions are not only convenient, but they also explain key principles of nutrition and teach you how you can put them into practice to achieve a balanced approach to nutrition. Plus, each sales flyer includes the latest edition of “Thinking Outside The Box,” complete with current promotions for recipe ingredients so you can save more while building healthy habits!
Dietitian Approved Thumb (DAT): Build Your Basket with Us!
We did the work for you! The Dietitian Approved Thumb (DAT) makes it easy to build your basket with us by identifying foods that are dense in nutrition from attributes such as lean proteins, healthy fats and whole grains, in alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Harris built the DAT exclusively for commissary customers, helping you to improve the overall nutrition quality of your diet by putting “Thumbs Up” tags on shelf labels for food products that are dietitian-approved. This makes it easier for you to identify products during your shopping trip that can support your quest for balanced nutrition.
Dietitian Approved Fueling Stations: Standing by to Fuel Your Day!
Visit our “grab & go” Dietitian Approved Fueling Stations near the registers at participating locations to find a variety of nutritious and high-performance foods! Trading out fast food drive-thrus for the dietitian-approved alternatives these fueling stations offer allows you to maintain the convenience of eating on the go while still building healthy habits!
We also encourage you to visit our Deli Fueling Stations page to find a list of dietitian-approved salads, sandwiches and wraps that may be available in Your Commissary’s Deli Department.
Shop for Your Meal Ingredients in A Few Simple Clicks!
Use Commissary CLICK2GO, our online ordering service, to instantly add the ingredients of your favorite dietitian-approved recipe to your virtual grocery cart! When you’re ready to place your order, sign in to CC2G, click on the “Recipes” menu at the top of the page and follow these simple steps:
- Click on the checkbox for the “Dietitian Approved” filter on the left side of the page to show only the Dietitian Approved recipes.
- Click the recipe you want to add to your meal plan for the week.
- Click the “Add to Cart” button beside each ingredient to select the specific products you need to purchase to prepare that meal.
If you like, you can also click the printer icon in the upper right-hand corner of the recipe to generate a printable version for easy reference while cooking.
A similar “Dietitian Approved” filter is available on the Recipes section of our corporate site, as well. Preparing nutritious food at home has never been easier!
Celebrating Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, which fell on March 12 this year, commemorates the dedication of RDNs as advocates for advancing the nutrition status of Americans and people around the world.
A registered dietitian nutritionist can guide people of all ages in developing safe, realistic eating plans that help them connect with balanced nutrition.
We would like to recognize Deborah Harris for her contributions as she works to enhance the quality of life of service members and their families! Deborah, thank you for all you do!
Beyond National Nutrition Month® - Continue Connecting with Balanced Nutrition!
Although National Nutrition Month® will ultimately come to an end, you can keep marching forward with your healthy habits! We encourage you to visit our Healthy Living page regularly to stay up to date on the latest information.
“With the resources available at the commissary, customers can make informed decisions that support their well-being beyond National Nutrition Month,” Harris said. “After all, building and maintaining healthy habits is the key to lasting results.”