The Importance of Nutrition for Veterans

Common mental health conditions experienced in the veteran community include include anxiety, depression, PTSD and adjustment disorder. This combined with the sometimes poor cooking skills prevalent in veterans due to military culture providing cooked meals in the mess, can often lead to reduced motivation, poor diet and mood swings.

Forward Assist has recently piloted a ‘Healthy Eating’ group led by a qualified Occupational Therapist focusing on developing:

• cooking skills

• planning and preparing nutritional meals

• meal planning and budgeting

This has ensured that veterans are able to make the best nutritional choices for themselves to maintain and regain their health. The impact of diet and exercise on emotional and physical well-being has been well documented however, veteran specific initiatives and research are lacking. One veteran has gained a lot from the pilot and has used the knowledge and skills to continue his healthy lifestyle and lose 5 stone since March 2019.

We want to continue this project and look at the inclusion of spouses and families to ensure a holistic, healthy lifestyle for veterans and their families.