US: First Lady encourages military to eat their greens..
Military canteens across the country will soon be serving more fruits and vegetables. This is a break from tradition that often sees high fat content foods being served to military personnel.
The push for more fresh produce to be served to the armed forces is being made by First Lady, Michelle Obama, and is the first attempt in 20 years to improve the nutritional standards of the military.
The First Lady made the announcement to this effect last week whilst touring Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, where there have been experiments in improving nutritional content of meals already.
"You all look really good, really fit," she told the airmen. "Thank you for eating your vegetables. We need you strong."
"Don't worry, you'll be a vegetable guy soon," she reassured one airman.
Mrs Obama pointed out that around a quarter of applicants for military service were too overweight to be appointed and the defence department spends in the region of $1 billion per annum in medical bills related to obesity.
Mrs Obama told the military personnel that they were role models for the nation:
"When you make healthy eating a priority in your lives, the rest of us are more likely to make it a priority in our lives," she told the airmen.
