Israel Police has come to the conclusion that its officers are too fat and in urgent need of a diet. The result: A nutritional revolution at the force's dining halls that promises to change the figures and health condition of policemen across the country, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.
The decision to bring about a transformation in the policemen's plates was taken lately, after surveys conducted by health officials in the police indicated most policemen are overweight.
Police officials noticed that upon their draft to the force, young recruits are usually thin, but that over the years of service they tend to gain weight and develop an impressive potbelly.
As a result, the police's Logistical Support Department decided to take matters into its hands and has recently replaced the menu served at dining halls in police stations and headquarters. Consequently, police officers now get low-fat bread and cheese instead of buns and fatty cheeses, and take with them on stakeouts low-fat pastrami sandwiches and granola bars instead of the greasy sausage sandwiches, pretzels and chocolate bars that were the regular carte du jour so far.
Tastier, healthier food
The facelift to the force's dining rooms also included replacing the cooking oil used in kitchens with a healthier brand, serving chicken breast instead of hotdogs and substituting juice with water.
Head of the Logistical Support Department Yaakov Raz has also ordered that all the ingredients included in meals be branded with labels indicating their caloric value, and that information booths will be set up in each dining hall to raise awareness to proper nutrition.
According to commander Amnon Mishali, head of the Supplies Division at the Logistical Support Department, the police's communal kitchens will not only focus on providing officers with low-fat food, but also with food that is more sophisticated and tasty.
Police cooks have already started undergoing courses on healthy cooking, where emphasis is put on the taste and shape of the dishes, and where the chefs learn how to use special sauces like teriyaki and sweet chili, and preparing vegetarian dishes as well.