Cathal BarryNewly-appointed Health Minister Simon Harris has pledged to improve the quality of hospital food. Among other goals, he lists this as among his priorities for his term in office, and so he should.
Nutrition, after all, should be among everybody’s priorities when it comes to tending to your overall health. Exercise plays a key role too of course, but exercise isn’t very often an option for bed-bound hospital patients. As such, nutrition should be top of everybody’s agenda.
While prevention is always better than cure, just because somebody is in hospital doesn’t mean it’s too late to start eating healthy. In fact, hospital dieticians should take advantage of access to sick patients in helping them to improve their eating habits before there are discharged.
Mr Harris will undoubtedly consult with dieticians in developing and improving the kinds of food hospitals serve up to their patients. So, what should the new menus look like? Well, like everything, balance is key. Three ‘square’ meals is always a good place to start, consisting of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Each meal should be made up of a plenty of micronutrient-dense foods.
Breakfast could be a choice between something like scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, serving up a healthy dose of protein and beneficial fats, or porridge with blueberries for those who might rely more heavily on carbohydrates to get them through the day.
Lunch could be a light salad, which some form of lean protein such as chicken or turkey breast, plenty of leafy greens and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or avocado. For those seeking more sustenance a similar dish with potatoes or rice could be served.
Dinner then could be oily fish, such as salmon or mackerel, which are brilliant for brainpower along with plenty of mixed vegetables and some portion of carbohydrates on the side. Beef stir fry, shepherd’s pie or casseroles are other heartier options and nutritious, provided they are cooked with good quality oils and not loaded with additives.
Visits
Considering the amount of visitors people generally have in hospital that come laden down with sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks, more sugary deserts are hardly a necessity for hospitals to be providing patients with.
Desert is always a personal option and hospitals should be setting the standards in terms of best practice. So, why not provide snacks to patients throughout the day instead? Fruit and mixed nuts like almonds and cashews are the best bet in this regard.
Timing is another issue the Health Minister might consider too. Very often patients in hospitals are woken earlier for breakfast and receive their dinners in the early afternoon, leaving them staving by the time the evening rolls around.
There is plenty of room for improvement. It’s definitely time for change.