NCJ Number
196908
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 26 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2002 Pages: 46-48,50,52
Date Published
July 2002
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses healthy food choices for police officers.
Abstract
The ready availability of fast food has contributed to the fact that one in five Americans are obese. To find out what police officers are eating and what it is doing to them, some calls were made to a number of departments nationwide. Most officers try to skip fast food for healthier fare or try to choose the healthiest fast food when nothing else is available. Trans-fatty acids and saturated fats are the villains in most fast foods. Increasingly, many fast-food chains are offering “healthy choice” menus. Habitual meals have an especially strong impact on weight gain so daily choices are important. Fat content is another important consideration. Some fats are good, such as nuts, avocados, sunflower seeds, and fish. It is important to avoid being overweight, exercise regularly, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Exercise reduces stress, depression and anxiety, increases vigor, and prevents heart attack, stroke, some kinds of cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Eating more fiber is important also. An adult should try to consume two to four servings of fruit and three to five servings of vegetables a day. This takes some planning. Police officers should consider avoiding salad bars, smorgasbord establishments, and other places where food could be adulterated. Dieting tips include avoiding mayonnaise and special sauce and deep-fried foods and cheese, exercising, and eating normal-sized meals. Other points to remember are (1) avoid high sodium if there is a history of high blood pressure; and (2) the key to healthy consumption of sugar and carbohydrates for most people is moderation.