Whether staying overnight at the hospital for delivery, a procedure, recovery, or illness, hospital food is the last thing that you want to eat. It is absolutely shocking what they serve to cancer patients and those recovering from procedures – sugar laden, additive full, inflammatory foods.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH HOSPITAL FOOD
It is well known that sugar feeds cancer, yet doctor’s offices are giving out lollipops to cancer patients, and glucose is plenty on the menu for a hospital patient. How can we knowingly serve patients what is fueling their disease? Hospitals are typically in contract with large food companies such as Aramark, who as a side note, also have contracts with school districts, another problem in itself! Patients select what they want to eat with little regulation from nurses or doctors, and the choices are not nutrient dense. When recovering from childbirth, a surgery or illness, the body needs as many nutrients as it can get to boost the immune system. On the menu at the hospital you’ll find conventional milk (inflammatory), juice (processed, empty calories and glucose), cereal (processed, high carbohydrate and sugar), fried foods, processed non-organic meats and sweets, and more. Just like school lunches, contracts with hospitals are tied in to the government and money making. With these programs and the food being served, the rate of disease continues to go up along with amount of money people spend on medications. Do you see the pattern?
WHAT SHOULD HOSPITAL PATIENTS BE EATING
Staying a few days in the hospital eating the food that is served will leave patients with nutrient deficiencies all around. The first thing that you can do for yourself or someone you love in the hospital is to bring your own food. Stay hydrated and regular!
Suggestions are salads, vegetable juices, avocados, coconut oil, berries, broccoli, apples, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, cage free organic eggs, organic lean proteins such as chicken, pork and wild caught fish, as well as beans, nuts and seeds. If chewing or lack of appetite is an issue, smoothies, kefir or whole milk yogurt with a straw are good options. Look to get as many colors and as much variety in your diet as you can while your body recovers. Additionally, when it is hard to eat, patients can take a medical grade probiotic, Vitamin C and Vitamin D, and a fruit and vegetable supplement.