Have you visited your commissary lately
Have you visited your local commissary lately? They have new programs created for you and your health: The Nutrition Guide Program and Think Outside the Box.

Have You Visited Your Local Commissary Lately?

If not, you're missing out on two  programs created for you and your health: Nutrition Guide Program (NGP), a shelf-labeling system designed by the commissaries' dietitian to help you locate healthy foods easily, plus a quick-meal solution called "Think Outside the Box".  The commissary also offers a variety of quick single-serving meal solutions for anyone desiring a healthy fresh meal (Cooking Light), for families to purchase and assemble, which can be found in the fresh-meat department.  These meal packages contain everything you need to cook a meal.  Your commissary's goal is to provide tools to help you choose the healthiest foods and make grocery shopping and meal preparation as stress-free as possible.

Many traditional grocery stores currently have shelf-labeling systems to help shoppers quickly and easily locate the healthiest foods without looking at the Nutrition Facts Panel.  The commissary's programs, however, were specifically developed for Service Members to align with DoD's Go for Green® and USMC's Fueled to Fight nutrition-education programs, which are currently deployed in dining facilities worldwide.  Items that align closely with the "Green" category (high nutritional quality/high performance foods) in Go for Green® will have a "Thumbs Up" icon displayed on the Nutrition Guide Program label.

Over 600 foods can be identified quickly as the healthier choices on the shelf; foods identified to have the nutritional attributes of low sodium, low fat, no added sugar, whole grain, and/or a great source of fiber show you a thumbs-up tag label.  Use NGP to build a shopping cart filled with healthy foods, which is the first step in building a healthy eating pattern that supports readiness and resilience.  Check out this informational video to see how the program works.

Another program you don't want to miss is the "Think Outside the Box" initiative.  You can check the commissary site (DeCA) and/or click on Healthy Living every two weeks to find the newest recipe.  The commissaries' dietitian has chosen a variety of more than 50 healthy recipes for you to try, including recipes such as chicken kabobs and stir fry.  It's this simple: print off the recipe and go to your commissary.  Locate the "Think Outside the Box" display, which has a green sign hanging above the end of aisle 3 near the checkout.  You will find the main ingredients for the current recipe offered to you at reduced prices. 

If you can't find this program in your store ask the manager.  "Think Outside the Box" is available in most commissaries, but if it isn't in yours you can still print off the recipe, purchase the ingredients, and create your meal. In case you think cooking is daunting, these recipes also offer cooking tips designed to help you quickly master basic skills you can use to make other delectable meals.  You also can find recent articles on a variety of healthy-living topics on the DeCA website.

Your commissary is here to support you in a variety of healthy ways.  It's one of your military benefits, allowing you to purchase food at cost.  It also offers foods from around the world, so you can find favorite foods from countries where you were once assigned or ingredients for recipes that you would like to try.

If you haven't shopped your commissary in a while, consider it for your next shopping trip for your health and the health of your wallet!