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 By Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D.
Good eating habits play a critical role in preventing and treating
many chronic diseases, but are hospitals doing their part by serving
healthy vegan foods in their cafeterias and restaurants?
To answer that question, PCRM recently teamed up with ADinfinitum,
Inc., a New York agency, to survey hospitals across the country
about the foods served in their cafeterias and restaurants. PCRM
nutritionists collected information from 40 hospitals or hospital
systems and analyzed their typical daily menus as well as dishes
the foodservice staff considered the healthiest. All dishes were
analyzed for fat, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber content.
Our survey, the “Healthy Hospital Food Initiative,” showed
that most hospitals are trying to offer what they think are healthful
foods, but the end result is disappointing.
All of the 25 hospitals that responded reported offering at least
one vegetable side dish and one reduced-fat product daily. And
more than 80 percent offer fresh fruit, whole-grain products, sugar-free
snacks, and a low-fat entrée or side dish every day. But
there is a distinct lack of vegan selections and dairy alternatives.
| Food PCRM nutritionists collected information
from 40 hospitals or hospital systems and analyzed their
typical daily menus. |
Most do not always offer a low-fat, cholesterol-free entrée.
And bean dishes, which are important for meeting daily fiber recommendations,
are not available on a daily basis on all hospital menus. Many
hospitals named a chicken dish as their “healthiest entrée,” and
some items, such as meatloaf, pork carnitas, and chicken cacciatore,
derived more than 50 percent of their calories from fat. Just a
few—oven-roasted vegetables and veggie burgers—were
vegetarian and fairly low in fat. The mean fiber content of the
21 “healthy” dishes submitted was just 1.1 grams.
Hospitals also could do more to accommodate lactose-intolerant
and health-conscious customers. Only 28 percent offered soymilk,
and just 27 percent offered a salad bar daily.
By making a few simple changes, as PCRM describes in its report,
U.S. hospitals could take a leadership role in promoting good health.
 Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D., is a consultant with PCRM and an assistant
professor
of nutrition and health at the University of North
Carolina in Asheville.
She can be reached at alanou@pcrm.org.
Rx: Add Healthier Meals, More Vegan Options
PCRM’s new report offers hospital foodservice staff
a number of recommendations for change, including a daily
salad bar and hot bean dish, more fresh produce, a wider
selection of vegetarian entrées, less prepared foods,
and regular availability of soymilk and rice milk. PCRM also
recommends that hospital foodservice staff explore world
cuisines such as Indian or Mediterranean. To read the full
report, go to www.pcrm.org/hospitalsurvey. |
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