vegan food in hospitals?

[Digital Ghost]

Be careful with the mashed potatoe - at the hospital I was in it was like that smash stuff and contained milk powder.

They always had soup but could never tell patients what kind it was until someone ate it.

[harpy]

They always had soup but could never tell patients what kind it was until someone ate it.

Makes you wonder how they made it then

[WildWitch]

The potatoes were normal boiled potatoes cause i had to mash them myself. At least that way i knew they didnt put butter in them. Could taste lots of salt on them though, i dont like salt on food.

[bradders]

Bolton hospital (this was before I was vegan) always had a huge menu and I remember there always being something vegan on the menu for both lunch and dinner and it did used to say that if there were specific requests and requirements these would be catered for subject to it meeting nutritional requirements. They also used to have rice milk for tea rather than soya milk. However I had to use King's in south London this year and as I'd been in A & E for more than 8 hours at this point and would be in orthopedics for some time more so I needed breakfast. I had the option of dry bread and dry cereal with a portion of orange juice as they had no vegan spreads or milk alternatives and even the costa coffee didn't have soya milk. So that's what I had to eat, no choice really. I'm sorry but a hospital of that size must have dozens of vegan or at least lactose intolerant patients at any one time it's ridiculous that they don't cater for us and that even the overpriced cafe has no soya milk, completely shocking all told.
the hardest thing for me is that my family all live really far away and most of the people I know in London are really busy so I couldn't go ringing them up at that hour "because I'm hungry" just wouldn't have been appropriate really.
I think all hospital catering should be like Bolton's, in house, professional, separate from the nursing staff (on the whole) and caters for all needs with good healthy choices. Apparently there are other hospitals that are that good and it is improving, it's just a shame that so many aren't yet.
P.S. vegans who have been vegan for more that six months are actually able to state that they are lactose intolerant and 12 months for meat and eggs on the basis of "enzymatic reduction" there's a fancy phrase for you. If it is down as an intolerance then a lot more care is taken and steps taken to get appropriate food (with time).

[WildWitch]

I cant see any hospital ever being like that here in Wales Bradders. Even though the hospital i was in is a main hospital serving South and Mid Wales they just dont have the funding, expertese or even the patient demand as they would probably have in England. It is very behind the times up here in every sense, youve heard me whinge about the health service, dont even start me on the education system up here.

[bradders]

well at least you guys are getting free prescriptions soon

[WildWitch]

I do anyway as im on meds for life for my dodgy thyroid. I really feel giving prescriptions to everyone for free isnt such a good thing, i mean wheres the funding coming from for that when they cant even serve up a decent meal in the hospitals.

[bradders]

hyper or hypo if you don't mind me asking, mum's hypo and I'm hyper (I don't take anything though) don't pay either on account of low income but I hate people falling through cracks and not getting what they need when they need it because of bureaucracy so I think it's better that it comes from the precept or other taxation so that everyone gets completely free healthcare at the point of use. Just my opinion.

[WildWitch]

hyper or hypo if you don't mind me asking, mum's hypo and I'm hyper (I don't take anything though) don't pay either on account of low income but I hate people falling through cracks and not getting what they need when they need it because of bureaucracy so I think it's better that it comes from the precept or other taxation so that everyone gets completely free healthcare at the point of use. Just my opinion.

Hypo. If your hyper you may one day need meds cause it can lead to so many syptoms that can be life threatening. .

[bradders]

I sadly know that all too well, just the side effects of drugs for hypothyroidism can be quite severe and thankfully as yet aren't needed in my case, one day though I know I might need them or face huge risks.

[WildWitch]

Im lucky that iv had no side affects from my meds and have felt better since taking them. I must admit i put it off for months though due to my vegan beliefs, tried alternative therapies but nothing worked so i had to give in as my symptoms were too severe.

A doctor in the end scared the life out of me by telling me my choices, take the meds or get really really ill. I gave in and took the meds.

[mjnewbould]

Now this is a bit of a weird thing for me to say - but I sort of know a bit about getting things sorted in the NHS and if anyone ever wanted me to have a go and help them I would certainly try. I can -for example - try speaking directly to the consultant looking after them and find out the local policies re vegans etc - seems a bit odd of me to say this and of course I could fail miserably - but I'd have a go if anyone ever wanted me to!

[cobweb]

Now this is a bit of a weird thing for me to say - but I sort of know a bit about getting things sorted in the NHS and if anyone ever wanted me to have a go and help them I would certainly try. I can -for example - try speaking directly to the consultant looking after them and find out the local policies re vegans etc - seems a bit odd of me to say this and of course I could fail miserably - but I'd have a go if anyone ever wanted me to!

You are a very valuable asset to veganism and to this forum!

[bradders]

could not agree more

[harpy]

Yes, that's a great offer mjnewbould!

[harpy]

When visiting my local hospital (St George's in Tooting) today I finally remembered to have a look through the menu book thing for vegan options. They don't have anything actually marked vegan as far as I can see, but they have a range of "cultural" menus, one of which was designated "Indian vegetarian" or some such.

Some of the dishes on that were obviously not vegan but some of them looked as if they might well be. Normally all the dishes are served in rotation on a weekly or fortnightly basis but there was a note to say you could arrange to have any dish on any day. So that might be an option worth investigating if it's available. (Though if only one of the dishes turns out to be vegan it could get a bit boring...)

St George's is admittedly in a very multi-cultural area, which probably helps.

[pusskins]

Well, I got the date through for my op - next Tuesday! Eep! I go in to hospital on the Monday, get op-ed on on Tuesday, and then should be out on Wednesday.

I reiterated the vegan thing when I had my pre-op assessment appointment. Duly noted, shouldn't be a problem, but I do have to tell them again when I get to the ward. I'm going to take the information booklet I got from the Vegan Society a couple of weeks ago.

We still haven't had any e-mail back from the hospital from the many weeks ago we tried to contact them!

Will let you know how I get on

[bradders]

good luck

[Gorilla]

hope it all goes ok, Pusskins

[Shrapnel]

Aw, I hope it goes well too and wish you the best of luck.

[Quantum Mechanic]

I haven't stayed at a hospital overnight as far as I know - but I have heard of hospitals in the US having a McDonalds in them (!) - that's not good for the health of anyone, human or not.

[Shrapnel]

I haven't stayed at a hospital overnight as far as I know - but I have heard of hospitals in the US having a McDonalds in them (!) - that's not good for the health of anyone, human or not.

Yeah, I've seen McDonald's in hospitals... I think even in Warsaw (it was actually kinda surreal).

[mjnewbould]

part of Alder hey Children's Hospitals is the Ronald McDonald Wing! (I presume its the same McDonald but I might be wrong). I note that our Trust appears to have won the Vegan Society award for good catering! (Central Manchester)

[harpy]

I think Ronald McDonald houses are sort of residential wings added to hospitals for families of sick children to stay in http://www.rmhc.org.uk/whoarewe/faqs.php They receive funding from some philanthropic trust linked to the hamburger chain. (Reminds me of that thing about mixed feelings being when you see your mother-in-law driving over a cliff - in your new car )

Anyway I don't think they sell burgers in them so that's something! Having a branch of McDonald's in a hospital is a different matter.

ETA all the best, Pusskins - and hope your efforts to line up vegan grub pay off!

[bradders]

Same mcdonald, they have a. Haritable trust that meant my aunt was able to stay with my cousin when she was in hospital. The have a mcdonalds at Guy's hospital in London. Not exactly the right messaage of health etc

[WildWitch]

Pusskins i wish you well with your op and hope your recovery is fast and as pain/stress free as possible.

McDonalds in hospitals, thats just mad. I was watching a programme recently about a ward in the North of England that has to hire special beds for obese patients, these beds cost the nhs an awful lot of money for the amount of obese patients who cannot fit on the average size hospital bed. Having a McDonalds at hand isnt going to help encourage patients much is it. Its disgusting it really is.

[Marrers]

Good luck pusskins!

[buttons]

The Royal Children's hospital - at which I spent a fair amount of time, has a few cafes and a Macca's. It's nowhere near an ideal situation, but I have to admit, I ate pancakes there a fair few times!

At the risk of sounding like a shill, Ronald McDonald House came about because they saw a specific need and provided for it - many RCH kids are from country areas or even interstate. I think my parents stayed there once, even though we lived in he suburbs.

[Shrapnel]

So... do they have detox clinics with Johnnie Walker wings?

[bradders]

It's just a question of letting anyone who is willing to pay for it provide a service. Although having branches of any chain provide food etc in a hospital is lamentable. The main reason they outsourse like that is that the investment foes not show up as a debt. PPP PFI and all that and in the end it costs everyone more.

[Cherry]

Good luck Pusskins

[jomo]

Ah the hospital food thing. Just came onto this thread, and it's true that it's the most glaring problem of Western medicine that simply refuses to see any connection with diet and healing.

The mentions of McDonalds in Hospitals is the most mirthful, ironic, and crazy thing. Mirthful in the sense that how can one do anything but laugh at the sheer absurdity of it.

Imagine a patient in a hospital getting chemo for colon cancer, getting a Big Mac and Fries !

Imagine what it would be like in an enlightened hospital, eh ?

Imagine if the doctors would prescribe the patients on organic healthy diets
according to their particular symptoms

Imagine if an Ayurvedic specialist would do an eastern pulse reading and and prescribe exactly which fresh vegetables would be the most healing -- that it isn't even a question that someone will get healthy fresh organic vegan food, but that the specialist knows that because you have a certain condition, nightshades (potatoes tomatoes) are no good... or that because it's a nervous disorder, one is given a nutitive tonic enriched with proper proportions of healthy coldpressed omega-3-6-9 rich oil....

Imagine if a chemo patient, instead of given crap, were given exclusively a living food diet with tons of fresh water, diluted juices, and cleansing herb teas? Given that most of the discomfort from chemo comes from the fact that the body is dealing will billions of decomposing cancer cells, read toxic shock... no wonder there is nausea

[WildWitch]

Ah the hospital food thing. Just came onto this thread, and it's true that it's the most glaring problem of Western medicine that simply refuses to see any connection with diet and healing.

The mentions of McDonalds in Hospitals is the most mirthful, ironic, and crazy thing. Mirthful in the sense that how can one do anything but laugh at the sheer absurdity of it.

Imagine a patient in a hospital getting chemo for colon cancer, getting a Big Mac and Fries !

Imagine what it would be like in an enlightened hospital, eh ?

Imagine if the doctors would prescribe the patients on organic healthy diets
according to their particular symptoms

Imagine if an Ayurvedic specialist would do an eastern pulse reading and and prescribe exactly which fresh vegetables would be the most healing -- that it isn't even a question that someone will get healthy fresh organic vegan food, but that the specialist knows that because you have a certain condition, nightshades (potatoes tomatoes) are no good... or that because it's a nervous disorder, one is given a nutitive tonic enriched with proper proportions of healthy coldpressed omega-3-6-9 rich oil....

Imagine if a chemo patient, instead of given crap, were given exclusively a living food diet with tons of fresh water, diluted juices, and cleansing herb teas? Given that most of the discomfort from chemo comes from the fact that the body is dealing will billions of decomposing cancer cells, read toxic shock... no wonder there is nausea

I totaly agree, when my friend was in hospital with cancer i was totaly shocked at the food they were serving him. Not only was it stodgy junk stuff with no nutritional content whatsoever but it was also not to his taste, he hated the food. I used to take him stuff in from Tesco, of course there was no way of heating up food and the nurses didnt take too kindly to me taking him salads etc in but he really hated the food he was given in the hospital.

Out of respect if nothing else, he was dying, at least he should have been given food he enjoyed as well as food that might have had healing qualities. I was totaly disgusted and did complain but nothing was done.

What i didnt understand was when he had a bone marrow transplant, he was put on a strict diet of frozen meals only, never allowed fresh fruit or veggies due to contamination. Surly the frozen chips, lasagne and shepherds pie he was served in tray meals warmed up from some frozen food company were most unhealthy and properly prepared food would have been so much more beneficial to him. He was even advised to eat meat when he wanted to be veggie. I feel his wishes were never respected at all health or taste wise.

When he did get out of hospital he craved fresh foods and i made sure he got what he wanted when he stayed at mine. I introduced him to so many new veggie foods that were healthy and nutritious. He went through a wierd phase where he just wanted to live on my falafels lol and wouldnt stop eating them. Of course when he had to go back to hospital it was back to frozen pizzas and spaghetti hoops again.

Hospital catering needs a huge shake up. How can people expect to get well when they live on such rubbish food, its not right.

[bradders]

some places are great others are crap
it's all a lot better than what they used to pass off as food in Ireland, (I used to order in when I could afford it because of it.)

[buttons]

The hospitals in (metro) Melbourne are pretty good with the food they serve - the dieticians work double-time! I'd imagine vegans are well catered for, as Melbourne is very much melting pot/salad bowl. Am - thankfully - yet to test that hypothesis.

[pusskins]

Hullo!

Well, I am now sitting here with a pink plaster cast on my foot, and am thoroughly peed off at being immobile!

Food-wise - yes, I said about the vegan requirement the night I went in. The nurse said she was really unsure that they would be able to cater for me, but she would try and check. Hmmmm. Luckily, I had my back-up plan of Paprika bringing in food. The nurse didn't get back to me, neither did anybody else.

I was nil by mouth the next day, but as I had my op first thing in the morning, I was back on the ward by lunchtime. I passed on lunch. I also passed on dinner. Paprika brought in dinner for me (and the visitor thing was a whole other issue I shall allow her to explain!!!), with the vegetables still containing colour and substance.

I didn't have breakfast or lunch the next day. I was out of the hospital by 1 o'clock. At no point did any nurse or member of staff say anything to me about food.

So...that was it! It was, thank goodness, a short stay They sent me home with no dressings, though, which meant Paprika had to purchase a load of the things from the chemist! We're well stocked up now! I do understand the staff are well run off their feet, so I probably did them best by not making a fuss.

[harpy]

Welcome back, pusskins. Your story is a bit discouraging food-wise - just as well you had Paprika, every home should have one

Do you think you will write to the hospital to tell them what happened? I agree the staff probably don't have time to worry about such things but the management should IMO

Get well soon!

[bradders]

I agree, those in charge need to know that they need to cater for all dietary requirements and reasonable preferences (i.e. not just giving big macs to someone who says that they only want to eat big macs). This is part of their commitment to looking at the patient as a consumer rather than a drain on resources.

[WildWitch]

decent food = good health, better recovery. Why isnt this a priority in hospitals all over the country.

Wishing you a speedy recovery Pusskins

[bradders]

sharing the sentiments of a speedy recovery too.

some hospitals have got their act together. Bolton Royal is one that has. They offer most dietary choices for every meal and cater to requests, good food, prepared fresh as ordered every time. There are private hospitals that don't even do this. (personal experience).

Bolton now just needs bigger portions.

[bradders]

I do anyway as im on meds for life for my dodgy thyroid. I really feel giving prescriptions to everyone for free isnt such a good thing, i mean wheres the funding coming from for that when they cant even serve up a decent meal in the hospitals.

personally I think it is good (implementation not too expensive given the most expensive drugs are usually free to patients anyway (exemption cert) along with all those on various benefits, low incomes and those who have unlimited presctiption pre-pay certs already and there are saved admin costs too) as I am a complete believer in completely free healthcare in the original form of the NHS as this prevents and people slipping through the cracks who don't have the cash when they need their meds etc. People just need to learn that paying more tax is a good thing and that things they need need paying for by everyone

[herbwormwood]

Sorry to harp on about this but if anyone goes into hospital ask for the multicultural menu. Don't bother asking for vegan food.
Most of the ward staff don't know about food and they don't know that they are legally obliged to cater for people's cultural beliefs, or that a multicultural menu will contain dishes suitable for vegans.
So if you ask for vegan food, they won't have a clue, unless there is actually a vegan or someone who has vegan friends or family around.

[bradders]

good idea

[Gorilla]

get well soon pusskins, sorry you didn't get any decent food from the hospital!

personally I think it is good (implementation not too expensive given the most expensive drugs are usually free to patients anyway (exemption cert) along with all those on various benefits, low incomes and those who have unlimited presctiption pre-pay certs already and there are saved admin costs too) as I am a complete believer in completely free healthcare in the original form of the NHS as this prevents and people slipping through the cracks who don't have the cash when they need their meds etc. People just need to learn that paying more tax is a good thing and that things they need need paying for by everyone

firstly the drug companies make ridiculous profits by overcharging for their medications and that needs addressing to begin with. some of the most expensive drugs are new ones which aren't fully licensed on the NHS and the patient has to pay for those privately (sometimes running into tens of thousands of pounds). finally i don't know why you mention pre-pay certificates as part of free prescriptions because as the name suggests the patient has to pay for these, albeit at a reduced rate.

[Pearl]

Welcome back, pusskins. Your story is a bit discouraging food-wise - just as well you had Paprika, every home should have one

Do you think you will write to the hospital to tell them what happened? I agree the staff probably don't have time to worry about such things but the management should IMO

Get well soon!

I really think as many people should complain about negative experiences with hospital food as possible! It really is unacceptable for them not to cater for vegans in this day and age! I had a similar experience. I was recovering from an operation on my tongue which left me unable to speak for a while. It was incredibly sore and ulcerated and they offered me a very hot, spicy vegetable curry and were most offended when I declined. I would have thought mild, veggie type food would be good for people recovering from being put under as the gas sometimes makes you nauseous anyway.

The best experience I ever had food wise was in Hammersmith Hospital. The chef came and saw me personally and made sure I had lovely soups etc.

[Digital Ghost]

Not all hospitals have multicultural menus.

When I was in hospital another patient wanted to have kosher meals because she was Jewish........she was simply told that it wasn't possible and that she would have to take time off her religion.
The nurses went on to laugh and joke about it - as if they thought the women was trying to claim she was above them.

[Gorilla]

^ that's terrible, surely that's discrimination?

[Pearl]

Thats absolutely awful and yes Im sure that discrimination!

[WildWitch]

Sorry to harp on about this but if anyone goes into hospital ask for the multicultural menu. Don't bother asking for vegan food.
Most of the ward staff don't know about food and they don't know that they are legally obliged to cater for people's cultural beliefs, or that a multicultural menu will contain dishes suitable for vegans.
So if you ask for vegan food, they won't have a clue, unless there is actually a vegan or someone who has vegan friends or family around.

PMSL here in Wales the multi cultural menu would be one that is wrtitten in Welsh and one that is written in English lol. Both would probably contain lamb or mutton.

[ellaminnowpea]

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.