State Partnership Program

Video by Sara Barger

Fuel for the Fight

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs/Military Health System

March 31, 2025 | 3:39

Service members who have healthy diets, including higher amounts of fruits and vegetables daily, are less likely to have medically diagnosed heart conditions. Uniformed Services University cardiologist Dr. Marc Alaric Franzos discusses why you should eat heart healthy and what not to eat, including how to best fuel warfighter performance. Learn about nutrition geared for readiness and how to “look at those foods that can fuel us for the fight,” Franzos says.

Franzos is a retired U.S. Navy captain who flew the P3 Orion early in his career. He became a U.S. Navy physician and a flight surgeon and ultimately specialized in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine. He is an associate professor of medicine at the Department of Defense's premiere medical school. “Picking a diet you like and you can stick with, but that is also somewhat healthy—and will get you to your goals—is really critical,” Franzos said. His top nutritional lifestyle suggestion is the long-popular and varied Mediterranean diet. The diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, beans, nuts, and seeds; olive oil as a primary fat source; and dairy products, eggs, fish, and poultry in low to moderate amounts. It centers on minimally processed, plant-based foods to prevent heart disease and stroke and reduce heart risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.