When you think of hospital food, the first images to pop into your head are probably chicken broth or some kind of bland, comforting soup, perhaps accompanied by a piece of roasted meat, some type of pasta or mashed potatoes and maybe a serving of Jell-O. While that is the typical meal served in many hospitals, a growing number of institutions are turning to trained chefs to revamp their kitchens and give patients better, more flavorful meals.
These chefs are not only bringing in their expertise in menu planning and fresh food sourcing, but they’re also helping educate patients about healthy eating. They’re teaching them how to read food labels, and what foods are best for a healthy diet. It’s not just patients who are getting the message: Hospital cafeterias are beginning to offer healthier options to employees too.
The point of good hospital food isn’t just to make the patient comfortable, but to aid recovery and help a person return to a healthy lifestyle once they leave the hospital. That means making sure patients are able to follow doctor’s orders, so they can avoid repeat visits and prevent complications in the future. And what better way to accomplish that goal than with a delicious, nutritious meal?
Some hospitals are even turning their cafeterias into restaurant-like establishments, with dishes like sesame seared tuna, roasted leeks and grilled salmon. The Point Restaurant at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, for example, is open to both patients and the public, and features a variety of dishes that can be tailored to specific medical needs.
Other places are going even further, offering authentic foods from around the world, celebrity chef recipes, and in some cases, growing their own produce on-site to ensure freshness. But creating a new dining experience for patients and employees alike takes production expertise, so that these innovative ideas can be scaled up and made efficient.
And there’s no doubt that a great meal can be a big boost to morale and the healing process, which is why hospitals are now hiring more chefs to improve the quality of their meals. NYU Langone’s Bruno Tison, for example, is a Michelin-starred chef who worked at famed restaurants before coming to the hospital in 2015. He says that good food can be a “welcome respite from enforced monotony,” and encourage patients to keep up their healthy habits once they’re discharged.
Unfortunately, even the most talented chefs have to contend with budget constraints, so while Tison was able to convince hospital officials that investing in organic ingredients and antibiotic-free meat was worth it, these changes can’t be widespread without adequate resources. And a lot of these dishes are still relatively simple compared to what most people are used to eating in their everyday lives: slathered in butter and smothered in sugar. So while hospitals are making progress, it will take a long time for them to fully embrace the concept of a healthy diet.