Importance of Dietary Habits for Military Personnel

Abstract

Nutrition habits of cadets are basement for keeping health and physical preparedness stability, developing a military career. General obligation of each military person is to take care of his welfare and health, to follow to the hygiene standard and keep military readiness and physical fitness. Welfare includes also healthy, balanced and adapted to the physical load nutrition. According the legislation military person get daily financial support-compensation for daily food. There is individual responsibility to choose food that is suitable and available, that favour physical fitness and increase health status. The aim of our study is to indicate the nutrition habits of cadets of National defence academy of Latvia. We have provided a questionnaire about food consumption of cadet’s groups in period from 2017 till 2018. The study data were processed by SPSS 22. Results reflect that cadets` general information level and understanding about importance of food consumption need to be improved. It is useful to organise the lectures course about the main principles of healthy nutrition adapted to physical load. The cadets need additional information about balanced diet. The recent research suggests that a significant percentage of cadets do not have adequate nutrition habits to physical activity level. We fixed problems (deficit of water consumption) before the sports activities. Balanced food consumption allows improving physical status and working capacities of cadets and correlating the body mass index (BMI) value to Standard level. The correctly organized nutrition plan helps to support physical fitness and activity of military personnel.