Efforts in USA to fight the flab for firefighters. Can Scotland learn?
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WHITE PLAINS — The chatter of hungry men and the clatter of plates fill the kitchen: It is chow time at the firehouse.But don’t expect to see a typical macho meal of steak and potatoes on this menu.Firefighters happily gobbled up grilled chicken breast, romaine salad and mixed fruit on Monday, thanks to Sunny Seward, a White Plains firefighter and certified nutritionist who started an exercise and healthy eating program for his colleagues last year.
“They were actually very open to it,” the 26-year-old said as his crew sat down for lunch at the city’s fire headquarters on Mamaroneck Avenue. “Every meal there is a fruit or vegetable. We reduced the saturated fats. No more hamburgers. No more fried foods. We have limited desserts big-time.”
Job stress, late-night eating and a firehouse culture that promotes big feasts contribute to the high risk of heart attack, hypertension, obesity and diabetes among firefighters, experts say.
Sudden cardiac death has consistently been the top cause of death for on-duty firefighters in the United States, accounting for 40 percent of deaths in the past five years and nearly half in 2010, according to figures from the National Fire Protection Association.“I want to give opportunities to firefighters and let them know there is a preventative way to reduce their chances of heart attacks and heart disease,”
Seward said. “It’s simply by changing lifestyle habits and dietary habits.”After Seward was laid off from White Plains in 2010, he became a certified nutritionist. He was hired back last year and that’s when fellow firefighter Tommy Devine asked for help to get in shape for his September wedding.
Seward now has seven firefighters enrolled in what he has named the Firefighter HealthMaX Plan. They hit the firehouse gym several times a week for 30 to 45 minutes of cardio, and they snack on granola, nuts and fruit smoothies.Seward is the assistant director of nutritional services at Integrated Medicine & Nutrition, a Mount Kisco-based holistic health practice that tracks the firefighters’ progress with blood tests.
How does Scotland's Occupational Health Regime compare? Answers on a water biscuit please.
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WHITE PLAINS — The chatter of hungry men and the clatter of plates fill the kitchen: It is chow time at the firehouse.But don’t expect to see a typical macho meal of steak and potatoes on this menu.Firefighters happily gobbled up grilled chicken breast, romaine salad and mixed fruit on Monday, thanks to Sunny Seward, a White Plains firefighter and certified nutritionist who started an exercise and healthy eating program for his colleagues last year.
“They were actually very open to it,” the 26-year-old said as his crew sat down for lunch at the city’s fire headquarters on Mamaroneck Avenue. “Every meal there is a fruit or vegetable. We reduced the saturated fats. No more hamburgers. No more fried foods. We have limited desserts big-time.”
Job stress, late-night eating and a firehouse culture that promotes big feasts contribute to the high risk of heart attack, hypertension, obesity and diabetes among firefighters, experts say.
Sudden cardiac death has consistently been the top cause of death for on-duty firefighters in the United States, accounting for 40 percent of deaths in the past five years and nearly half in 2010, according to figures from the National Fire Protection Association.“I want to give opportunities to firefighters and let them know there is a preventative way to reduce their chances of heart attacks and heart disease,”
Seward said. “It’s simply by changing lifestyle habits and dietary habits.”After Seward was laid off from White Plains in 2010, he became a certified nutritionist. He was hired back last year and that’s when fellow firefighter Tommy Devine asked for help to get in shape for his September wedding.
Seward now has seven firefighters enrolled in what he has named the Firefighter HealthMaX Plan. They hit the firehouse gym several times a week for 30 to 45 minutes of cardio, and they snack on granola, nuts and fruit smoothies.Seward is the assistant director of nutritional services at Integrated Medicine & Nutrition, a Mount Kisco-based holistic health practice that tracks the firefighters’ progress with blood tests.
How does Scotland's Occupational Health Regime compare? Answers on a water biscuit please.
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