Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

It’s time for hospitals to take nutrition seriously

Suneel Dhand, MD
Physician
September 27, 2015
1K Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was a medical student, rounding with my team, and we had just talked to a diabetic patient who was recovering from a myocardial infarction. The attending looked over at the side and saw some chocolate donuts and cakes lying on the tray table, which had been brought in by the patient’s relatives. The attending shook his head disapprovingly and said, “I don’t think those are going to do you any good!”

Indeed, if there’s one place in the world where we should be promoting healthy eating and addressing the real source of so many of the chronic diseases that are afflicting our society — it’s in our nation’s hospitals. Having been in clinical practice now for over a decade, I’m sad to say it’s not just relatives that bring hospitalized patients less than optimal food. Hospitals everywhere are missing a golden opportunity to serve our patients nutritious (and delicious) meal options.

And although we’ve made great progress over the last several years, with an undoubtedly palpable push towards healthier meals — both for patients and staff in the cafeteria — we are still nowhere near where we should be. As an example, if we look at the standard bland food that’s served for lunch and dinner, the “meat and vegetable” option, not only is it dull and boring but it also falls strikingly short of really promoting healthier eating to our patients. The world of health care really needs to put more thought into taking things to the next level. This does not necessarily have to be expensive gourmet five-star restaurant style food, but it can be both nutritious and tasty if we dare get creative about it.

And while we are putting our heads together to come up with better meal options, why not also take this opportunity to educate our patients too? How about the kitchen staff or servers being told to provide “nutrition pearls” as they lay the patient’s food out? How about some eye-catching educational material? Let’s also think outside the box about other things we do to encourage healthy eating. Isn’t it a disgrace that most hospitals have an abundance of soda and candy machines dotted around the building? This hardly sets a good example.

And finally, how about getting physicians in on the act? Most hospital doctors believe (wrongly) that it’s the primary care doctor’s responsibility to educate their patients on preventive medicine. This is another huge missed opportunity, as physicians routinely underestimate the power of what they tell their patients. I’ve often been pleasantly surprised by how patients and their families respond to some simple common sense advice to eat more fruits and vegetables, cut back on salt, and eat smaller portions. Just a very brief statement can have a big effect when it comes out of the respected doctor’s mouth.

As we develop comprehensive strategies for hospitals to serve up better food, the approach needs to be multifaceted — involving input from nutritionists, doctors, nurses, patient advocates, and even people from the creative food industry. The old joke about bad hospital food has become so much part of health care folklore; it almost seems a rite of passage for hospitalized patients.

I often joke when patients complain to me about the food (which is the second most common complaint I get after their inability to sleep) that, “We can’t make hospital food too good. Otherwise you will have no incentive to get better!” It always raises a smile, but hopefully one day in the future hospitals will start to be seen as the ultimate healthy eating establishments. The temples of healing and prevention that they should be.

Suneel Dhand is an internal medicine physician and author of Thomas Jefferson: Lessons from a Secret Buddha and High Percentage Wellness Steps: Natural, Proven, Everyday Steps to Improve Your Health & Well-being. He blogs at his self-titled site, Suneel Dhand.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

How call rooms reflect the personality of residency programs

September 27, 2015 Kevin 6
…
Next

Just like driving lessons, parenthood is terrifying

September 27, 2015 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How call rooms reflect the personality of residency programs
Next Post >
Just like driving lessons, parenthood is terrifying

More by Suneel Dhand, MD

  • The dream patient that makes a doctor very happy

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • When the family wants to speak to the doctor

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • 3 reasons why patients are unhappy

    Suneel Dhand, MD

Related Posts

  • It’s time we start voting at our local hospitals

    Stephen Haff and Hussain Lalani, MD
  • Doctors: It’s time to unionize

    Thomas D. Guastavino, MD
  • Finding happiness in the time of COVID

    Anonymous
  • When hospitals are like prisons

    Christopher Blackman
  • A medical student’s reflection on time, the scarcest resource

    Natasha Abadilla
  • It’s time to ban productivity from medicine

    Robert Centor, MD

More in Physician

  • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • The erosion of patient care

    Laura de la Torre, MD
  • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

    Eleanor Menzin, MD
  • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

    Sarah Samaan, MD
  • Lively communication in the service industry

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 28 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Spine Surgery Cover-Up? Legal Threats Chill Misinfo Research; The Longevity Industry
  • Upcoming Studies on Dupilumab for Alopecia Areata
  • Early Win for PTSD Drug; FDA OKs AI Sleep Diagnostic; Extreme Social Isolation Tool
  • Doctor or DNP: Who Is Really Providing Care?
  • Who Really Needs a Yearly COVID Booster?

Meeting Coverage

  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

It’s time for hospitals to take nutrition seriously
28 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...