Nutrition for Veterans with Scott Davis, MS, RDN, CDCES

Each November, National Veterans and Military Families Month recognizes the service and sacrifice of military and veteran families, as well as Veterans Day. It’s also a time to recognize the challenges veterans face, both during their service and once they’re home—and spread awareness about ways to support these heroic individuals. If you think this has nothing to do with nutrition, you are mistaken!

Scott Davis, MS, RDN, CDCES is not only a Registered Dietitian at Culina Health—he’s also a veteran himself. In honor of Veterans Month, we spoke to him about some of the distinct nutrition and lifestyle-related struggles many veterans face, and how he supports patients navigating these challenges.

About Scott Davis, MS, RDN

How did you become interested in nutrition care? 

I was considering a career change, and came across an article talking about nutrition as a fast-growing field. The article also said something about dietitians being able to help patients who have cancer. At the time, my father had a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma called Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, so this really spoke to me. I originally planned to specialize in oncology nutrition, but an opportunity to do my internship with the Veterans Health Administration eventually led to my current career path. 

How does your experience as a veteran inform your approach to nutrition?

My military training and experience has provided me with a very strong grasp on lifestyle and behavior changes. Being in the military, you’re constantly forced to adapt your schedule, diet, and daily routine. This experience informed my understanding of cognitive behavioral therapy and its application, realizing how we can all find new routines if we have access to the proper tools, and the motivation to succeed. As a dietitian, I see my role as a balance between educator and counselor, and having a military skill set allows me to better understand these concepts and their application.  

Supporting Veterans Through Nutrition Care

What are some nutritional or lifestyle needs specific to veterans?

Due to the nature of military training and lifestyle, many veterans often rush through meals and have very disordered eating patterns and diet quality that are deeply ingrained into their habits, even once they return home. Furthermore, many vets tend to suffer from severe body dysmorphia, after having to meet the military’s strict standards for weight and physical performance. Many have injuries related to combat and training that inhibit their ability to engage in traditional forms of physical activity. Also, common mental health conditions like anxiety and PTSD contribute to elevated cortisol level as well as irregular sleep patterns that make it difficult to maintain a healthy daily routine.   

Can you share any specific anecdotes from your work with any veteran patients?

When addressing my fellow veterans, I tend to use a lot of metaphors that parallel military life. For example, I explain how setting a SMART goal and keeping a written food and activity journal is like going to the rifle range. When we go to the rifle range, we set up a target. We sight-in our rifles by shooting a few rounds at the target. We then look where those rounds hit the target. If they are off-center, we can adjust the sights on our rifles to fire center-mass and hit the bullseye.

Writing out a SMART goal is like setting up a target. It gives you something to aim for in a set time frame. Checking off your SMART goal each time you do it is like firing rounds down range at your target. At the end of the timeframe you set for your SMART goal, you examine how close you were to hitting your goal just like Marines examine their targets after shooting. This allows us to see where we executed our actions successfully and where we can “adjust our sights” to make improvements going forward. SMART goals not only move us closer to our long-term health goals, but they provide us with the insight needed to learn, grow and create sustainable healthy patterns of behavior. 

How can nutrition support veterans in physical or mental recovery?

Research shows that disordered eating patterns and nutritional insufficiency can contribute to physical and mental illness. As veterans tend to be at higher risk for food insecurity, physical ailments and mental health disorders, nutrition education, health care, and counseling can be beneficial in their recovery and can help to reinforce the development of healthier lifestyles. 

I’ve found that, similar to the rifle range metaphor above, whenever I put things into terms that are relatable to my patients’ lives, they have great success. I have a patient who came to me for both diabetes education and weight management. Over the two years we’ve worked together, his A1c decreased from 11 to 7 and his weight went from 275 pounds to 185 pounds. He credits much of his success to the way I explained things in ways he could understand. If we are able to relate things to a patient’s previous experiences and knowledge, show how these things are similar, then they are able to take our recommendations and apply them to their own situations with a greater understanding of not just why, but how.

What are the links between food insecurity and veterans? 

Some veterans have a hard time adjusting to civilian life after serving in military service. They may rely on alcohol, drugs and other less healthy coping mechanisms which can lead to homelessness, poverty and other situations that contribute to food insecurity. The good news is that there are a lot of veterans affairs programs, such as food assistance, specifically aimed at helping eligible veterans deal with issues of homelessness, unemployment, mental health and access to nutritious food.

Using Nutrition Principles to Improve Quality of Life

Can you share specifics about your approach to nutrition care and working with patients?

My approach tends to be a mix of education and skill development. The large majority of people who seek nutrition advice from a dietitian, in my experience, want to eat healthy food but tend to be fed up with the overwhelming amount of mixed messages they get from diet, weight loss and exercise culture. I like to provide patients with concise information in clear language that they can understand along with the research to support my recommendations. Once a patient has a solid foundation, I like to help them develop the skill set to implement those recommendations, such as meal planning, learning to put together a balanced meal, and a sustainable exercise routine. I believe in the philosophy of developing the knowledge, skills and abilities to survive in any situation so we can thrive in the situations we want to be in.

What are 3 of your favorite nutrition tips that can help veterans and non-veterans alike?

1. Eat slowly.  It takes time for the mind to register that the stomach is full. Take the time to be aware of what you’re putting into your body, how it makes you feel in the moments after, and how it’s impacting your health long-term.

2. Slow motion is better than no motion. Being physically active, for even short periods of time, is better than sitting on the couch all day.  

3. Be patient with yourself. It takes time to achieve, and more importantly, maintain your health goals, especially when recovering from an injury or illness. Focus on improvement instead of perfection. 

Work with a Culina Health Registered Dietitian

Whether you’re a veteran looking for support, are someone looking to find a new routine after injury or illness, or simply wanting tips on healthy eating, Culina Health is here for you. Get tailored advice that’s sustainable and attainable to make lasting changes for your health and wellbeing. Book your first session today—many of our patients pay $0 out of pocket or a regular copay with insurance!