text: Chapter 8
  Nutritional Readiness
  The demands imposed by Army training, combat, and contingency operations are
  unique and challenging. Nutritional readiness is the attainment of an individual
  nutritional strategy that supports optimal physical and cognitive function as well as
  lifelong disease and injury prevention. Nutritional readiness is a critical component of
  holistic health, and contributes greatly to mission success. The development of a
  comprehensive performance nutrition program, tailored to organizational
  requirements, can improve individual Soldier performance, overall unit readiness, and
  mission success. This chapter describes basic nutrition concepts and integrates them
  into performance nutrition plans and practical nutrition recommendations for the
  Soldier.
  FOUNDATIONAL NUTRITION
  8-1. The Army’s comprehensive performance nutrition program concept and framework encompasses three
  components—proactive, active, and reactive. The proactive component, or foundational nutrition, entails
  chronic disease prevention and immune system enhancement. The active component, or operational
  (occupational and environmental task-specific performance) nutrition, focuses on event fueling and post-
  event recovery and arduous environment preparedness. The reactive component, or therapeutic nutrition,
  centers on specific nutritional interventions to treat (as opposed to prevent) an illness, injury, or condition.
  When tailored to organizational requirements, unit- and culture-specific nutrition education and services can
  optimize individual Soldier performance, overall unit readiness, and ultimately, mission success.
  8-2. For Soldiers to perform optimally throughout their careers in assignments with varying levels of mental
  and physical requirements, they must be proactive and place as much emphasis on foundational health as
  they do on task-specific performance. This entails chronic disease prevention and immune system
  enhancement.
  HEALTH PROMOTION AND CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION
  8-3. The nutritional foundation established by a Soldier’s usual dietary intake, or “everyday diet,” can
  greatly reduce preventable future disease. More than 60 years of peer-reviewed research has demonstrated
  the importance of the everyday diet to the health and longevity of an individual. Soldiers can capitalize on
  these findings by consuming more whole-grain products, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy
  products, and fish, and less processed grains, added sugars, and processed meats.
  DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS
  8-4. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (known as HHS) and the United States
  Department of Agriculture (known as USDA) jointly publish the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every 5
  years. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides evidence-based food and beverage recommendations
  for Americans ages 2 and older. These recommendations aim to promote health, prevent chronic disease, and
  help people reach and maintain a healthy weight, and should be used to develop the Soldier’s baseline healthy
  eating pattern.
  8-5. An eating pattern represents all foods and beverages consumed. All foods consumed as part of a
  healthful eating pattern unite to meet nutritional needs that promote a healthy weight, enhance performance,
  and prevent chronic disease. Soldiers aim to meet their nutrient needs through healthful eating patterns