Fuel Your Fight: 10th SFG(A) Soldier Turns Nutrition Into Readiness
Outside, rain and hail swept across the compound. Inside, the focus remained on tactical nutrition as ready-made meals awaited approval as healthier, performance-focused options for Soldiers. Reed guided leaders through the selections, explaining how Soldiers can request goal-oriented meals tailored to their individual needs to lose, gain, or maintain weight.
The Tactical Performance Nutrition Meal Prep Program supports the nutritional pillar of the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program, which emphasizes five areas of Soldier readiness: physical, mental, nutritional, sleep and spiritual well-being. Reed introduced the initiative as an operational resource designed to give Soldiers convenient meal options aligned with their individual goals.
“Pretty much, you are what you eat,” Reed said. “You have to fuel to stay in the fight.”
Reed’s motivation for developing the initiative came from his own experience as a 92G Culinary Specialist. While stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he experienced fluctuations in his weight and sought assistance from a registered dietitian.
The dietitian provided Reed with a meal plan, calorie target and macronutrient goals. The experience changed his perspective, leading him to view food as a key component of physical performance rather than mere sustenance. He later helped pioneer a similar program at the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) before bringing the concept to Fort Carson.
“I saw that it worked,” Reed said. “I wanted to bring it here because it can help many Soldiers.”
Building on that experience, Reed vets recipe ingredients to ensure each meal balances nutritional value with flavor.
“We want it to be tasteful, but we don't want it to be unhealthy,” Reed said. “We try to find the balance between what's tasteful and what's healthy to make sure the meals are good quality.”
Command teams reviewed various food options as Reed explained how Soldiers could incorporate the meals into their schedules, navigate the ordering process and experience the initiative firsthand.
The initiative will enter a trial phase ahead of its Oct. 1 launch. During the trial, Reed will collect feedback from command teams and selected Soldiers to refine operations and determine how it can best serve the formation.
Reed values the projected feedback as a step toward building an asset that can grow and evolve across formations. He hopes to leave behind a resource that future Soldiers and leaders can continue to develop.
“As long as I started it, whoever comes after me can tailor it and make it even bigger than what it is now,” Reed said. “It helped me, and I know it can help others.”
During the demonstration at the LaRochelle Dining Facility, Reed emphasized that healthy eating does not require sacrificing convenience or flavor. Nutrition directly impacts individual readiness and mission success. The Tactical Performance Nutrition Meal Prep Program provides Soldiers with the practical tools to "Fuel the Fight."
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