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Health.mil sat down with Dr. Marc Alaric Franzos, a cardiologist at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, to explain what’s the best diet to eat overall and what foods warfighters should focus on to stay fit for the fight.
Franzos is a retired U.S. Navy captain who flew P3 Orions early in his career. He became a U.S. Navy physician and a flight surgeon and ultimately specialized in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine. He is an associate professor of medicine at the Department of Defense's premiere medical school.
“Picking a diet you like and you can stick with, but that is also somewhat healthy—and will get you to your goals—is really critical,” Franzos said.
His top nutritional lifestyle suggestion is the long-popular and varied Mediterranean diet. The diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds; olive oil as a primary fat source; and low to moderate consumption of dairy and eggs, fish at least twice a week and poultry in moderate amounts. Red meat, recommended to eat no more than once per week, is considered any meat from a mammal such as beef, pork, and lamb, Franzos noted. The diet centers on minimally processed, plant-based foods to prevent heart disease and stroke and reduce heart risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
On the Mediterranean diet, you need to be “ensuring that you're getting a fair amount of complex carbohydrates and limiting the simple carbohydrates, particularly those refined carbohydrates like white bread and white potatoes,” said Franzos.
Simple changes make a difference, like eating sweet potatoes or brown rice instead of white rice, or whole wheat bread instead of white bread, for example.
Complex carbohydrates are starches and fibers that provide sustained energy and take longer to digest compared to simple carbohydrates. They are rich in nutrients and sustain energy throughout the day. According to Franzos, complex carbs include:
• Whole grains: Brown rice, quinoa, oats, barley, and whole wheat products
• Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and other starchy or fibrous vegetables
• Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, and peas
• Fruits: Apples, pears, bananas, and berries, especially with the skin
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds
Complex carbs are better for your health because they take “a little longer … to be digested, and, as a result, what you have is a lower insulin spike right after you eat them. There’s a slow dispersion of those calories through your gut and into your bloodstream, as opposed to white rice or refined wheat and white bread or white potatoes. Those can cause rapid insulin spike, resulting from the rapid flow of the breakdown products, particularly glucose, into the bloodstream. That's one of the premises behind eating complex carbohydrates over simple carbohydrates,” Franzos explained.
The Mediterranean diet “is also built on the idea that you minimize the amount of fats, but your snacks, instead of being processed foods like chips, should be simple, complex carbohydrates, sometimes with protein, like … nuts or even maybe a little bit of cheese,” he said.
“The benefit of those types of snacks is that they come with a little bit of protein and fat that will create a sense of satiety that will keep you feeling full longer, so you won't binge and eat more soon after that snack,” explained Franzos.
Why the Mediterranean Diet is Good for Warfighters
The diet works for warfighters because it’s easily portable and can be served in nutritionally dense but calorically moderate portions. “We need to approach … comfort foods with moderation and really look at those foods that can fuel us for the fight and maximize the intake of those” foods, Franzos said.
“When it comes to being fit for the fight, it's not necessarily crucial that you have a six-pack, but it is crucial that you're able to respond in a moment's notice to a crisis. Regardless of your [military occupational specialty], undoubtedly, there's going to be crises that you'll need to respond to, and if you're fueled properly, you'll be able to respond much more appropriately,” Franzos explained.
For the warfighter, that means “having foods that will sustain energy levels for a prolonged period of time and also having food that will replace and build muscle for your specific [military occupational specialty], in particular,” he said. For example, infantry or similar combat arms specialists, “where you're busting down doors, it's absolutely critical to build up that muscle mass and retain it so that you can use it when the time comes.”
Energy Drinks: Caution and Balance
Energy drinks are “ubiquitous” in military service, Franzos said, noting they are full of caffeine and high levels of sugar, so he advised caution.
“Look at the total content and be cognizant of the fact that about 200–400 milligrams of caffeine should be a daily serving, or about 3–6 mg/kg, so minimize the amount of caffeine that you're taking on board.” Many energy drinks contain anywhere from 160 mg to 300 mg of caffeine in one serving.
“You also should balance those energy drinks with actual water consumption, because some of the energy drinks may contain diuretics (including caffeine) and may end up causing you to lose a lot of the fluid. And when you end up losing fluid, you are putting your whole system at risk, not just the cardiovascular system, but also, in particular, the kidney system,” said Franzos. “The kidneys may respond unfavorably to dehydration, if you're in a particularly hot environment” such as the Middle East or South Pacific, by starting to shut down. “That situation can be fatal.”
Finally, Franzos said “we all need to pay attention to this type of diet, and to a regular exercise regimen of strength and cardio combined that we will like and subsequently follow regularly.”
Resources
If you want to learn more about nutrition, how it affects performance, and tips on eating healthier, visit the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Consortium for Health and Military Performance. Here you can explore dozens of nutritional fitness tips, articles, and other references for better nutrition to enhance readiness. To take your nutrition goals to the next level, contact your local military hospital or clinic and request a consultation with a nutritionist or a dietician.
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2025 12:26 |
| Story ID: | 494146 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 86 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Eat Like a Heart Doctor: Food is Fuel to Increase Readiness, by Janet A. Aker, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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