Just How Bad Is Hospital Food?

What do hospitals have to say for themselves for feeding people meals that appear to be designed to inspire repeat business?

For more on how the profit motive is degrading America’s health, see:

Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

[dogdrools]

Recently, I spent a month in the hospital. being a vegan they served me vegan food. I consumed tofu scrambles, steamed broccoli, fresh fruit, black bean burgers, etc. Granted, I had no control over the amount of salt, oil, and sugar, but the meals were better then the regular fare.

[cocothenutthenut]

I was in the hospital and wanted nothing but raw fruits and veg. They gave me a hard time and all I ever got from them was apples, oranges, and bananas; they also gave me some canned fruit. If my wife didn't bring me food I would have starved, and they were telling me that I needed to gain more weight because I was underweight. The hospital doesn't care, and this occurred in Canada.

[robertdobie]

At some point in the future, people will look back at medical practice in our time the same way we view medical practice of the Middle Ages.

[tamcon]

I have posted this many times before, but I'll post it again: After my mother's colon resection surgery, her first solid hospital meal included meat loaf, a pint of milk, and chocolate pudding. It was the first time--followed by many, unfortunately--during her cancer journey when I lost my temper with a medical person. I remember almost yelling at the dietitian, whom I'd demanded to see, "Are you TRYING to give my mother constipation? She just had COLON SURGERY!" Unbelievable, but, as viewers of this video know, not really.

[allencrider]

I live in the western US and we have an Adventist hospital that serves vegan food. Before Covid, their cafeteria was a choice for a vegan lunch at a reasonable price.

[veghead]

Spot on, Dr. Gregor. My son was 5 years old when he had his 3rd heart surgery. It was appalling what they fed him. Meatloaf to a heart patient? And this was only 3 years ago. We have so far to go.

[NicoleKada]

I’m currently studying to become a registered dietitian and I am in the food service portion of clinical rotations currently. Part of what I have to do is do test tray evaluations, where I order food for myself and test the temperature, flavor, appearance, etc. after the first couple of days, I remember coming home and telling my parents that the portions were so large that even if a patient came in with a regular diet, they would probably at some point be going back as cardiac patients. Obviously we restrict what those with restricted diet can receive, but those on a regular diet can order the entire menu and get it and that should not be the case. Not just because it’s unhealthy to over indulge, but also it’s likely that they won’t eat all of it and that contributes to food waste.

[vegetabohls]

I was on the cardiac floor and was put on the "heart" diet. It was such a joke! I just found one of the menus they gave me. It was processed pulled pork in gravy, a Mrs. Dash instead of a salt packet, skim milk, a white dinner roll to eat my pork on, lime cake with whipped cream frosting, baked fries without any salt. Apparently, they believe eating for a healthy heart was no salt packet, no salt on the fries, and skim milk. I was flabbergasted by the pork. Isn't the worst of the well meant advice for heat health to avoid red meat because of the saturated fat and salt? Yet, that pork was LOADED with both. At the time, I was eating strictly lacto-vegetarian and there was not one thing on the menu for me to eat but over cooked soggy macaroni with tasteless marinara sauce. Not even steamed vegetables. I wrote an extensive letter picking apart each an every item if food I was served on the cardiac floor and how bad every item is for your heart. I got the standard letter of thanks for your feedback, I will forward it on.

[Idaho-Idaho]

Well done video. My step-father had a heart attack and went through an angioplasty procedure at the regional hospital. The day after the operation, the Doctor asked him how he was doing/what he wanted/etc. My step-father responded by saying, "I could sure use a beer". Within 15 minutes he has a bottle of beer in his room. Ahhhh, packed with B-complex vitamins?

[Linkous]

A few years ago my grandmother was in the hospital (bladder cancer) and they were serving the patients hot dogs for dinner. This was around the time I was diving into nutrition literature and I was sincerely amazed that a hospital would do such a thing.

[mikethebeginner]

Hospitals don’t want to encourage the idea that food matters to health. If they did, they’d be encouraging people to look at the much more serious issue, namely, why sickness is not addressed with diet by doctors and why doctors are not taught nutrition.

[sircorkysriley]

it will take time.. I remember when i was a kid the docs came into the room smoking cigarettes and some guy was smoking a cigar. I think I left sicker than when I went in>>

[TimDrescher]

After my Dad’s quad bypass in 2018, the hospital served him a hamburger as he recovered in the cardiac unit! I can only guess there were hoping for a return visit.

[Ryansarcade]

This and snack machines with junk both need to go from hospitals and schools.

[hakunamatata]

Don't forget that the meat is un-chewable, fish is on the verge of spoiled (or already there), everything is salty and whatever veggies have been boiled to oblivion. Then the food got cooled down, stored for 3+ days and THEN heated up for you to eat.

[GregMeadMaker]

I love Dr Gregor's stark logic and honesty. It's a matter of life and death. So happy I stumbled upon him (from another lecturer who quoted Dr Gregor, and I followed up on him from that day onward).

[asloan]

As an employee of a hospital network I have always been shocked at all the unhealthy food in the cafeteria. The only health think in there is the salad bar, and it is also extremely expensive compared to the rest of the food.

[timothybracken]

They want you to come back, it's a business. The incentives are misaligned in American Hospitals.

[CharGC]

In busted my knee and was in the hospital for 5 days having to eat their nasty food... until my BP and blood sugar started creeping up. I just refused meals since their choices were meat and fat laden... but a nice aide arranged to get me some steamed veggies, salad and a plain baked potato instead, or I would have left the hospital sicker than when I came! Pretty sad.

[watermelon]

I did clinical trials that required healthy volunteers. The meals were terrible for your health. breakfast was either super high in added sugars (upwards of 50g), or high in fat and sodium. lunch was high in fat and sodium. dinner was high in fat and sodium. snacks were ultra processed stuff. Made me scratch my head