American Hospitals Begin To Make Connection Between Diet And Health
Posted in Videos on 19. Oct, 2009
I recently stumbled upon some exciting news in the health care world: hospitals are catching on to the fact that meat is not good for the environment, their budget, their patients’ health, or even the animals!
Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) has introduced the Balanced Menus Challenge, a program that asks health care institutions to reduce their meat purchases by 20% within 12 months of taking the challenge. So far, 14 hospitals across the U.S. have taken the challenge and will be offering more plant-based meals. The change with also include creating more meals with less meat a la the American Institute for Cancer Research’s New American Plate, which states that meat should not take up more than 25% of your plate and that vegetables should cover at least 50%.
HCWH says that “reducing meat purchasing at health care facilities is a potent food service climate change reduction strategy as well as an opportunity for hospitals to model healthy eating patterns for patients, staff and visitors.”
I say more hospitals should jump on this bandwagon! What do you think?
I completely agree with this. For example, think of young mothers in the hospital giving birth and starting their families, how many other points of contact do “we” (those knowledgeable about health) have to teach them about the importance of health both for them and their babies, how do we teach them about additives, hormones etc. in a non-intrusive way? Offering healthy food at hospitals, not serving liquid candy (soda) and initiatives are so important for these individuals and of course others who end up in the hospital because of unhealthy eating habits (chronic heart disease, diabetes etc.)!