“Make Hospital Food Healthier” is the latest health drive from Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr Oz.
The new initiative, which will be voluntary, encourages hospitals to serve meals that more closely fit with updated dietary guidelines for Americans.
Hospitals will be encouraged to limit ultraprocessed foods, reduced added sugar and sodium, use healthier cooking techniques and offer meals that are nutrient-dense to support recovery and long-term health.
“Patients recovering from serious medical conditions deserve better than ultra-processed and deep-fried junk foods,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
“Today, we’re challenging hospitals across the country to lead by example by serving nutritious, minimally processed meals that help patients heal, reduce chronic disease, and help Make America Healthy Again.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said hospitals should be setting a clear example on the benefits of healthy eating.
“When it comes to managing chronic disease, reducing co-morbidities like obesity, and shortening recovery times, a healthy diet can make all the difference,” Oz said.
Malnutrition affects over 30% of hospitalized patients in the US.
Malnourished patients face a fivefold increase in mortality risk, a twofold increase in risk of an extended hospital stay and are 54% more likely to be readmitted within 30 days.
Malnutrition alone is estimated to add a $42 billion annual burden to the healthcare system.
2 Responses
This is more important than people realize.
I was in the hospital for 14 days for major surgery and I am also diabetic. They did give me a monitored diet around sugar, but they LOADED it with carbs. I am not a sugar eater, but my menu choices were so filled with carbs and processed foods that I normally do not eat. This menu was designed by their ‘ diabetic dietitian”.
Here is the crazy part. The day before I was being released the dietitian came in and asked me if I had been getting food brought into me. I of course did not. It turns out she could not understand how I only ate 30% my allowed daily menu the entire 14 days. I explained to her that the menu was too overloaded with crabs and processed foods I do not like or eat and did not need as much food as they allowed. I actually lost almost all of the weight the meds had put on me because I did not eat all of the CARBS and junk they allowed me to eat even after cutting out most of the sugars.
Keep in mind, I had a MAJOR surgery and even cutting out most of the known sugary foods, the food they left for me to eat were still LOADED with sugar, carbs and total junk. Had I eaten all I was allowed, I would have left the hospital around 15-20 lbs heavier than I came in at and probably ended up sicker. I even told this to the staff. I asked how a hospital can serve such UNHEALTHY food.
Oz is a T.V. hack job and RFk had not changed a damn thing. A focus on Hospital Food? Prison Food is better, That much can be said! However… If the first thing you change is adding money to the already astronomically high Hospital bill prices, better food means a higher price. ASSHOLES.