In honor of Veteran’s Day, I wanted to do my first post from the Coach’s point of view on Nutrition for those of you serving in the Military. Let me first preface this by saying that I have been married to a Marine for over 10 years and have had interaction with the military as a spouse in social situations and as a trainer. I have so much respect for what our men and women in uniform do every day. I wanted to take the time to address some of the common issues/questions I get from military folks regarding nutrition and how to simplify it during their day.
So, to the Military guys/gals….
Kick the “energy” drinks to the curb. I get this question a lot, and it’s usually because of concern from someone that their Soldiers/Marines are fueling their day with Monsters and Red Bull. They are filled with sugar and will do you more harm than good. I know you are exhausted, and sleep can sometimes be tough to get, but focusing on dialing in the quality of the food you are eating will help alleviate a lot of that “crash and burn” feeling you get. Learn to drink coffee and tea instead (without the sugar or artificial sweeteners). These energy drinks aren’t only crappy because of the sugar content, but they are also inhibiting your ability to get sound sleep, think clearly, and cause heart burn/acid reflux, and a host of other GI issues.
Keep a food stash. I know that a ton of you are living in barracks and have teeny tiny fridges, no stove to cook on, and if you’re lucky, a microwave. You get the bulk of your food from a chow/mess hall and those operate on limited hours generally with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner being served and even more limited on the weekends. So, keeping a stash of food can come in handy. You can do really well with food that needs little to no refrigeration.
Food Stash Staple #1: Jerky – Keep a supply of jerky on hand. This can be in your barracks room, but also in your pack during the day. Try to get the brand with lower sodium/carb/sugar content.
Food Stash Staple #2: Nuts – No Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine should ever be without a can of nuts. Get them as natural as you can and roll with some almonds or cashews. I know they can be a little pricey, but they are cheaper at the commissary than they are off base, so stock up on payday. Many of you are putting out a lot of energy during the day, so this fat will help fuel you.
Food Stash Staple #3: Hard-boiled eggs – Most grocery stores will sell hardboiled eggs that are already cooked and peeled in a bag. “Egglands Best” makes them and sells them in bags of 6 and 12. Once opened, they must be used within 7 days, but this shouldn’t be tough to accomplish. It works well if you didn’t have time to get to the chow hall for breakfast or if you need a snack during the day.
Food Stash Staple #4: Sweet Potatoes – These are great to use in smaller quantities for your carb source. If you have a microwave handy, all you need is a sweet potato and some plastic wrap. Bundle the tater in the plastic wrap (don’t poke any holes in the wrap) and pop it in a microwave for about 7 mins (a little longer if it’s big). I recommend cutting it in half and eating half then and half later in the day or after your workout or a period of heavy physical output.
Food Stash Staple #5: Fresh Fruit – Oranges are easy to cart around and you can usually find an orange or an apple in the chow hall or 7 Day Store/Shoppette near the cash register. Eat the fruit in moderation, but keep some on hand as a better more quality choice than chips and cookies.
Pre-Make your snacks/meals – This can save you a ton of time. Take a handful of jerky, one or two handfuls of nuts, and throw them in a Ziploc bag. Pre-make a couple of these so that you have them ready to go. Then, all you have to do is grab a bag and maybe a piece of fruit and head out the door. If you feel like dropping some dough on it, you can buy a box of Paleo Snax, or Paleo Kits.
Know your chow/mess hall. It is not tough to eat well here. There is always a source of Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat to be found within the walls of the chow hall. Stay away from the starches like rice, potatoes, and the bread basket. Go for the meat and veggies. If you don’t have your can of nuts handy, head over to the salad bar and grab a salad with some oil and vinegar on it or a full fat salad dressing (prefer the oil and vinegar). You don’t have to leave that place feeling guilty about your food choices. If you stick to the most natural unprocessed food there, then you can still make smart choices.
Avoid the “Food Court”. If you can’t avoid the food court, you can still make “smarter” choices there too. I know for a fact (because I’ve been a dependent for over 10 years) that you will find one or more of the following on any military installation when you visit a food court: Charley’s Steakery, Robin Hood (sandwiches), Popeye’s, Subway, Pizza Hut or Anthony’s Pizza, Taco Bell, Burger King. Stay away from Taco Bell, Pizza “anything”, and Popeye’s. Stick to the places where you can do a salad with meat, or meat only with veggies.
Teach your Junior Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines to make smart choices. It is so important to lead by example here. At first, they will look at you like a weirdo for breaking out jerky, hard boiled eggs, nuts, etc… as a snack, but they will also be curious. This is your chance to affect their life in a positive way regarding their overall health and well being. It’s not about making them super athletes, but instead, keeping them from being overweight, foggy headed, and prone to sickness. Our military men and women need to know how to make smarter food choices because mentally and physically, their job depends on them being “On Point” all the time. Good nutrition can give them a mental clarity that they have never before experienced.
~Bobbi
Katy McCabe says
Thanks for the post Bobbi!! Aside from “knowing your chow/mess hall hours of operation”, all of your tips are pertainant to both military service men and civilians a like. Your tips can be transfered into the office place as well as a colledge dorm. Thanks again!
Brianna says
Great post! I will be sending it to my husband who is deployed. Thank you so much!
jeremy says
Hey Robb have u heard of coffee causing joint aches and muscle stiffness,
thank u
JD
Robb Wolf says
Jeremy-
No…cant say i have.
Tom says
Give a listen to Jack Webb, he had army food dialed in decades ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwnPDNOAKhs
Anne Berryhill says
This is so timely since my 20 year just left to go to SOI. He lost 17 pounds at Boot camp, and gained it all back plus some in roughly 21/2 weeks. I was trying to tell him a better way to eat so he could get bigger but not fatter and have enough energy to do his job. These were great suggestions and I will share them with him when I talk to him this weekend. Thanks for keeping the special parameters of our military in mind!
John M says
As an Paleo-Airman, I agree with Bobbi that there are a good choices to be made in the DFAC (Chow Hall). I always start at the salad bar and fill a small bowl with veggies. I usually stay away from lettuce, just tons of “toppings” and a good handful of olives too. For protein I usually pick whatever meat has the least breading or other junk on it (it makes less work scraping it off). In a pinch I’ll ask for a cheese burger and chuck the bun. Two glasses of milk and/or two or more glasses of water and a cup of black coffee and your all set!
Chad Cilli says
Great article Bobbi, now all we need is someone with some rank to get the MREs straightened out.
Nathan says
Robb,
Whenever energy drinks come up, the main reason they’re frowned upon is the sugar content. You mention that energy drinks will inhibit the ability to get sound sleep, think clearly, cause heart burn/acid reflux, and a host of other GI issues, but these issues aren’t usually mentioned when soda is the subject. What differentiates energy drinks from soda? I drink Sugar Free Red Bull. What about this as an alternative? Am I still subject to the same issues at the same level?
Robb Wolf says
Nathan- just not a fan of energy drinks. Drink coffee!!
Nicholas says
Robb,
Thanks so much for the military post. I really enjoy following your site and am always looking forward to your next post. I am as paleo as I can be when the Army lets me be. Believe it or not, when at home, I follow your food stash staples almost perfectly. I do however eat more fruit than sweet potatoes. I presume that you are recommending that you eat sweet potatoes over fruit. If body composition isn’t really an issue, and ensuring energy levels remain high for duty, why should the fruit be used in moderation? I appreciate your guidance and your website rocks. Thanks for the endless information you provide in attempts to make peoples lives better!
Nicholas
Marshall says
Robb,
Question on low-carb (50g) paleo ala Mat Lalonde: How long does it take for the body to un-adapt or revert back to it’s old ways after the 3-4 week low-carb high-fat adaptation period? Let’s say I was to go low carb paleo until Thanksgiving, a total of 4 weeks (right when the body is adapted to burning fat for fuel and performance starts to increase). If I eat the mashed potatoes, brown-and-serve rolls, corn, candied yams, pumpin pie, pecan pie, and then leftovers for the rest of the weekend. Does that shoot the low-carb paleo adaption period to hell? Because that’s what’s about to happen to a bunch of people over the holidays. It would kind of suck to binge too hard over Thanksgiving break, blow the progress, get back into the shaky/weak performance low-carb paleo just to blow it again at Christmas. Is it possible to break into high-carb mode for a couple days with out having to start from scratch? Or does the body immediately switch back to the moderate-carb operation after carbs are reintroduced in such an abrupt fashion?
Robb Wolf says
Marshal-
tough to tell but a day or even several will not unwind the whole thing.
Bobbi says
Thanks Katy! I think so too!
Bobbi says
Brianna, send him this article and then mail him some jerky and nuts 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Bobbi says
Nathan – First, there is no FDA regulation on caffeine levels in the energy drinks. I’m not a fan of soda or energy drinks, diet or otherwise. Stick with natural sources of caffeine like coffee and tea. Remember, you can never go wrong with things that aren’t processed. The more natural, the better. Higher amounts of caffeine mixed with Fructose and Sucralose (artificial sweeteners) can act as a laxative (not good in a situation where you are deployed or on duty). Also, I spoke with Mat and he recommends that you Google “GERD AND fructose” as a good starting place. There is a ton of infomation out there on the effects of high doses of sugar on the GI system. Remember that these drinks contain a ton of sugar, not just a ton of caffeine. It’s like a vicious cycle with these drinks (drink it, feel jacked, crash)… Why the crash with that and not tea or coffee? The added loads of sugar.
Bottom line, try to avoid them. Coffee and tea are the best! 🙂
Lars says
Hey Robb,
what about some of the negative things I’ve heard about the use of microwaves breaking down the nutrients in food? What are your thougths on that?
Also I notice that most jerky’s have MSG in them for flavouring. I’m not a fan of that stuff, and I know a lot of people that aren’t. Just something to keep an eye on.
Mike Haytack says
Thanks Bobbi/Robb, great words, i feel better now. i’m a mil. dude (AF) who travels a lot to barren locations. i tend to follow the advice in the article. i attract attention every so often. it’s usually about 3pm and someone says, dude how do you eat nuts and that other crap all day. i say, ask me that same question tonight when you’re all out of hooaah.
Gina says
Great post! I am going to print it out and post in my office. As a police sergeant, I try and keep my guys and gals informed on healthy choices and I set the example by ALWAYS bringing all my food. “Come prepared to stay a while” should be a montra. A few other goodies I like are canned sardines in olive oil, canned tuna (the line caught kind packed in olive oil) and string cheese (for those that have not given up dairy). Thanks for the great information!!
Mathieu Lalonde says
Marshall,
It would take at least one week of eating a high carb diet to revert back to being a sugar burner. One high carb meal won’t do much damage. In fact, it would be inline with cyclic low carb prescriptions (low carb all week with one carb up during the weekend). Keep in mind there is a very good chance you will feel real lousy for a couple of days afterwards. Especially if you eat grains.
Ben Wheeler says
Lars,
Yeah tough to find jerky for a decent enough price without other crap in it! Too bad those Paleo Kits that we were to get for the Ontario Challenge never made it over the border!!!!! Totally bummed about that. Best bet is to buy a cheap roast and make your own jerky. It will take some preparation but you will get a TON of jerky out of it. Hope all is well in Kitchener!
Marshall says
I’m feeling so good on the low carb deal that I’m not really even thinking about rolls and candied yams and pie. Just pounded a bunch of lamb roast with sauteed spinach. And good wine. I’m sure I’ll get into some carbs this weekend but I’m not looking forward to the spike. Thanks for everything.
Lars says
Good call Ben on making the jerky!! I even have a dehydrator that I got as a gift last Christmas which hasn’t been used. (Perfect opportunity)
Things are going well in Kitchener, hope all is well on your end too. Cheers
Chuck O says
Bobbi/Robb, Thanks for the post, This list will come in handy when im pulling my 24 at the firehouse. I had to give up eating with the guys at the station due to switching my diet to paleo. The good new’s is i’ve got guy’s doing WOD’s with me,and next is cleaning up the our food choices…wish me luck.
GabeK says
Robb,
I know you’re generally very positive about Costco fish oil. I’ve used both the regular (300mg EPA+DHA/capsule) and enteric coated (674mgPA+DHA/capsule).
I’ve noticed on occasion with the enteric coated that I’ll literally see oil in my stool, and not the case at the same dose with the non-coated costco brand. Thus causing me to ponder whether I’m missing out on absorption, or over-dosing… FYI I weigh 265 and shoot for about 13g/day
In reading about enteric coatings, their main purpose is obviously to prevent digestion in the stomach and allow the pill to pass further down the GI tract, thus reducing fishy burps….
Do you have a take on the “symptoms” I’ve noticed with the coated pills, or in general know of any differences w/ non-coated….
Thanks so much!
Noah Milstein says
Hi Robb,
First of all let me say I love your blog and really appreciate all of the information you provide. This is a complete tangent and has nothing to do with what is written above but here goes…
I read this recently on Tim Ferriss’s blog (http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/)
and was wondering what you thought as I very much respect your opinion. Tim eats a “slow carb” diet ala Dr. Michael Eades. Its very very low carb, high protein, high fat but he allows for legumes and dairy, so not paleo. My question concerns one practice he has of what is basically a cheat day on steroids. He writes…
“I recommend Saturdays as your “Dieters Gone Wild” day. I am allowed to eat whatever I want on Saturdays, and I go out of my way to eat ice cream, Snickers, Take 5, and all of my other vices in excess. I make myself a little sick and don’t want to look at any of it for the rest of the week. Paradoxically, dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc.) doesn’t down regulate from extended caloric restriction. That’s right: eating pure crap can help you lose fat. Welcome to Utopia.”
How does this strike you? What do you read as the advantages or disadvantages of this? I’m not sure how to measure the benefits of down regulating the metabolic rate and reinforcing dietary rigidity for the rest of the week versus the potential negative effects of the sugar/carbs consumed during the cheat day. Is there a net benefit to this practice such that the cheat day actually improves the overall performance of the dieter? I’m not sure how one might want to measure that benefit, by blood work or athletic performance or what have you…
Anywho, this sounds like a really appealing practice, is there any truth or advantage to this or do you completely disagree with his practice? As of now I allow myself one cheat meal per week but after 77 some days of paleo plus an initial 30 ultra strict days I find myself having difficulty balancing my cravings, social pressures with my desire to improve/maintain health and athletic prowess. I figure I’ll take this for a test drive, black box it and see how my body responds but regardless I’d love to have your input.
Thanks, Noah Milstein
Chris says
Coach Wolf,
Not sure how over run you email is anymore but what could I put in the subject heading that would catch your eye/ensure that you take a gander at the email??
Thank you,
Chris
Robb Wolf says
chris-
you should have an email for me, just ship it!
Penny says
Bobbi –
Great article! Am going to forward to all of our deployed friends…and make sure my husband reads it 😉
Best wishes!
Penny
Nick Hoffman says
Great post, mate! My only comment is with to prepare Food Stash Staple #4: Sweet Potatoes.
Please don’t put plastic in microwaves. Contrary to popular belief and what plastic manufacturers say, many plastics, including plastic wrap, exude chemicals when heated. These chemicals drip right into your food. Ew.
When I’ve wanted to cook a sweet potato really quickly, I simply threw it in my microwave for a few minutes, then turned it, etc.
Cheers,
Nick
zephaniah says
gyday;
try getting ‘coconut cream or milk’..avoid the light, go for the full fat ones.
heaps of goodness and fats for fuel. vitamins and minerals too.
i found it quite immediate source of energy to start my day.
also; when out on patrols, take discected coconut with you.
mix with cashews and almonds and carob. a very sustainable mix of fats and proteins for energy. but as we all know; you always lose weight on patrols..its the nature of warfighting.
energy drinks actually have their place in this environment ..but if you follow the above mix you will discover higher energy levels and use the drinks less.
happy hunting.
Robb Wolf says
Thanks Zeph!