Langley selected for 'better foods, better bodies' pilot


“Better Foods, Better Bodies” is a social media campaign for Airmen and their families to make healthier food choices. Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. was recently selected as a pilot base for BFBB’s promotional initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brittany Paerschke-O’Brien)

Langley selected for 'better foods, better bodies' pilot

by Senior Airman Brittany Paerschke-O'Brien
633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

4/24/2013 - JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS) -- The "Better Foods, Better Bodies" campaign recently selected Joint Base Langley-Eustis as a pilot base for its promotional initiative.

From how Airmen shop at the commissary, to the meals they choose to eat, this movement is designed to help service members and their families make healthier selections.

"I want people to make an informed choice. If you are choosing the less-healthy option, I want it to be a conscious decision versus not even thinking about it," said Monica Richardson, 633rd Medical Group Health and Wellness Center flight chief. "Think about what you are consuming and how it impacts you."

Richardson saw first-hand evidence of how new Airmen were making meal choices during a briefing at the First Term Airman's Center, where she introduced the BFBB website.

"Since the base's dining facility is temporarily closed, I asked the Airmen where they were eating," Richardson said. "Some were shopping at the commissary and cooking their own meals, but others we eating fast food every day."

That is when Richardson stressed the BFBB campaign. Although there are many different sites to help implement healthy eating habits, BFBB is a convenient "one-stop-shop" that provides simple, evidence-based information. The site may be accessed via smart phone by scanning the quick response (QR) code on the promotional posters and table tents located throughout the base.

The website also provides seven different recipes a month that are both healthy and appetizing, said Richardson. It also creates a shopping list for those recipes, showing what is needed and how much of each ingredient is required. Saving time by not having to plan out meals or create lists makes BFBB an easy, healthy option, she said.

To ensure those healthy choices are available around base, some of the Langley's facilities have made changes to support the campaign. The Langley Commissary offers coupons in correlation to some of the items found in BFBB recipes, while the Shoppette provides healthy breakfast and lunch choices, such as fruit and granola bars.

"If the only option is a doughnut, what are people going to eat? The doughnut," Richardson said. "If they have the option of the doughnut, a piece of fruit and other nutritional options, people may be more likely to make the healthy choice."

Although this pilot program ends in May, the HAWC hopes the results acquired from Langley will better shape the program, and potentially implement BFBB Air Force-wide so that all Airmen may benefit from the healthy eating campaign.

To access the BFBB website before it is taken off line at the end of May, use the link to visit:

http://www.afms.af.mil/betterhealth/bfbb/index.asp.