Jenn DeHaan | Fort Knox News

FORT KNOX, Ky. – There’s a new way for commissary customers to grab healthy snacks and meals on the go: the Dietician Approved Fueling Station.

Laura Bottoms, chief of Nutrition Care Services at Fort Knox, said fueling stations are being set up in commissaries at many posts in an effort to make choosing healthier, more nutritional food options easier.

“It’s part of the Healthy Army Communities initiative, which is the push to bring healthier foods to the Soldiers and improve the nutrition environment on the installation,” said Bottoms. “The Dietitian Approved line is part of the commissary’s push toward that.”

The Fort Knox fueling station is positioned next to the self-checkout area and filled with items like protein-based snacks and drinks, premade sandwiches and salads, and fruits and vegetables. Bottoms said the fueling station is all about healthy simplicity.

“The great thing about it is that a lot of people may not have time to pack a lunch, or they’re out running errands on their lunchbreak and are kind of rushed,” said Bottoms. “This way they can swing by the commissary, run right in and not have to wander through the whole store. They can go straight to checkout to grab something quickly to meet their nutritional needs.”

Bottoms said she was glad to see the fueling station up and running now.

“At the commissary, we needed more places where people could just grab and go, and get things easily,” said Bottoms. “The fueling stations were something that have been in the works for some time, and Fort Knox was finally able to pull the trigger and get ours up.”

In addition to the fueling station, the commissary also provides another way to take the guesswork out of finding more nutritional options. Bottoms suggests simply looking for the green “thumbs up” stickers on the shelves.

“The stickers help to identify the healthier choices,” said Bottoms. “When you’re busy, you’re shopping right after work, or maybe have your kids with you, it helps you as a customer so you’re not having to spend all your time turning every label around and checking them.”

There’s also one other way shoppers can get healthy ideas in the commissary.

“Throughout the year, you’ll find Dietitian Approved recipe displays,” said Bottoms. “The produce manager always does a wonderful job putting things together.”

Bottoms warns, however, that it’s up customers whether the fueling station is here to stay.

“If you don’t use it, you lose it,” said Bottoms. “It does take extra work and cost to offer this, so if we as consumers don’t utilize this service, it may not stay. We want to get out there, use it, and show it’s something we want.”