PHILADELPHIA –
A nutritionist with the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support’s Subsistence supply chain spoke to employees about healthy eating habits March 29.
“The key to eating healthy is to have three meals a day,” Starr Seip said. “You should have your first meal within one hour of waking up, eat every four-to-five hours and include four-to-five food groups in controlled portions with each meal.”
DLA Troop Support’s Resiliency team hosted the event as part of National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme is, “Go Further with Food.”
Seip is an award-winning certified diabetes educator, registered dietitian and nutrition instructor who joined the Subsistence team in February 2018. Her discussion included healthy eating habits to prevent chronic diseases, obesity, and combating high cholesterol and hypertension.
“A lot of changes people need to take are simple and start with their food,” Seip said. “For example, we can prevent cancer by eating fruits and veggies, but 64 percent of us don’t eat them. We miss out on the antioxidants that fight off cancer cells.”
Some attendees learned how to safely lose weight and regulate their blood sugar. The program will help them grocery shop and know how to read the nutrition labels on packaged goods, said Elizabeth Korsun, a Command Support Office management analyst.
“I learned about the types of items I should buy when food shopping and to pay attention to the nutrition labels,” Korsun said. “I should only buy extra virgin olive oil, less meats, portabella and shitake mushrooms, and the healthier cheeses.”
Seip also talked about the importance of good fats, exercise, portion control and eating fiber. Additionally, she discussed diabetes and measures to prevent it.
“Only 5 percent of people get type 1 diabetes, and the other 95 percent get type 2 because of their lifestyle, obesity, genetics and vitamin D deficiency, even though it’s offered in four-to-five food groups,” Seip explained. “If you have anyone in your family with diabetes, I suggest having your doctor give you an A1C test to see your likelihood of having it as well.”
Seip suggested that the audience visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website for more healthy eating information.