That is: ham and bacon. I have really cut out nitrates and nitrites, largely as a side product of reducing my red meat intake but I suspect they’ll have a fight on their hands if they try and ban them from hospitals. I do think they should offer a better range of food - I was in hospital for a week a few years back and it was pretty basic fare (I imagine school dinners are more appetising). So upping the amount of vegetables especially pulses would be a good first step but, given the hospital budgets, it’d need a hefty injection of cash. If we can’t employ enough nurses or keep enough wards open then extra money for food doesn’t seem a high priority.
It’s a pity as, nationally better nutrient, along with cutting down really unhealthy practices (smoking, eating sugar and highly processed foods) would make a big difference. I was on the foot and leg ward and was pretty much the only non-smoker and non-diabetic. If people could just manage that then that’s almost an entire floor of the hospital (8 wards) that would be largely emptied.
Admittedly I’ve not eaten meat in 17 odd years so I may be way off with prices, but aren’t pulses generally much cheaper than meat? Surely cooking a lentil dish for hundreds of patients is cheaper than a meat one?
The lentils would likely be cheap if you bought it by by the sack but you’d like want onions, carrots, peas and the like to go with it. It does make me want daal now though.
That said, I was talking about the first step being to add more veg to existing dishes, which would need more money. What I had in hospital would probably have counted as a low fibre diet, with the obvious knock-on effects for my innards (although I was also on IV antibiotics which did my gut biome no favours too).
It could be done cheaply if they sourced properly, but they’ll use some over priced meal provider that is owned by a mate of someone in charge.
Oh definitely. I was just thinking they could scoop up all the unwanted wonky veg that’s left to rot and make some really nice veggie stews or currys or stir fries. Better than mystery meat, blop of mash, gravy with no onions in it and peas if you are lucky with tinned fruit and the lightest ice cream I have ever experienced.
To give tesco their due, they now sell that wonky veg and I usually buy it since it all looks the same once cooked.
I get the same from Aldi - my last batch of carrots was terrible but usually they’re alright, just takes a bit more processing (the peppers are usually perfectly fine if often a little small).
I am sure there is some argument that the value of making people feel good in hospital, when they possible, and the improvement in outcomes that provides outways the small risk of cancer?
You can feel good eating delicious food without carcinogens though
Should we also criticise supermarkets for selling carcinogenic food products?
(Yes, we should)
