Veterans Canteen Service (VCS)

Choose Veggies

Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) is encouraging customers to choose vegetables for their Whole Health and offering more veggies in VCS cafés nationwide.

Customers can choose veggies in a multitude of ways – as a side from the PatriotCafé, as a snack from the PatriotStore, as a salad from PatriotBrew, or as a topping on anything at Creation Station, the newest meal concept making fresh-to-order sandwiches, salads, and pizzas. All VCS employees will add “Choose Veggies” flag to their VCS name badge to help promote the campaign and remind customers to make the best choices for their Whole Health.

“The Choose Veggies campaign is part of VCS’s commitment to our Be Well - Live Whole Health initiative,” said Lu Ann Swehla, VCS Chief Nutrition and Whole Health Officer. “We will ‘nudge’ customers to eat more vegetables by making them easier to order and cheaper to purchase. We are invested in the Whole Health of our customers, and we encourage them to choose more veggies.”

The “Choose Veggies” campaign is in support of VA’s Whole Health initiative, which focuses on every aspect of a Veteran’s health – body, mind, emotion, spirit – and emphasizes what is most important to the individual. Vegetables, with their many benefits to a diet, are the perfect choice to make healthy changes and improve Veterans’ quality of life.

Customers will also save 50 cents when ordering a meal deal from the PatriotCafé, as ordering vegetables as a side instead of French fries is a greater value. This is part of VCS’s goal to make healthier food choices more affordable for Veterans and their caregivers.

“The grill area is where we can make the most impact in our customer’s health,” said VCS Dietitian Kristen Schwent. “Choosing veggies over fries significantly reduces fat, saturated fat, and calories and increases fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Our veggies strike a perfect balance between tasty and nutritious, and they can make a significant difference to anyone’s health and well-being.”

VCS will offer different vegetable choices throughout the week, including broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and green beans, with various methods of preparation to increase variety. Vegetables can be roasted, toasted, steamed, glazed, and seasoned to maximize flavor while maintaining the important level of nutrition. A variety of vegetables are also available at Creation Station, while many PatriotBrew coffee shops offer salads, and PatriotStores offer veggie-based snacks.

“I encourage customers to add tomatoes, mushrooms, or even caramelized onions as pizza toppings and lettuce, red onion, and tomatoes on sandwiches and salads,” Swehla said. “There are so many ways to add color and variety to a meal, and Creation Station is the perfect service for enjoying a different meal every day.”

The “Choose Veggies” campaign comes just in time for August’s National Wellness Month. National Wellness Month, celebrated every August, focuses on practices like stress management, self-care, implementing healthy routines, and improving your overall health and wellness. Eating more vegetables is a great way to prioritize health.

PatriotGarden

Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) is growing fresh produce inside VA’s central office, using a hydroponic system to operate an indoor garden known as PatriotGarden. The garden will grow a variety of herbs the Canteen will harvest and give away at events throughout the year. 

VCS unveiled the PatriotGarden on Thursday, May 9, at the PatriotCafé, Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO) in Washington, D.C.

“I am excited to produce food and seasoning at the local level,” said VACO Canteen Chief Dwight Brown, who will oversee the PatriotGarden. “This is a terrific opportunity to add more variety and do something special for our everyday customers.”

Herbs are easy to grow in a hydroponic system and will promote Whole Health lifestyles through nudging people to use herbs to flavor food instead of salt or fat. Planted herbs will include dill, parsley, thyme, sage, chives, and basil.

“This is an eco-friendly endeavor that practices sustainability and shows a unique way for VA be better stewards of our environment,” said VCS Chief Nutrition and Whole Health Officer Lu Ann Swehla. “At VCS, our purpose is to bring the VA community together in a space where everyone can connect, relax, and recharge, and the PatriotGarden enhances that space.”

The PatriotGarden comes from a product called a ZipGarden, which is an all-in-one hydroponic indoor gardening system. The compact system allows for year-round growth of a wide range of plants and produce.

As designed, the PatriotGarden combines a water reservoir, nutrient pump, growing tray, and LED lights to grow produce. The reservoir holds a nutrient-rich water, while the pump keeps a constant flow of nutrients to the plants’ roots, promoting optimal growth. The adjustable LED lights provide the perfect light spectrum for each stage of plant growth, ensuring healthy development from seedling to harvest.

The PatriotGarden also supports the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health and the goal of ending hunger in America by 2030.

Creation Station

Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) is expanding options in its Creation Station concept at select PatriotCafés around the country. Creation Station will now offer fresh, healthy, made-to-order sandwiches, salads, and pizzas daily, as well as weekly specials to increase variety.

The Creation Station concept gives customers the opportunity every day to customize their lunches in the Canteen. Each creation begins with a base, or canvas, like mixed greens for a salad, a tortilla for a wrap or dough for pizza. Each creation is then layered with various cheeses, meats, vegetables, sauces, and more – all chosen by the customer. The fresh ingredients offer nearly limitless options to Veterans, their families, and their VA caregivers.

“We are excited to now offer all of the delicious and nutritious features in Creation Station,” said Lu Ann Swehla, chief nutrition and Whole Health officer at VCS. “It’s fresh, it’s nutritious, and it allows customers the chance to make their favorites in a way that is important for their whole health.”

Creation Station launched in June 2023 with the initial concept of rotating the selection of pizza, salads and sandwiches every other month. While the concept’s made-to-order options were popular from the start, offering all the options simultaneously will give customers the opportunity to enjoy their favorites any time. Customers can also enjoy Creation Station meal deals, which include a side and drink at a lowered price.

“Our customers told us they liked the meal choices in Creation Station, but they wanted to be able to get a sandwich, salad, wrap, or pizza any day,” Swehla said. “We worked to make all options available for every customer visit.”

There will be the option of more variety with weekly specials. These will add limited-time flavors like Santa Fe chicken or Cuban sandwiches.

Creation Station was developed to increase variety, offer fresh ingredients that can be purchased locally, and reduce food waste. The ingredients are held cold then prepared to order. This makes Canteen practices more friendly to the environment, while also reducing costs.

Customers can also “eat and earn” by picking up a Creation Station loyalty card. By purchasing any nine Creation Station meals and receiving the corresponding stamps on their cards, customers can get a 10th sandwich, wrap, salad, bowl, or pizza for free.

“Creation Station is Whole Health-focused and environmentally friendly, but it’s also a great value for our Veteran customers,” Swehla said. “Above all, it’s fun. I hope everyone has a chance to pick their own toppings, mix things up, and enjoy the variety.”
Since 1946, Veterans Canteen Service has provided reasonably priced merchandise and services essential to the comfort and well-being of America’s Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare.