Ranked as the worst hospital food out of 24 US hospitals by the PCRM 2016 Hospital Food Report
While navigating the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s website, information regarding dining and menus can be easily found under the patient and visitor tab. While the main university hospital cafeteria, located on the first floor, offers “fresh and healthy menu choices”, a Chick-fil-A is the only service establishment that is located in the main cafeteria. Meal tickets can be purchased to have an additional meal plate delivered to a patient room. Other service establishments such as McDonald’s, Subway and Starbucks are located throughout the hospital. One of the only menus available is that of the university hospital cafeteria, featuring an up to date menu with weekly specials. When reading through the weekly specials, the same general structure of choosing a sauce, protein, vegetables and toppings remains the same everyday, yet the type of cuisine differs based on the day. For example, Monday allows the individual to make their own mac n cheese bowl and Thursday lets the visitor construct their own pan fried Asian style dish. The choice of which sauce, protein, vegetables and toppings lets the individual tailor their meal to their preferences, giving them the freedom to make their bowl as nutritious as they want. Giving patients and visitors a chance to customize their meal gives them a sense of control, something that may be lacking as their current health state or that of a loved one is unpredictable.
Although I do commend UMMC for offering three vegetarian soup specials and providing a mix of healthy food and comfort food in the main cafeteria, the menu featuring the late night specials does not offer any vegetarian options. The late night specials are offered from 11pm-1:30am, a convenience for those who spend long nights in the hospital, yet I wonder if other food options are available along with the late night specials.The UMMC website describes what is generally offered from each food court, cafeteria or dining hall, which is typically a soup and salad bar, sandwiches, pizza and made-to-order grilled selections. The menu from the Wiser Bistro offers fried steak, a baked potato bar, pulled pork or brisket, taco salad and a chicken quesadilla or wrap, all seemingly meat heavy options. Burgers are served on a choice of a white or wheat bun, giving the individual an option to choose whole grains. The weekly special menu from the main cafeteria has a section at the bottom of the menu, stating what the superfood of the month is and what the health benefits are. March’s superfood is whole grains, advertised to be full of fiber and plant protein. Based on the assumption that the cafeteria continues to offer simple carbs such as white bread, I wonder whether this initiative and education tool has caused people to choose whole grains over refined grains. This is further discussed in the UMMC Revamps Food Options blopost.
Comments