Choose veggies for Whole Health

Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) is encouraging customers to choose vegetables for their Whole Health and offering more veggies in VCS cafés nationwide.

Customers can choose veggies in a multitude of ways. They can choose veggies as a side from the PatriotCafé, a snack from the PatriotStore, a salad from PatriotBrew or as a topping on anything at Creation Station-the newest meal concept making fresh-to-order sandwiches, salads and pizzas.

"The Choose Veggies campaign is part of VCS's commitment to our Be Well - Live Whole Health initiative," said Lu Ann Swehla, VCS chief Nutrition and Whole Health officer. "We will 'nudge' customers to eat more vegetables by making them easier to order and cheaper to purchase. We are invested in the Whole Health of our customers and we encourage them to choose more veggies."

The "Choose Veggies" campaign is in support of VA's Whole Health initiative, which focuses on every aspect of a Veteran's health-body, mind, emotion, spirit-and emphasizes what is most important to the individual. Vegetables, with their many benefits to a diet, are the perfect choice to make healthy changes and improve Veterans' quality of life.

"The grill area is where we can make the most impact in our customer's health," said dietitian Kristen Schwent. "Choosing veggies over fries significantly reduces fat, saturated fat, and calories and increases fiber, vitamins and minerals. Our veggies strike a perfect balance between tasty and nutritious, and they can make a significant difference to anyone's health and well-being."

VCS will offer different vegetable choices throughout the week, including broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and green beans with various methods of preparation to increase variety. Vegetables can be roasted, toasted, steamed, glazed and seasoned to maximize flavor while maintaining the important level of nutrition. A variety of vegetables are also available at Creation Station while many PatriotBrew coffee shops offer salads and PatriotStores offer veggie-based snacks.

"I encourage customers to add tomatoes, mushrooms or even caramelized onions as pizza toppings and lettuce, red onion and tomatoes on sandwiches and salads," Swehla said. "There are so many ways to add color and variety to a meal and Creation Station is the perfect service for enjoying a different meal every day."

The "Choose Veggies" campaign comes just in time for August's National Wellness Month, celebrated every August, which focuses on practices like stress management, self-care, implementing healthy routines and improving your overall health and wellness. Eating more vegetables is a great way to prioritize health.

Since 1946, Veterans Canteen Service has provided reasonably priced merchandise and services essential to the comfort and well-being of America's Veterans enrolled in VA health care. VCS is a self-sustaining service embedded in nearly 200 VA medical centers and clinics, providing retail, café, coffee, vending, retail optical and many other customer-facing services.

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