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Keeping Airmen in shape means providing healthy choices

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steve Staedler
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  Pounds of lettuce used every day -- 1,600.

Pounds of steak cooked on Wednesdays -- 1,400. 

Pounds of eggs cracked open every month -- 240,000. 

Master Sgt. Joe Ennen's role on base -- priceless.
 
Actually using the term priceless to describe Sergeant Ennen might be slightly understating his value here. As food service flight chief, he is responsible for making sure nobody leaves the base's dining facilities hungry.

That means ensuring the 1,600 pounds of lettuce stay crisp throughout the day, the 1,400 pounds of steak are cooked to the proper temperature, the 240,000 pounds of eggs arrive fresh, and it means staying on top of the seemingly endless list of tasks required to serve several thousand people several times a day. 

Sergeant Ennen is part maitre d', part cook, part general manager and part cheerleader. Just about the only thing he doesn't do is milk the cows ... yet. 

"The most challenging part of the job is to keep everyone happy," he said. "There are a lot of things that go on from getting the food here, getting it from our warehouse to our cooks so they can thaw it out, and preparing it. It's a big operation. 

"As long as the customers are happy at the end and they say the food is good, then all of us in the services squadron have done our jobs." 

When it comes to keeping customers happy, it is being able to provide them with healthier food choices -- a request that has become more common since the Air Force enacted its Fit to Fight program a few years ago. 

"Our troops are requesting healthier food items and we like to provide those choices for them," said Mary Balch, chief dietitian for the Air Force Services Agency. 

She credits the trend in healthy eating to nutritional education that begins in primary school, and a renewed interest in overall health and fitness among Air Force members. 

"The (United States Department of Agriculture) is doing a better job of educating our folks on how to live healthier lives, and you're seeing that in this push for more healthy foods." 

Some of the recent changes include posting calories, fat content and carbohydrates for most of the food selections at the dining facility here and offering at least one "healthy" course on the main food lines. Additionally the dining facilities regularly offer skinless turkey and chicken cuts opposite selections such as turkey a la king or chicken pot pie to give people an added healthier choice. 

Sergeant Ennen said another popular feature is the specialty bar that allows people to build their own meals, such as tacos, pitas or Chinese plates. 

"Many selections on the specialty bars are good for people who are watching their waist line," he said. 

Of course there are cookies. 

"I don't think any kind of fitness or diet program says you can't have a cookie every once in a while," Sergeant Ennen said. 

Staff Sgt. Shameka Gant purposely has been avoiding the soft, moist cookies since she arrived here more than two weeks ago. On a day last week she dined on veal, potatoes, mix vegetables, a small salad and iced tea. As someone who likes to eat right, Sergeant Gant said she appreciates the nice selection of healthy entrees to choose from. 

"If you want to eat right, you can do it here," said Sergeant Gant, the information manager for the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. "But it's up to the individual to make those choices and have the will power not to eat junk food." 

The menu selections here are examined and approved by the Headquarters Services Agency in San Antonio, using the Armed Forces Recipe Service. The AFRS considers nutritional value, among other things, in determining if it can be served. 

Sergeant Ennen said he hopes to have labels soon displaying calories, fat content and carbohydrates for food at the other main dining facilities here, so people can make informed choices about their meals. 

Nearly all the condiments on tables are name-brand products, and that is not by accident. Sergeant Ennen said there has been a recent push to provide name brand products from the U.S. as a way to improve people's dining experiences.

In fact about 90 percent of all food served in the dining halls here comes from America. This is because all food must be authorized by the U.S. Surgeon General as an official food source. Bread, for example, does come from a local bakery, but Sergeant Ennen said the bakery had to be inspected first to ensure quality standards were being met. 

Good health and quality of life are top priorities" according to Sergeant Ennen.

 "I think all of us here that work in the dining facilities collectively are doing a pretty good job at keeping our customers happy," he said.