News

Nutrition, weight management class gives Reservists food for thought

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Nicole Celestine
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD FIELD, Wash. --  It may be easy to associate words like potassium citrate, sodium hexameta phosphate, monosodium glutamate and titanium dioxide with a chemistry experiment. But it may come as a surprise to know they are just some of the more common ingredients found in a typical diet today. The names of these ingredients may sound like a mouthful, but having an idea of what they are and how they help the body reach peak performance could be a slice of heaven to Reservists in the 446th Airlift Wing.

That's where Tech. Sgt. Casey Muilenburg and Senior Airman Jennifer White, diet technicians with the 446th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, come in.  They run an hour and a half nutrition and weight management class every other Reserve weekend to help Airmen understand proper nutrition and weight management techniques.

"We want to give Reservists resources to help them make better eating choices," said Sergeant Muilenburg, nutritional medicine NCO in charge. "We show them how to choose healthy foods, read food labels, understand the percentage rates the Air Force use as standards, and set realistic goals. Our parents and grandparents gave us the tools, and this class is a refresher to help Reservists remember healthy food is out there," said the Redmond, Wash., native.

Airman White received extensive training on various wellness programs at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., from April to October last year. Highlighting the fact that active-duty Airmen who fail their fitness assessments must attend nutrition and weight management classes, the diet technician at Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., said she became particularly interested in the Be Well portion of the wellness program. Airman White felt the training would benefit Reservists here with a similar program tailored specifically for them.

"We based our class on the 'Be Well' class and fine tuned it for Reservists," said the University Place, Wash., resident. "So many Reservists tell me they tried this or that diet, but it didn't work. I like the idea of helping Reservists maintain their diets with little changes to their lifestyles and not just for the Reserve arena."

For Sergeant Muilenburg, the idea to run a class for Reservists spawned in 2006 during his deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, where he taught nutrition and weight management classes. The former Marine said he saw the need for a similar program to be created for Reservists because with fitness standards becoming more stringent, "It is a huge benefit to have this class for our Reservists."

The diet technicians said the class complements the new Air Force fitness assessment program because it helps Reservists be more responsible managing their overall fitness levels and maintaining proper diet and nutrition regimens. Airman White said the class helps Reservists learn which foods give them energy, which foods they need to get energy from and to develop nutrition awareness, like better serving sizes and portion control.

"We only worry about our fitness every two out of 30 days and we don't focus enough on it throughout the year until our fitness tests creep up," said Airman White, an Oregon native. "If we can give Reservists information they can use every day then, when the fitness test comes up, they won't be as freaked out about things like waist measurement or their overall fitness levels."

Sergeant Muilenburg advises Reservists be realistic about their current fitness levels and their goals. 

"To totally embrace healthy living, we must make sure Reservists get the information they need," said Sergeant Muilenburg, a business account manager with Sprint corporate headquarters in Redmond, Wash. "Reservists must acknowledge the truth about their current fitness levels, to take the necessary steps to get healthy. There's nothing wrong in saying, 'I need some help.'"

The next class will be Feb.13, on the primary UTA at the 446th ASTS Skills Lab, Bldg. 1207 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. Space is available for 30 Reservists. For more information or to sign up for a class, call Sergeant Muilenburg at 253-982-5951.