Renowned Chefs Revive Hospital Food

Western medicine is finally coming around to the idea that preventing illness beats waiting for something to go wrong and then treating the problem with pharmaceuticals. As Katherine Gustafson posted yesterday, several doctors in Massachusetts are issuing a new kind of prescription, where doctors provide an Rx for fresh fruits and veggies at local farmers' markets. It's an awesome idea, but it left me with a lingering question: What about the food that's served in hospitals themselves?

While extra-strength aspirin and even morphine surely alleviate patients' suffering, healthy food assists the healing process by providing key nutrients, whether patients need calcium for broken bones or vitamins that are depleted from chemotherapy. These facts seem like no-brainers — so then why is hospital food so notoriously bad that songs have been written about it?

Fortunately, a few culinary pioneers are gearing up to change hospital food for the better. With a focus on local produce, chefs hailing from five-star resorts and upscale restaurants are pairing with nutritionists and dieticians to put the heal in healthy. At the prestigious Intermountain Medical Center in Utah, chef Larry Petriak, who has served folks from Presidents to Playboy Mansion guests, has taken on the challenge of revamping the hospital menu to make it tastier and more nutritious. Petriak, who uses tricks like adding herbs to flavor low-sodium dishes, pointed out that "Without nutrients your body cannot recover. All of the best medicine [needs nutrients]."

At John Muir Health in the Bay Area, former Chez Panisse chef Alison Negrin worked with the hospital's food service director, lead dietician, and Physicians for Social Responsibility to loosen the stranglehold large food service corporations like Sodexo have on hospitals. It's no small challenge — it took three years to change the soup recipe, and Stouffer's lasagna had long been considered a delicacy in the cafeteria.

Negrin, Petriak,and other chefs and health advocates like them are slowly but surely changing the meaning of hospital food. From Arizona to Ontario, programs are in place to bring healthy food to hospital patients and visitors. If you want to join the cause, take a look at Health Care Without Harm's Healthy Food Pledge, and bring it along to the doctor's office on your next check-up.

Photo credit: Wyscan via Flickr