European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 05, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Clow All you can eat Good old chm Hall tradition gels the Knock for much of that fat in the  military is proud of its food. Three Square meals a Day and As much As you can cat arc familiar food sen ice boasts. Chow hound is a word use admiringly to set apart the Hearty Cater from Hie Skinny and underfed. That mealtime amplitude so prevalent in the services is an outgrowth of Ameri Ca s National tradition for solid eating. But where docs this leave the Man or woman in uni form who must lose weight How arc altitudes tied to the past reconciled with the current demands for a Slimmer military doctors dietary consultants behavioural specialists and food service managers see this paradoxical Issue from different perspectives. While All agree that eating habits should be changed if obesity is to be eliminated their views differ on How to achieve the objective. Nowhere is this difference More obvious than in the debate Over d la carte a menu plan that would substantially change dining facility  unsuccessful Effort to test d to carte at army dining Halls in Europe brought out opposing views on the sub  of d la carte a plan that allows the diner to pay for just the food selected rather than paying the fixed meal fee As is now practice tend to regard it As a cure All. They say it would save food and encourage diners to eat less and consequently to spend Les opponents say it would add millions of dollars to the defense budget and would not guarantee the desired change in eating habits. In urging adoption of d la Curie u. Col. James w. Johnson dietary consultant for the army s euro Pean medical command cited the psychology of let Ting the diner pay for what he selects. Dining Hall philosophy of charging a single Price Fornall meals May play a role in obesity. Some of the problem Here May be psychological finlon said if you pay ji.35 for a meal you Are Apt to Ca a i you i can for i amount. If you pay for what you eat or order d la carte maybe this would be better. U col John Nabors Usa eur chief of food service takes a different View of d to carte. He opposes it Primar ily on the grounds it would be too expensive. The plan is Only feasible if everyone is put on Sepa rate rations Nabors said. And that would Cost an extra $2 million a month in  Nabors also doubts that the plan would substantially user Pete Wili Short order items often High in calories. I am convinced the dining facility customer will be More conscious of calories if he pays for just the items he puts on his  Johnson  the present single fee system there s always the temptation to cat As much As you can for your Money. I be seen people take Groat amounts of food Only to leave a lot on their  should try to eliminate this waste. With the Cost of food As High As it is i think it is inevitable that some form of d to carte eventually will be incorporated into the dining Hall  it stands now the military runs the Only cafeteria system in the world that docs not incorporate the d la carte  u. Col. John a. Kelson chief of general surgery nth general Hospital Frankfurt believes the i m not Ramn cd that the Guy who is now eating fat foods the potato chips the Trench Fries and the milk shakes would not continue to do so under d la carte and How can i be assured that the Man eating in the dining facility under d la carte is going to get a nutrition Al meal the answer is i can  Nabors describes d to carte As a dead Issue for  he said the idea of a Usa eur test was turned Down by Johnson admits the plan is out for the time being but says he will propose it again if the Opportunity presents itself. In the air Force d to carte is already off the ground. Programs at Shaw fab s.c., and Loring fab Maine Are currently under evaluation. Cape. Thomas j. Padgett Safe food service officer says that reports out of Shaw indicate the Pilot program there is working  that airmen would run out of Money when they had to pay for their meals of that they would not eat enough to provide for nutritional requirements proved unfounded Padgett pointed out. Maj. Thomas Moritz chief of the Safe Community services division says d to carte at the two bases has proved very acceptable to the  i like the concept because it gives the individual the right to pick what he wants and to pay for what he takes. A to carte appears to be the Way of the future. That s the feedback i  a step in the direction of d to carte the Short order concept was launched by the air Force in 1967 Handset up in Usa eur three years ago. It permits the diner the option of choosing from a Sand f wich or entree line but unlike the commercial cafeteria j the Price is the same no matter what food is selected. As Many As a third of the diners in some installations j choose the Short order line said maj. Ronald l Robinson food adviser for Usa eur. He pointed out that the Short order diner May actually be eating More calories than the individual who chooses a full meal. Not Only arc Short order items often High in calories j but anyone who cats strictly on the Short order line will be lacking in  Robinson said. As the debate Over d to carte continues the Mili tary has taken several Steps to educate diners on the Folly of overeating and eating the wrong foods. The most obvious of these has been to Post the calorie Content of foods so that dining Hall patrons learn the fat j producing potential of All dishes. There Are a whole spectrum of things that can be done to assist the  Padgett said. We have encouraged dining Halls to set up Low calorie menus and to pos calories of  the air Force has been trying to help diners identify the calorie Content of All kinds of food for the last three years said . Sol. Robert Zahorchak supervisor of the Lundsey air station dining facility in Wiesbaden. At Lindsey this is done by posting the calories next to each item on the menu. In addition to this we have a broiler and a salad bar for those who need to watch their weight. And boiled eggs and Citrus foods Are available a breakfast. It should t be Loo hard for an individual on a calorie controlled diet to find the Low Cal foods  Navy Effort to help the obese focus on selected dishes for personnel on weight control programs. Menus at the . Navy enlisted dining facility in Rota Spain exemplify this approach. Kota food service officer. U. Jug Leslie a. Harris lists three features meant to help the Dieter Dieter s Choice items on the main menu a diet plate on the express Lin and a self service salad bar. Ships with the  Fleet in the Mediterranean offer a similar assist to those who must lose weight. Weight watcher plates Are available in both the Crew s and offi cer s messes aboard the aircraft Carrier John f. It nne Page a6 the stars and stripes thursday May 5, 1977