A website was recently launched that reveals the nutritional facts for most MREs, or ready-to-eat military meals.
The site, named The Combat Rations Database, was implemented by the Defense Department's Human Performance Resource Center, reported Military Times. It contains every piece of information about soldiers' meals, from exact calorie count, to fat content, to cholesterol statistics. Currently, people can search for MRE information dating back to 2012. In the future, the database will include meal trackers and calorie counters for soldiers to input their dietary information and get an idea of how healthy – or unhealthy – their food choices are.
To show just how thorough the information available to soldiers currently is, Military Times investigated the nutrition facts of the crackers typically included in MREs. They found that these crunchy snacks contain 170 calories, 208 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 3 grams of protein and 0 grams of added sugar.
Military Times noted that the idea behind the website is to provide servicemembers with all the information they need to make nutritious choices, even with limited options.
"This new website provides military dietitians with up-to-date, accurate and easily accessible nutrition information on ration components, which is essential when educating warriors on proper fueling during missions," Julie Smith, a senior food technologist at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, in Massachusetts, told Military Times.
Military chefs and dietitians support the site, the source noted. They acknowledge that while many soldiers know it is important to eat well to stay in top shape, they are not always able to make the best decisions without having complete, transparent dietary information at their disposal. They hope that giving soldiers all the tools they need to make healthy choices will encourage them to do so and improve the health of the armed forces in general.