vegan food in hospitals?

[Quantum Mechanic]

I've been discharged from the hospital recently and noticed they were quite accomodating, but only after I explained that I simply wouldnt be eating unless it was vegan. I guess that got them working on getting me some food!

After about 2 weeks, they started making tofu scrambles, ordered some greens, made a few stirfries, and added some beans to the salad bar. And of course, I got special permission to have fruit on the unit. It was actually nice to see that the hospital staff took my veganism seriously and told me what had cheese in it, what was buttered, cooked in veggie broth, etc. Very good experience.

[Gorilla]

I've been discharged from the hospital recently and noticed they were quite accomodating, but only after I explained that I simply wouldnt be eating unless it was vegan. I guess that got them working on getting me some food!

After about 2 weeks, they started making tofu scrambles, ordered some greens, made a few stirfries, and added some beans to the salad bar. And of course, I got special permission to have fruit on the unit. It was actually nice to see that the hospital staff took my veganism seriously and told me what had cheese in it, what was buttered, cooked in veggie broth, etc. Very good experience.

that's really good, but you had to get special permission to have fruit?

[harpy]

After about 2 weeks, they started making tofu scrambles, ordered some greens, made a few stirfries, and added some beans to the salad bar. And of course, I got special permission to have fruit on the unit.

Got to ask - what happened for the first 2 weeks then? Why did you need permission to have fruit?

Nice to see you posting again, LMNOP!

[bradders]

it's an american hospital isn't it, probably ate very little for those two weeks

[emzy1985]

One thing you guys are missing - Ella had private(i.e she pays insurance or someone does) treatment I'm assuming. So anyone here have private health care?

[bradders]

used to and from my experience NHS is better than private. you don't find carpeted wards on the nhs!

[emzy1985]

I was just wondering if there was a difference......plus I hate the NHS!

[bradders]

the NHS is a bloody good thing, having lived without out it and seen the alternative. It could be better, we should have a true cradle to grave system, nutritious delicious meals, have patientline brought in-house. But the principle is sound and the service is ok and they do a lot with very little money.

[mjnewbould]

Gosh - I'd never go private - there really is insufficient money put into it for it to begin to be safe! It makes the NHS look wealthy beyond dreams (which it is really - its just that evrything is so very expensive these days). But it really is awful that hospitals can't do vegan food - it is just disgraceful. I note with interest that my trust is in fact vegan hospital caterer of 2008! (Central manchester!)

[bradders]

the central manchester hospital my mum was at kept giving her sugar products when she's diabetic and telling her they were fine. That was MRI I seem to remember.

[cobweb]

Gosh - I'd never go private - there really is insufficient money put into it for it to begin to be safe! It makes the NHS look wealthy beyond dreams (which it is really - its just that evrything is so very expensive these days). But it really is awful that hospitals can't do vegan food - it is just disgraceful. I note with interest that my trust is in fact vegan hospital caterer of 2008! (Central manchester!)

very good point well made, Jimbo
sorry
interesting, though, hadn't thought of it before really.

i am very pro the NHS but the dental system need some serious overhauling.

[bradders]

agreed, many things like dentistry and optical care need to be provided by the NHS rather than by the private sector on behalf of the NHS, would save a lot of money for everyone

[ellaminnowpea]

that's really good, but you had to get special permission to have fruit?

They wanted us to eat all our food at meal times. And they wanted to monitor my food intake.

Got to ask - what happened for the first 2 weeks then? Nice to see you posting again, LMNOP!

Thanks The first two weeks were a bit rough, lived off salads... lost 10 pounds... to their dismay. They weren't too happy about it, but I really had not choice.

it's an american hospital isn't it, probably ate very little for those two weeks

Yeah... salads w/ no protein source, refused dinner as there was nothing edible/ vegan. I was fine with it, but they got quite annoyed at me for being so 'strict' and 'militant'.

I was just wondering if there was a difference......plus I hate the NHS!

There's a huuuuuge difference. We pay for everything. I have decent insurance, but still have to pay monthly and then each visit. They dont cover a lot of procedures/ doctors... we are limited to certain doctors, certain types of illnesses are covered, but not others. I could go on. I actually had to leave the hospital because my insurance ran out... they assess our 'need' to be hospitalized and if we're not in life-threatening danger, they send us home.

[bradders]

so, so glad for the NHS

[cobweb]

so, so glad for the NHS

seconded, even if we all have a lot of tax here it is nice to have the NHS for sure.
Hubby and i have had some pretty mixed experiences with the NHS (e.g when he was intubated for his last op. his throat was damaged and he had to have another operation his throat ) - but who's to say that you get any better treatment when you pay privately?.
when i had a breakdown (many years ago) i stayed in an NHS unit with my own modern room with washbasin and wardrobe, had use of a gym and very good meals :smile:.

[bradders]

the other thing of course is that NHS hospitals are actually cleaner than many private ones. The main difference is that private hospitals are able to be completely selective about patients. I was in at the Oaklands hospital in Salford. They crammed us in a ward that was meant to have just three beds (there were 9 of us), the floors were carpeted and absolutely filthy, the bed clothes weren't too clean, the blinds were filthy as were curtains and many surfaces too. They practically had us going for our ops on a conveyer and there wascertainly not enough time for the theater to be cleaned in between. Judging by the pre and post op care rooms the theater must have been in a dire state. The meals were poor and they caused serious nerve damage to my mouth, tongue and throat during the operation and I got an infection too that the NHS was left to pick up the pieces for.

[harpy]

That sounds dreadful, bradders. All I can say is hurray for the NHS, warts and all. One of the best inventions of the last century IMO!

[bradders]

definitely and so few appreciate it. If more people appreciated then maybe more tax could be collected to pay for it to make it even better.

[cobweb]

definitely and so few appreciate it. If more people appreciated then maybe more tax could be collected to pay for it to make it even better.

or more tax money could be used for the NHS instead of on pointless and cruel animal research.
i'm not sure where more tax could come from.........unless people currently living in tax havens were dragged back 'home' and made to contribute.

[bradders]

well a new higher rate of income tax eg 45% for earnings over 50k for example. people need to remember that when they compare countries such as the US an UK for tax what you get for your tax money in the UK as opposed to the US and factor in that they don't need health insurance in with their calculations. Introducing tax for the non doms won't help unless it was significantly lower than that charged elsewhere (various factors to be considered here). We lose them, we lose te money they spend here. They bang on about avoiding hurting middle England (householdes with an income of between 40k and 80k who actually could stand to lose a few quid to pay for the health service and other things too.
Yes I agree that the money collected should be better spent but research funding should be transferred to ethical alternatives rather than the health service. Funding research here can save billions on buying stuff from other people who do the research instead. So money allocated for animal testing etc should be sent to chemical and celular testing instead that actually help us unlike animal testing and without the harm of animal testing.

[Shrapnel]

That is a little disheartening, but I hope you have a speedy recovery and can get out of there soon, Pusskins.

[emzy1985]

I'm not saying that the NHS is a bad thing. I mean come on...I'm a lefty! I just think it's a shame that our government is a slave to those animal abusing bastards - the pharma giants. I.E we pay mega bux for drugs/ doctors paid by pharma companies to prescribe certain drugs/ drugs used to stop pain (eg in my case) rather than stopping the route cause for example.

Rant over......

[bradders]

I'd agree with that which is why I believe that research and development should be brought in house to avoid the problem. Remember thatit is more profitable to sell paliative care rather than cures but conversely it is in the interests of the NHS to cure rather than treat problems. As things stand they're stuck working along private sector lines, the only ones really profiting are GlaxoSithKline and co.


*all similarities between names mentioned and those of any organization, company or trader is purely coincidental.

[cobweb]

^ but i am really not sure how many new drugs we need, i think money would be better spent on educating people about better lifestyle choices.

[bradders]

I think that, that could form part of the overall plan. New treatments of all kinds are needed for all kinds of things, preventions, cures and paliatives. If the nhs does this rather than private companies then we get valuable medicine and can charge countries like the US that have private healthcare and at cost price to developing countries.

[emzy1985]

I think that, that could form part of the overall plan. New treatments of all kinds are needed for all kinds of things, preventions, cures and paliatives. If the nhs does this rather than private companies then we get valuable medicine and can charge countries like the US that have private healthcare and at cost price to developing countries.

I agree with what you are saying but because those bastards pretty much rule the world then we have no chance!!!!

[bradders]

which is why we should start developing the treatments alongside the private sector and as we'd be able to do this cheaper and more thoroughly with better outcomes as it's the patient that comes first rather than profit it would start to have an effect on the treatments offered pretty quickly. Really though it is a VERY long term plan which is why no one has really committed to this before as they would be charging more in tax and people wouldn't be seeing results for years making the gov look bad.

[harpy]

"Hospitals will take meat off menus in bid to cut carbon"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...hs-meat-carbon

Perhaps they will only serve vegan food in future then? Well, one can dream

[WildWitch]

thats gonna upset the carnivours, imagine the patients rioting cause they cant have their meat hehehe!

[harpy]

Serves them right

Seriously, it's about time the NHS did something like this isn't it? The govt etc tell people to eat less meat for their own health (as well as for environmental reasons) so stuffing it down them in hospital doesn't make a lot of sense.

[WildWitch]

Could this catch on in schools too i wonder?

[helen105281]

"Hospitals will take meat off menus in bid to cut carbon"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...hs-meat-carbon

Perhaps they will only serve vegan food in future then? Well, one can dream

I told my Mum about this and she said "but they always say you need at least one piece of meat a week to get your iron" So I listed all of the other ways she could get her iron without eating meat.

[harpy]

According to a comment on that article at 11:06 yesterday it somewhat overstates the extent to which the hospitals are going to cut down on meat. It also says they are going to make "more use of sustainable and nutritionally valuable produce such as fish". Sigh!

[WildWitch]

According to a comment on that article at 11:06 yesterday it somewhat overstates the extent to which the hospitals are going to cut down on meat. It also says they are going to make "more use of sustainable and nutritionally valuable produce such as fish". Sigh!

thatll be for the vegetarians then LOL!

[harpy]

Many a true word spoken in jest, WildWitch!

[treaclemine]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...nhs-menus-meat

There are absolutely no plans to completely remove meat from NHS menus (Hospitals will take meat off menus in bid to cut carbon, 26 January). NHS menus need to, and will continue to, place the dietary needs of patients first. The strategy, in line with best practice in sustainable sourcing, calls for more use of seasonal food, more local food, and more use of sustainable and nutritionally valuable produce such as fish. Doing this will, of course, reduce the reliance on meat and other products, but will not remove them from the menu.

The NHS has a carbon footprint of 18m tonnes of CO2 per year - 3.2% of carbon emissions and 25% of public sector emissions in England. Food accounts for around 2% of the NHS carbon footprint. The NHS is an internationally renowned health service, Europe's largest employer and a leader in local communities across the country. By leading by example to reduce our carbon footprint, the NHS can help mitigate climate change and improve our health tomorrow, as well as today.

As always with the NHS, the patient comes first, second and third, ahead of all other considerations.

Dr David Pencheon
Director, NHS Sustainable Development Unit

[harpy]

Yes, that letter is the same as or similar to the blog comment I mentioned, Treaclemine. I suppose reducing meat is something, but not if they're going to dish up extra fish instead

[emzy1985]

I knew it sounded too good to be true!

[Agatha]

can't see it catching on. i was asked by an nhs dietician where i got my protein from. if she didn't know what chance is there of the kitchen staff being able to provide healthy well balanced meals. i have heard though there will be more vegetarian options available though.... *fingers crossed*

[kelyons]

I have just come out of Hospital, and when I informed the staff that I was Vegan they did cook me some vegan meals.

[Marrers]

As always with the NHS, the patient comes first, second and third, ahead of all other considerations.
Dr David Pencheon
Director, NHS Sustainable Development Unit

Not quite the experience some have had in NHS hospitals . . .

[Agatha]

I have just come out of Hospital, and when I informed the staff that I was Vegan they did cook me some vegan meals.

wow thats excellent. which hospital was that?

[twinkle]

can't see it catching on. i was asked by an nhs dietician where i got my protein from. if she didn't know what chance is there of the kitchen staff being able to provide healthy well balanced meals. i have heard though there will be more vegetarian options available though.... *fingers crossed*

Did she ask you in an "where do vegans get protein from?" rhetorical question kind of way, or was she specifically asking what protein sources you knew of?

I know it's tiring to be asked that question by genuinely ignorant people, but I also know medical staff have to cover their bases. I got asked once if I'd heard of AIDS when I was getting a smear test, for instance. I was really offended because I thought she was treating me like an idiot so I said "is there anyone who hasn't??" and she said, in a sad kind of way that I'd be surprised how many.

[Agatha]

Did she ask you in an "where do vegans get protein from?" rhetorical question kind of way, or was she specifically asking what protein sources you knew of?

I know it's tiring to be asked that question by genuinely ignorant people, but I also know medical staff have to cover their bases. I got asked once if I'd heard of AIDS when I was getting a smear test, for instance. I was really offended because I thought she was treating me like an idiot so I said "is there anyone who hasn't??" and she said, in a sad kind of way that I'd be surprised how many.

oh she wasn't treating me. i shared an office with her. i think she was being genuinely rude and ignorant. which amazed me as many of the children we worked with needed specially adapted diets to take into consideration allergies, medication, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and many other factors.

[pusskins]

Hello!

Just thought I would post an update of my foot. I got the cast off today - hurrah! I now have to wear a large boot (aka my 'bionic' boot!) again, same as last time. My foot needs a jolly good bathe! And PLENTY of moisturiser

So far, so good. I really hope the op was successful. I'm not out of the woods yet. Have got my next appointment in 6 weeks, when my surgeon said that, all being well, I can be discharged. It certainly feels OK *touch wood*

x

[Nyx]

Wildwitch, I have never been to a hospital in all of Ontario that actually had vegan options. Everything is EXTREMELY unhealthy (just like you said with the sugar and cheese and potatoes). I've been hospitalized before a few times after being vegan and had to have my family bring me food or eat oatmeal with water. Our system is the same here (one week to approve soy milk, other stuff, etc).
I went to visit my friend and her two year old son who was ill at Sick Kids hospital in Toronto and they gave him a fucking baked potatoe with cheese and a side of meat! WHAT THE HELL!? And this is for a two year old with a sever neurological disorder. I just don't get it. It makes me sick to my stomach. Downstairs they had a McDonalds!!!!!! Of course my friend is completely unsympathetic to animals and prizes humans so she had absolutely no issue feeding him this garbage.

I think the thing you have to remember is that doctors know ZERO about nutrition. They know as much as the average person because most are only required 72 hours of training in it (total!). In the west doctors don't see food as a healing property, only drugs.
Nutritionists who work at hospitals must comply with generic concepts of nutrition so I don't expect them to sympathetic either. I'm sure their training didn't come without mass propaganda from the meat and dairy industry.

A blood/lab technician told me the other day that red meat WAS health food and she didn't understand crazy vegetarians. She told me you NEED liver to bring up your iron and that vegetables won't cut it and even though she hates to eat liver cause it grosses her out, she forces herself to. Sad really. She also told me to beef up on junk food like chips and dip. BLEH!

[bradders]

just got out of Queens hospital in Romford,
generally their catering is decent-ish but the well meaning domestics who serve the food need telling and telling sometimes and the kitchen did make a mistake on a side salad. There's a vegan a-la carte menu for all meals and they have vegan marge and jams for toast etc. They can get soya milk for you but can take a couple of days and then if you've been moved wards it needs to be ordered again
My major complaint comes from beans. Every single meal I saw had beans in it and a I mean every meal. Best options are boston beans or vegetable chilli with roast or baked potatoes (the mash is fresh and vegan though just not terribly nice) and some veg (avoid the colliflower it is vile) and have the tinned fruit for pudding.
Generally there is no issue having extra toast and stuff later and on most wards they will keep some vegan essentals such as milk and butter alternatives etc in the fridge so you shouldn't go hungry.
If needing anything to keep yourself moving state lactose intollerance so you get sena rather than lactulose of course.

[pusskins]

Hey Bradders,

Good to hear you're out of hospital. Hope you're OK.

[bradders]

thanks pusskins

[Nyx]

What happened Bradders?