Health Priority For Women, Infants, Children Overseas Program

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Leona Mynes, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Overseas program on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is promoting nutrition in an effort to promote awareness and positive nutritional choices to help service members and their families maintain a healthy lifestyle March 1-31.

WIC supports National Nutrition Month, an initiative of the American Dietetic Association, which is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

"WIC plays a part in this campaign, based on the fact that it is a nutrition education and supplemental food program," said Marty Bledsoe, a registered nurse and program manager for WIC in Guantanamo. "The goal is to increase public awareness on eating right and including daily physical activity to live healthier lives."

WIC provides participants and their families with nutritious food, tips on how to prepare a balanced meal, nutrition and health screenings, and access to other resources that will help members lead healthier lives, said Bledsoe.

Bledsoe said people should follow five steps to a healthier life:

- Eat right with color. "Add a variety of nutrients to your plate by choosing fruits and vegetables with different colors," said Bledsoe.

- Limit the amounts of foods you eat and drink that contain added sugars.

- Opt for low-fat dairy and lean meat products rather than their fatty counterparts.

- Do not skip breakfast. "Starting the day with a high-fiber, low-fat breakfast will help you consume fewer calories the rest of the day, and provide your body with nutrients and calories that are needed throughout the morning," said Bledsoe.

- Make exercise fun, and work out aerobically at least an hour a day, five or six days per week.

"The right kinds of food and physical activity will supply you with all the vital nutrients that you need to ensure your body's growth, vitality, fertility, and maintenance," said Bledsoe. "We can, therefore, eat our way to a healthier body."