Applying Scientific Research to Optimize Operational Rations - Exploring the Possibilities.

摘要

Ever since the Army introduced its current primary operational ration, the Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MRE), in the early 1980's it has committed itself to continuously improving them. This has resulted in a far greater variety of menu items, and a taste that is more like what Americans are used to eating than Army Food. Unfortunately, these efforts to mirror the Standard American Diet have resulted in a nutrition program that resembles the less than optimal American diet. An American diet that is so bad, it caused the then Surgeon General C. Edward Koop in 1988 to declare that America's eating habits have contributed to the nation's most common killers such as coronary heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and some cancers. A diet that is also considered one of the worst in the developed world. It is in this backdrop, that this monograph takes a critical look at the Army's MRE's, and compares their mix of the fuel nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) to what nutrition scientists believe to be the optimum mix. A mix that science has shown to enhance physical performance, and prevent a large number of diseases. A mix that, once incorporated into MRE's, will ultimately contribute to soldiers being able to sustain optimal effort, for any operation, no matter how long in duration. The monograph concludes that the Army's primary operational ration is far from optimal because two of the fuel nutrients, fats and carbohydrates, are clearly not in the right quantities and mix in MRE's. Additionally, sodium levels in MRE's are way too high. Subsequently, this monograph recommends that the Army's Surgeon General's Office update their sixteen-year old nutrition directive (AR 40-25) to reflect advances made in nutrition science in the past two decades.