You might already know that what you eat affects your physical performance, but did you know that it also affects your mental performance? Eating more nutrient-dense foods helps keep you mentally fit. Using Go for Green® (G4G) as your guide, you can improve your mission readiness, cognitive performance, and mental health through food.
Mission Readiness
Cognitive function, which is your ability to to think, learn, focus, solve problems, make decisions, plan, manage information, and control your feelings and behaviors, is vital for optimal health and mission success. Service Members with suboptimal nutritional fitness often report a decrease in occupational performance and readiness. This can include a decrease in safety, increase in injury, and poor executive functioning (planning, judgment, problem-solving) . Maximizing your intake of nutrient-dense foods can help you optimize your brain health, cognition, and muscular recovery.
Consuming adequate nutrition throughout the day can help you optimize your mission readiness. At your local dining facility or galley, look for G4G labels to identify high-performance food options.
- Aim to eat more Green-coded foods: there are Green-coded options for fruits, vegetables, protein, and grains
- Stay hydrated: drink enough water based on your activity and environment and avoid dehydration
- Refuel for recovery with a balance meal that’s high in carbs and moderate in protein
Cognitive Performance
Do you ever find yourself stressed out and not performing at your best? If so, you’re not alone. High-stress military environments can result in poor decision-making, slowed reaction times, impaired memory, and inattention. By being mindful of what you eat, you can limit the decreases in your mental performance while under stress. G4G can help you identify Green-coded fruits, vegetables, and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids (fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and tuna, and nuts and seeds). The nutrients found in these foods can improve your memory, attention, and reaction times.
- Aim to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables
- Add nuts from the salad bar or breakfast bar to your salad, oatmeal, or yogurt
- Try fish instead of red meat when available
Mental Health
What you eat also affects your mood and psychological health (such as anxiety and depression symptoms). Reaching for a sugary treat or drink might feel like an easy fix in the moment, but it’s often a short-term solution. Reach for some fruits and vegetables instead. Fruits and veggies have been correlated with improved mood and psychological health.
- Aim to eat more plant-forward, whole foods
- Eat a well-balanced snack instead of a sugary treat or beverage
- Swap out Red-coded foods for Yellow- or Green-coded foods whenever possible
