New Year, New You! Exchange Brings Better-For-You Meals, Snacks to Warfighters

DALLAS – The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is helping Soldiers, Airmen and military families stay BE FIT in 2020 with better-for-you meals and snacks that support readiness and resiliency.

“The Exchange is committed to promoting a BE FIT lifestyle so Warfighters can perform to their maximum potential,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “By emphasizing proper nutrition with better-for-you options, the Exchange can meet the needs of Airmen, Soldiers and military families.”

All of the Exchange’s 1,700 restaurants worldwide offer better-for-you choices, including Subway, Muscle Maker Grill, Freshens, Bun-D, Sarku, Starbucks and Qdoba Mexican Eats. In 2019, the Exchange opened more than 50 restaurants to fuel Warfighters and military families.

Menu boards with calorie counts at Exchange food courts and online BE FIT nutritional guides help diners make smart choices.

For on-the-go snacking, more than 325 Express locations worldwide feature BE FIT-approved items. This selection contains more than 450 items, including fresh fruit, yogurt, trail mix and nuts, tuna, grass-fed meat snacks and jerky, veggie chips and bottled water. Healthier Choices and Healthier Lifestyle shelf tags make it easy to find BE FIT snacks.

The Exchange’s commitment to providing healthier choices also extends to vending machines, where baked chips, dried fruit and trail mix are among the selections. These and other Exchange vending options fulfill National Automatic Merchandising Association Fit Pick requirements, containing fewer than 35% of calories from fat, fewer than 10% of calories from saturated fat and fewer than 35% total weight from sugar.

For Soldiers and Airmen without easy access to an Express, micro markets bring grab-and-go convenience and better-for-you options. Exchange micro markets typically serve small or remote locations that are not near a main store or Express and stock snacks, small meals including fresh salads or frozen entrees and beverages 24/7. The Exchange operates about 70 micro markets and about 40 more are in the works.

“Proper nutrition keeps our Nation’s fighting forces ready and resilient,” Reyes said. “The Exchange is all in every step of the way.”

For more information on better-for-you options at the Exchange—including nutritional information for restaurants, recipes and more—shoppers can visit the BE FIT section of the Exchange’s online community Hub at www.ShopMyExchange.com/be-fit.