Military Officer - March 2009 - (Page 23) rapidfire Start Your Needles NutritionNotes Maj. Gen. Doug Stone, who recently returned home after more than a year in Iraq, sees the program’s value. “This is about citizens doing one small thing for this country,” he said at a recent event in Alexandria. Stone, a novice knitter himself, gestured at those gathered. “I don’t know what she thinks about the war. What I do know is a connection is being made between these great citizens here and those kids on the other end.” Houghton envisions a greater role for the program someday. “In the future, not only would we continue to connect with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, but we [also] could directly touch the people of embattled, host nations — such as Afghanistan or Iraq — by sending them hope and support through our knitting,” she says. — Gina DiNicolo R eminiscent of knitting movements dating back to the Revolutionary War, 21st century wool wizards are knitting helmet liners to help keep those fighting far from home warm and show them America cares. Nicknamed “Operation Helmetliner,” its beginnings can be traced to 2005. This grassroots movement has grown through an informal word of mouth and Webbased network. “Knitters are historically cause-oriented and believe it’s important for them to do their part,” says Aimee Houghton, who helps organize one effort in Alexandria, Va. “No one other than the military really has been called to serve. This is our way to support the individual soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine,” says Houghton. Military leaders also applaud the effort. Marine F Delightful Desserts or most people, dessert is the favorite course of a meal. With a little planning, one can choose desserts that are much lower in fat and calories and even a good source of protein if made with milk and egg whites. Surprisingly, low-fat and low-cholesterol diets can include dessert — even a piece of cheesecake! Fats have twice the calories per ounce as carbohydrates and proteins. Though a few selected fatty acids are good to include in your diet, these rarely are found in desserts. Obviously, the less fat a dessert has, the better. However, beware that many prepared fat-free products increase the amount of sugar as they reduce the amount of fat and therefore are not always lower in calories. Fats make up a large portion of pastry crusts, cookies, cakes, frostings, and whole cream (ice cream, whipped cream, and butter). By making simple substitutions, the amount of fat consumed significantly can be reduced. Try using nonfat frozen topping in place of whipped cream, or substituting egg whites for whole eggs; you’ll eliminate the fat and cholesterol found only in the yolks. Another easy substituON THE WEB tion is to use skim milk I Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, instead of whole milk or USPHS-Ret., D.O., provides simple dessert recipes at www cream. With these substitu.moaa.org/wellness. Click on tions, you’ll be able to enjoy Nutrition Facts. dessert guilt-free. Miscellany: Help Bring Back POWs MOAA’s 2009 Patriotic Photo Contest deadline rapidly is approaching. Enter your photos by March 31 for a chance to win first-, second-, or third-place in four categories — camaraderie, military family, on duty, and vintage. Find complete rules and an entry form at www.moaa.org/magazine/photocontest. * Though the Vietnam War ended several decades ago, there still are POWs and servicemembers missing in action. Since its formation in 1970, the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, a nonprofit organization based out of Arlington, Va., has been working to return POWs, account for missing servicemembers, and repatriate the recoverable remains of those who died serving the U.S. For more information or to get involved, visit www.pow-miafamilies.org. IMAGES: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, SHUTTERSTOCK; PUNCHSTOCK; SHUTTERSTOCK MARCH 2009 * MILITARY OFFICER 23 http://www.moaa.org/wellness http://www.moaa.org/wellness http://www.moaa.org/magazine/photocontest http://www.pow-miafamilies.org
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.