Nutritional Wellness in Correctional Settings.

Abstract

1. Provide a healthy daily diet that is based on nationally recognized nutrition standards. These standards should promote a nutritionally adequate diet based on age, gender, and activity levels. (See NCCHC 2018 standard B-01 Health Lifestyle Promotion.) 2. Provide food that is palatable and reflects the cultural and demographic preferences of the facility’s population. 3. Obtain input from incarcerated people as to menu options. 4. Provide ready access to potable, palatable drinking water. 5. Ensure that access to food or provision of types of food is not disciplinary in nature. 6. Provide education on nutritional wellness to promote health literacy during incarceration and upon return to the community. 7. Offer a variety of labeled, healthy commissary choices and provide education on healthy commissary selections. 8. Implement wellness programs that include behavioral management strategies and exercise programs for managing weight gain, access to dietitian expertise to inform programming, and education on the prevention and management of obesity. 9. Address potential food insecurity concerns as a core component of reentry planning for individuals returning to their communities.