European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 29, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10letters the stars and stripes &3&r "1. U or writer concerned about calories in res i a in the army stationed near Mainz at Fin then Airfield. I am not on the overweight program but i am close As Well As a few of my friends. I am currently on a diet. But there seems to be a Lack of information about the army sores meals ready to eat. No one can accurately Tell me How Many calories Are in an Are. I was hoping you could answer this question and Tell me How the calories Are divided into the different packets of this meal. For example could you Tell me the number of calories in the main course dessert cakes cookies etc., and recommend which portions of the Are dieting soldiers should skip a pfc. James m. Stoneberger Mainz West Germany editors note a col. Carmen Naranjo de Willson dietetic consultant he 7th medical come replies your concern regarding caloric values of res is valid. Let me answer your question and also discuss the other essential components of a successful weight reduction program. Res Are designed for use under actual or simulated combat conditions. They have the nutrients that will enable you to endure that environment for a prolonged period of time. Per meal res have approximately 1,300 calories 50 Grams of protein 160 Grams of carbohydrate 36 percent of total calories from fat 120 my of cholesterol and 1,815 my of sodium. The foods either contain natural nutrients or have been fortified with nutrients known to be required by the body. If you Are under a weight reduction regimen when consuming res you May eat half of everything and skip the sugar Cream Jelly and commercial Candy. T rations also served in the Field contain per meal approximately 1,430 calories 59 Grams of protein 191 Grams of carbohydrate 30 percent of total calories in fat 196 my of cholesterol and 2,468 my of sodium. For caloric reduction i recommend that at least you limit your consumption to your initial single serving. Additionally you May also delete the Cream sugar and Jelly. In breakfast meals delete the desserts such As Apple Coffee cake Blueberry cake and Cherry dessert. If fresh fruit is available substitute it for the canned fruits in the t rations. Use Only one milk per meal. Also at breakfast if instant Cereal is provided it can be used As a substitute for the meat entree. In lunch dinner meals delete the desserts Jelly and beverage powder drinks. Eat either the meat entree or the Peanut butter and eat fresh fruit if available. In answering your question i have started addressing the other two essential parts of a successful weight reduction or weight maintenance regimen a Well balanced diet and exercise. Carbohydrates fats and to an extent protein serve As the fuel that when burned provide the Energy calories the body needs to maintain its Basic functions and support its various Levels of activity. Even when we sleep we need these calories. We get the fuel from the foods we eat and or from body stores of these nutrients. When we eat More than the body requires we store it in the body essentially in the form of fat and when those stores continue to accumulate we gain weight. Carbohydrates fats and protein also serve other vital functions besides providing the body s Basic fuel. These three nutrients along with vitamins minerals and water Are the essential nutrients our body requires to be healthy and stay alive. If the Dieter focuses Only on calories and disregards All other nutrients he she will lose weight but depending on the degree and duration of the deficiency will also become listless ill and May even die. So you can see Why following a weight reduction regimen within the framework of a Well balanced res cuisine de combat zone Michelin guide 4 Star rating a sign displays the army sores meals read to eat during Field testing in Europe during november 1984. A amp of diet is so important. Operational rations Are engineered to provide for adequate nutrition. With the guidelines i gave you earlier you can very easily follow a calorie reduced Well balanced diet. But operational rations Are consumed during limited periods of time. Most of the time we eat the a ration composed of the regular foods dining facilities buy through their Usas or we buy from commissaries or on the Economy. How do we follow a Well balanced diet when we must choose from these regular foods Well you can also easily follow a Well balanced diet by eating a variety of foods in the recommended amounts from the following food groups. Daily a healthy adult must have milk a two Servings to include Yogurt cheese and ice Cream. Meat a two Servings to include lean meat fish poultry dried Beans Ana Peanut butter. Fruit vegetable a four Servings to include Citrus and Vitamin a fruits vegetables. Grains a four Servings to include breads cereals and pastas. To reduce calories while still following these guidelines you can do a number of things such As drinking skim milk lowest caloric Content or Low fat milk instead of whole. Use lean cuts of meat. Bake or Broil your foods More regularly instead of frying. Cut Back on the amount of Margarine you use in cooking. Sometimes you can completely replace the Margarine with spices or herbs. By the Way Margarine is preferred to butter not because it has fewer calories it does no but because unlike butter it is an unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fats have been found to decrease the risk of heart disease Cut Back or completely eliminate gravies. Cakes candies sodas Beer and other alcoholic beverages Are not pets of this regimen. If you consume any of these be mindful of the fact that All they provide is empty calories a lots of them. If i were you at least while trying to reduce weight id stay away from them. If you eat them do it prudently. Empty calories Are but one of several health concerns especially with consumption of alcohol. A secondary Benefit that is realized when you follow these guidelines is that you Start developing the habit of eating right for the rest of your life and this is the Point that we All ultimately want to get to. So Many people go on crash diets lose the weight and sadly go Back to the same poor pattern of eating Only to gain Back All the weight they lost and oftentimes More the third pillar of a successful weight reduction regimen is exercise. Increased level of activity demands the use of increased calories. Exercise helps to tone our Muscles As we Start losing weight and strengthens our cardiovascular system particularly through aerobic exercise. We must develop a prudent exercise routine. Starting off by running a Marathon when All we have done is walk around the office is certainly not prudent. Start off slowly and build upon it. Walking jogging running swimming sports a ail Are excellent forms of exercise. Caloric expenditure of course depends on the intensity and duration of the activity. For example calories burned up during ten minutes of exercise for 150-lb person 200-lb person walking 1 mile at 2 Mph 105 140 running 7 Mph 141 187 bicycle 13 Mph 107 142 swimming 81 118 calisthenic 147 192 if you have any questions about the Best Way to exercise consult your fitness Trainer or the physical therapist in your medical treatment facility. If you have any health concern consult your physician. So now you have the basics for a successful healthful weight reduction maintenance program. Watch your calories and make them count. Eat a variety of foods and Well balanced meals by following your four food groups. Develop Good eating habits. Exercise regularly. If you follow the Basic guidelines i guarantee you will reach your right weight keep it and be Well on your Way to optimum physical fitness. Done to get discouraged. If it does not work one Day try it again the next Day. If on a weight reduction regimen strive to lose no More than 2 to 3 pounds per week. If you have any questions about your program by All Means Contact the dietician in your medical treatment facility. She he is there to assist you. Your interest and commitment Are also essential to your Success. Good Luck a smoker defends right to sit with children a observations on a new East i have been Reading the stars and stripes for Over three years now and usually enjoy the letters to the editor Section. However the letter on exposing children to smoke was one of the most misinformed i have Ever seen you print. This writer detailed How he got angry when smoking parents took or allowed their children to sit with them in the smoking Section of their local cafes Burger bar. He also stated that he has spent Over 20 years in Industrial Hygiene safety and occupational health. For someone who is so Well versed in the a vices of men i fail to understand How he could possibly not understand How difficult it is to Stop smoking. Many people can just Stop. These Are the ones who really have not acquired the  the people who Are a a addicted find it even More difficult to quit and require an intensive medical program. Maybe it is he who should pay More attention to the information he should be receiving from the Public health authorities and not what he wants to hear. As for his suggestion that people should enforce the a Good health Rule and not allow children into the designated smoking areas if there is no place to sit i will not allow my child to go hungry just because the Only place available is the smoking Section. Also Why should someone refrain from smoking in an area designated for that purpose it is my right to smoke even if it is now Only allowed in certain areas. To be told that i cannot sit someplace because i just happen to have my child along is discrimination to All people who have children. Will there be designated child areas in the future one person should not try to dictate to the Public in general How or when they should raise their children or what to do with their children just because something upsets their sensibilities. The rights of smokers have been walked on Long enough. I am tired of being persecuted because of a problem that for me is rather difficult to quit. But when someone tells me that my child May no longer sit with me in Public i believe it is now time for some other changes. A a name withheld Saxmundham England i find it extremely fascinating to watch the current interest in the soviet economic disaster and the subsequent Surprise and compassion expressed by Many. Also interesting is the support enjoyed in the West apparently not at Home by or. Gorbachev. I agree that times Are changing. The world is a better place than it was last year As far As the prospects for democracy Are concerned. Notwithstanding these developments Foster a very unstable environment. F there Are a lot of hungry people in the a new East and historically hungry people have been known to take measures to improve their situation. Have we so quickly forgotten that the soviet Union has consistently been the biggest Thorn in the Side of the free people of the world for Over 40 years How much of our budget deficit has been dedicated to counteract the damage done to the world by the communists think about it. Perhaps we should delay disarming until the hungry people in the soviet Union effect a change in their destiny. A name withheld Ramstein a West Germany