The hospital food of the future could be a lot healthier—and more appealing—than you might think. Chefs have been at the forefront of the movement to improve school food, and now they’re bringing their expertise to hospitals, too. In fact, a number of hospitals have hired top restaurant chefs to transform their menus and kitchens. The Valley Hospital in New Jersey, for example, boasts that it offers a menu that follows the Mediterranean diet. A typical breakfast consists of whole-meal bread, yoghurt and ham; while a typical lunch or dinner might be chicken pot pie, vegetable goulash or tuna escabeche. The hospital also has a commitment to sustainability, keeping around 80,000 honeybees in its eight rooftop hives. The hospital uses the bees to make its own honey and sells the honey in its cafeteria.

Aside from a focus on fresh, healthy ingredients and avoiding processed meats—which have been linked to cancer—there are other trends in hospital food that should be considered. Rather than the same old fried fare, some hospitals are serving up salads, soups, stews and even burgers that would be found at restaurants like Moe’s or Five Guys. And a growing number of hospitals are offering gluten-free options for those with celiac disease or other dietary restrictions.

In addition, many patients who are discharged from a hospital stay with a prescription for a specific diet will be sent home with recipes and cooking instructions for the meals they should eat. This not only helps ensure that they’re following their doctors’ orders, but it also teaches them about proper nutrition—including how to read food labels and the difference between high-fructose corn syrup and sugar, for instance.

Despite these trends, the vast majority of hospital food is still not ideal. A survey published earlier this year by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that while some hospitals are making strides, the majority of American hospitals serve food that would be rejected by a restaurant chain. The organization scored hospital menus based on a variety of criteria, including providing at least one daily serving of a vegetable, fruit or whole grain, and not serving processed meats—which the Center for Science in the Public Interest has identified as class 1 carcinogens.

In the end, though, it’s all about changing perceptions of what hospital food should look like. That starts with educating the public about what they’re eating, and that means not only talking to those in the medical profession, but also reaching out to the general population. Hospitals need to teach people how to eat better, so they can get well and avoid a return visit, says Sieden.