Field kitchen: why the Pentagon thought about transferring the military to a ketodiet

The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) can seriously change the diet of the American military, eliminating carbohydrates from it, and transferring them to the so-called ketogenic diet - only from protein and fats. This is reported by the American media Military Times.

It is noted that in this case, American soldiers will have to give up sugary carbonated drinks and pizza in the military canteen, as well as beer, which they can buy in the stores of the military base.

The initiative comes from SOCOM's director of science and technology, Lisa Sanders. She believes that such a diet will positively affect the combat capability of the units. According to the publication, in the first place innovation could affect the US Special Forces SEAL, known as the "fur seals".

“One of the consequences of being in a state of ketosis (the result of following a ketogenic diet. - RT ) is a change in the body's response to oxygen starvation. You can stay under water longer and not experience convulsions due to lack of oxygen, ”says the publication of the report by Sanders, which she presented at a conference of special forces.

Over time, this diet can spread to all US troops, the newspaper notes. The study, on the basis of which Sanders made her proposal, was conducted on the cadets of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (American equivalent of military departments).

“The basis of the diet are meat products, eggs, fish, chicken, cheese, butter, seeds, nuts and non-starchy vegetables. A key or essential nutrient is fat, ”quotes the publication of kinesiologist Jeff Volek, a professor in the humanities department at Ohio State University and author of the study.

Dietary control

The American army media note that the Pentagon had previously thought about using a ketogenic diet, but postponed its tests because of its high complexity. In addition, military lawyers reminded that the right of the US command to force soldiers to switch to controversial, according to scientists, food plans can be challenged in court.

• Canteen army usa
• Reuters
• © Andrew Burton

The ketogenic diet appeared as a means of combating childhood epilepsy in the 1920s. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she gained popularity among cyclists and bodybuilders who use it for quick weight loss.

It requires careful adherence to the diet, without indulgences and weekends, which means that a soldier who receives a certain set of products at the base will be forced to follow her on vacation and on leave. To monitor the state of ketosis, you need to be tested regularly - in the case of an improper diet, the diet can be harmful to health.

In order to transfer to the ketogenic diet all the US armed forces, it will be necessary to change the composition of all army sukhpaykov and ready supplies, which are traditionally full of high-calorie carbohydrate-containing products. However, one of the authors of the study, Professor Jeff Volek, believes that this, on the contrary, will reduce the cost of food for American soldiers and sailors.

“The ketogenic diet is high in fat, which reduces its cost. The basis of this diet are fats, and fat calories can be very cheap, “- quoted Volek Military Times.

Such studies and processes may indicate the arrival of new players in the military supply market in the United States, said Sergei Sudakov, corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences.

“Today in the USA there is a redistribution of large areas of business influence, to which new“ giants ”are beginning to come. No one wants to care about the health of American soldiers, just now ketogenic diets that allow you to lose weight and make more effective food have become fashionable. We are witnessing how America, step by step, begins to change as a whole. I believe that the redistribution of the market will begin with the supply of food, and then it will go into such things as uniforms, etc., ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

He added that the adoption and implementation of this program depends on the lobbyists who will drag the initiative.

“If a serious lobbying structure, which is close to the office of the minister and the defense and security committees of the senate and the congress, takes it, then there is a definite chance to push through this law. In addition, an important role will be played by the opinion of the Association of Dietitians in the USA, which is also a large lobbyist organization, ”said Sudakov.

Urgent problem

Consider the transition to a new diet Pentagon could force the problem with the level of physical fitness of the military, experts say. According to the Army Times, 31% of volunteers between the ages of 17 and 24 are unsuitable for service.

• American field kitchen
• Reuters
• © Andrew Burton

"The largest reason for recognizing potential soldiers unfit for service, accounting for 31% of cases, is obesity," Major General Frank Mut, who is responsible for recruiting US ground troops, said in 2018 at the annual meeting of the US Army Association in Washington.

This is a problem not only for volunteers and recruits, but also for military men on active duty.

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2016 published a report according to which for 2015 the proportion of people in active military service who are overweight in relation to height and body weight ratio was 7.8%, which is 73% higher than 2011 figures.

In 2018, RAND conducted a survey of 18,000 military personnel from all clans and types of US troops — 66% of them were overweight or obese. Most of the overweight soldiers who took part in the study turned out to be in land forces - 69.4%, the Coast Guard was second (67.8%), the Navy (64.6%) was third, then the Air Force (63 ,one%). He closed the rating of the Marine Corps, where 60.9% of the soldiers selected for inspection were overweight.

US military experts point out that this situation has a negative effect on the budget, as the cost of medical care rises.

“The Ministry of Defense spends $ 1.5 billion annually on overweight medical services for active military personnel, veterans and their families, and due to health problems caused by obesity, we lose 650,000 person-days per year.” - Army Times quotes the words of Lieutenant General Retired Thomas Spore.

The problem of overweight in the US military began to take shape after World War II, when the ration of American soldiers was revised, Sergei Sudakov recalled.

“Today, the calorie content in the ration of the American soldier is higher than necessary, such norms were established in the interests of suppliers that have long been entrenched in the food market in the US Army. If you move to a new diet, then you need to create a completely new production cycle and new kitchen factories that supply food to the army. It will take tens of billions of dollars and several years, ”the expert concluded.

Studies of the caloric balance in the army rations are also being conducted in Russia, said Viktor Baranets, a military columnist for Komsomolskaya Pravda, in a conversation with RT.

“Russia has a special technical committee that monitors what is happening on the supply side of military personnel in all the armies of the world and is trying to take the best from there. ... The Americans, with their gigantic military budget, have the opportunity to practice improving the nutrition of their servicemen, ”said Viktor Baranets.