Applying Performance Nutrition to Optimize Readiness
Obtained from WEST POINT magazine (Vol. 16; No. 2) and reprinted with permission from the West Point Association of Graduates. All rights reserved.
Cadets gather around a classroom table that is scattered with open MRE packages. Working in teams, they calculate the daily nutrient requirements of their assigned tactical athlete before assessing what the ration can realistically provide. Using the Combat Ration Database, cadets verify calorie and macronutrient content, then begin negotiating with classmates to trade components and close nutritional gaps. Some cadets are planning for a long reconnaissance mission, cold weather operations, or high-humidity environments. Some of the soldiers are men, some are women, but all require adequate fuel to perform optimally. The soldier may also have additional vitamin and mineral needs or specific nutrient timing considerations, which can be addressed using specially formulated products such as First Strike bars, Zapplesauce, recovery pretzel mix, or protein pudding.
This hands-on activity is part of KN365: Nutrition for Performance, a course within the Kinesiology major that takes a distinctly operational approach to performance nutrition. Developed and taught by an active-duty Army Registered Dietitian, the course builds on the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system’s nutrition readiness concepts, first introduced through the Department of Physical Education’s PE215: Fundamentals of Personal Fitness course, and dives deeper into the three components of a comprehensive nutrition program—proactive, active, and reactive—through lectures, assigned readings, current scholarly research, and hands-on practical application activities. The MRE activity exposes cadets to the science behind operational rations, something they may not otherwise think critically about or fully understand. It highlights both the versatility of operational rations and the importance of ration availability in supporting physical performance based on the specific military mission.
Kinesiology major Cadet Harper Ray ’26, who currently serves as the inaugural brigade H2F nutrition readiness officer at the United States Military Academy, shares, “Not only was I able to take the information from our class slides and the textbook and apply it in the classroom; but, as a Division I and club sport athlete at the time, I was also able to recognize how my inadequate fueling was becoming significantly detrimental to my performance on the ice and the pitch.”
Throughout the course, cadets work on a comprehensive performance fueling plan assignment that challenges them to demonstrate competence by practically applying the performance nutrition concepts taught in class. In this project, cadets develop a fueling plan for a specific athlete based on the physiological needs of his or her sport. The goal is to apply current nutrient recommendations to develop a food based fueling plan that provides appropriate nutrient intake and accounts for strategic nutrient timing aligned with training and competition demands to optimize performance. Reflecting on this assignment, Ray shares, “I fully intend to structure my training as I prepare for Infantry BOLC and Ranger School using the same fueling plan framework we applied in class.”
With an emphasis on practical application, cadets within the Kinesiology major are poised to communicate sensible and flexible fueling strategies in support of the H2F system. In providing this classroom experience, West Point continues to develop officers who understand that high-level performance must be planned, resourced, and sustained. This ability to translate science into action ensures these future officers can execute H2F principles at the unit level, leading to the increased readiness and lethality of their soldiers.
MAJ Kristina Fauser, CDT Harper Ray '26, Dr. Jenna Morogiello-Shaw, Dr. Dan Jaffe
