Eat your way to better performance with Go for Green®

First things first, what’s G4G?

You’ve probably seen the green, yellow, and red labels throughout your base’s dining facilities or galleys, but do you know what they are or how to use them? Go for Green® (G4G) is a performance-nutrition program that uses a stoplight labeling system to make choosing nutritious foods and drinks quick and easy! G4G aims to optimize performance, readiness, and health by making high-performance options more available and accessible to the military community.

G4G color codes indicate the nutritional quality of foods and drinks:          

Green (high-performance fuel)
Yellow (moderate-performance fuel)                             
Red (low-performance fuel)

Green: least-processed, Whole foods, High in fiber, low in added sugar, healthy fats. Yellow: Some processing, some healthful nutrients, lower in fibber, added sugar or artificial sweetners, poor-quality fats. Red: Most processed foods, lowest-quality ingredients, minimal fiber, added sugar or artificial sweetners, excess fats and/or trans fat fried foods
Sodium codes indicate how much salt is in a particular food:*

Low
Moderate
High
*Note: Fruit and drinks are not coded for sodium.

salt shakers filled at varying levels. Leftmost - low. Middle - moderate, and right - high
What can G4G do for me?              

Nutrition fuels your daily activities, whether you’re behind a desk, in the field, or at home. Green-coded foods and drinks enhance your mental and physical performance through improved fitness, mood, and endurance. A nutrient-rich plate also leads to more productive workouts and faster recovery from training, stress, and injuries. Choosing “Green” can improve your overall quality of life and help you achieve your fitness goals!

Where can I use G4G?

G4G makes it easy to choose nutritious, tasty meals at dining facilities and galleys. While some food venues on your local military installation don’t label foods and drinks with G4G, you can still use G4G principles to choose high-performance fuel in any food environment. Check out G4G Anywhere! to learn how to use the program when eating on base, dining out, and cooking at home. Use the G4G Guide to choose healthful foods and drinks to fuel your day!

So, how can I use G4G for better performance?

Your food environment offers multiple opportunities to boost nutritional fitness. Make the healthy choice the easy choice.

  • Look for Green-coded, nutritious items whenever you eat at your local dining facility. 
  • Nourish your day with energy-boosting choices.
    • Build your plate for easy, moderate, and heavy training days and use G4G to choose high-performance foods and drinks whenever possible.
  • Use G4G to complement any fitness, performance-enhancing, or wellness program that highlights nutrient-dense foods. How much and how often you eat depends on your fitness and body composition goals along with your activity level and intensity.
    • While G4G identifies nutritious foods and drinks to fuel your active life, it’s not a low-calorie or macronutrient program. For personalized nutrition recommendations, make an appointment with your local registered dietitian.
    • You can find the macronutrient breakdown and other nutrition information of Armed Forces Service recipes if they’re offered as part of a high-performance menu in your dining facility or galley.
  • Stay current with the G4G team for more nutrition information and tips!
    • Connect with us on Facebook for program and policy updates, nutrition activities, and other useful resources.
    • Visit the Fuel to Perform section and Human Performance Resources by CHAMP’s (HPRC) Performance Nutrition section for more ways on how to fuel for peak readiness and performance.

Published on: October 16, 2024

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