Healthy Food For Fire Fighters

Male Speaker: My name is Buddy Docrati. I work for the City of Alpharetta Fire Department. My role as a lieutenant is to operate the station on a daily basis. Our job can be very dangerous. It depends on what happens during the day and what types of calls we run. We work in 24 hour basis with each other so it's a little bit different than an eight hour office job. We sleep on the same building. We eat together. When we go to shopping, we agree on what's lunch, we're going to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner and one of the trucks will go out, pick up usually in one run everything. Lunch is ready, everybody lunch is ready. We do have three square meals a day and we have eggs, bacon, biscuits and pancakes, almost everything. Lunches vary from hot dogs or hamburgers to chicken salad. We do fast off on occasion. It is lot of food, too much of food sometimes. If we got or something that we better forced to eat and the Firehouse is always been that way, so you definitely have the breakfast that embarrasses some folks. Hello. Carolyn O'Neil: Hi, I am Carolyn O'Neil, I am a registered dietician. I am here to see what you're having for lunch. Male Speaker: Oh, come on in. Carolyn O'Neil: And I brought a few things. Male Speaker: Great. Carolyn O'Neil: Well, I was actually really excited to come to the Firehouse today because the studies that show that they are at risk for heart attack, means they've got to do something just like you want to prevent a fire in your home, you want to prevent those early signs of heart disease. Male Speaker: I think everybody is excited about a dietician coming in. Our enthusiasms are very catchy. Carolyn O'Neil: You got some potato chips here, oh that's funny, I brought some chips too. We are not asking the firefighters to all of a sudden eat tofu and beans sprouts. They are peanut chips so they are crunchy, but they are also whole grain. Instead I decided to bring some groceries that really were healthier alternatives to the foods they are already eating. And these are turkey franks. Now turkey franks are actually one-third less fat than a regular frank. There are many, many different brands. What I wanted to teach them today, how they can feel full, be satisfied, have tasty foods but cut back on the fat, so this has twice as much fiber on it, and also to show them how adding certain foods to their diet, like the whole grains can actually improve their health in a long run. So we're going to make today save the Firehouse chilly by making it a heart healthy. And I'd love if you guys have a little taste at it and see if you like it. What makes this chilly healthier is because it's made with turkey meat, which is leaner than ground beef, has lots of beans and they are fiber and really can help lower your cholesterol, lots of tomatoes, tomatoes are full of antioxidants. And add to it some green pepper for vitamin C, you know variety, nutrition is variety, balance and moderation. Male Speaker: Whatever you are doing in the work and you feel on a cabin is would you have a choice of eating. And if you know, if I only bring any things that are good for me, I put in the cabin and that's all I have a choice of. Carolyn O'Neil: I think this would serve, what you think? Six or seven hungry firefighters. Male Speaker: I would think so. Carolyn O'Neil: Yeah. A huge blazing fire starts with a spark. And if we can keep an eye on the day-to-day small things in your diet, then perhaps we can prevent the emergency of a heart attack on down the line. Male Speaker: That's really good. Carolyn O'Neil: You know they get called out on their emergencies and when they come back, it probably taste even better because it can simmer even longer in those flavors. Male Speaker: I think she had some great ideas and we can take them and move forward with them. I do believe we got a group that will switch and committed to it. It's a nice change of pace for the rescues.