Why is hospital food unhealthy?
“In harsh terms, CVD (cardiovascular disease) claims one American life every 39 seconds and causes more deaths annually than cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, and accidents combined. Most people who die from heart attacks just hunker down. Sudden cardiac death “is the first symptom of CHD (coronary heart disease) for the vast majority of people, especially women.” Therefore, “for many of these sudden death victims, their death is caused by coronary heart disease.” It was the first sign that heart disease existed.” They didn’t even know they had heart disease. That’s why an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. There is no cure for death.
This is why preventing sudden cardiac death “remains a major public health challenge” because most people are unaware that they are at risk. But more than half a century ago, when scientists first began performing autopsies on young soldiers who died during the Korean War, scientists have known that coronary artery disease begins young, even in infants. Therefore, “business as usual will not produce the improvements needed to fundamentally improve cardiovascular (cardiovascular) health in the United States and around the world.”
However, there is good news. A “low-risk lifestyle (smoking cessation, regular exercise, careful diet, and maintaining a healthy weight)” can eliminate much of the risk of sudden cardiac death. “It’s past time to start aggressive cardiovascular disease prevention programs in schools, homes, and workplaces.” Why not start in our hospitals?
As I explain in my video, “Hospitals Make Money on Junk Food,” a significant percentage of the hospitals surveyed have an on-site fast food restaurant, with Krispy Kreme at the top of the list. Masu. Brilliant marketing, considering that “Families surveyed in hospitals with McDonald’s were twice as likely to think McDonald’s was healthy compared to families in hospitals without McDonald’s.” is. As it turned out, there was a McDonald’s in the hospital.
What about the food served in hospital cafeterias? Is there anything better? Researchers analyzed 384 entrees from 14 children’s hospitals in California, but only 7% were “classified as healthy.” And just in case someone chooses a rare healthy option, 81 percent of food outlets in children’s hospitals carry junk “high-calorie impulse items like ice cream freezers, cookies, and candy” at the register. or near it, and 38 percent had junk. “There were signs encouraging unhealthy eating.” Why would they do that?
When we asked hospital cafeteria managers, “less than a quarter of respondents (4 out of 17) reported that their hospital follows nutritional standards for meals served in cafeterias.” “Nutrition is not a top priority.” It’s the same reason unhealthy foods are sold elsewhere. “There is pressure on cafeteria food service departments to generate profits.”
“There is an increasing emphasis on running hospital food departments as profit centers,” or “bigger profit centers.” This is emblematic of our overall disease treatment system, where a healthy, treat-the-cause approach is overshadowed by the drugs and treatments that bring in the most money.
What do you expect from the private sector? Public hospitals aren’t much better. A 2019 VA hospital analysis found that “all VA hospitals serve large portions of soda, candy, and junk food that are in direct conflict with the healthy food choices recommended by U.S. governing health agencies.” It turns out there is a vending machine. Theoretically, it could accelerate the deterioration of health conditions…An important question to ask is why soda and candy machines are available at VA hospitals. Are we trading the health of our veterans for profit? ”
It may be time to ban junk food on hospital grounds. “It’s horrifying to see patients on daily rounds gorging themselves on foods that may have gotten them admitted in the first place, such as potato chips, candy, sports drinks, and colas. That’s… it’s despicable.” Many hospitals still have fast-food franchises within their facilities, and hallways are dotted with vending machines selling junk food. Such practices justify the acceptance and consumption of such foods in the daily diet…The obesity epidemic represents a public health crisis, but by legalizing junk food, hospitals themselves It is a public health scandal that perpetuates diet-related diseases as a risk factor. The medical revolving door… It’s time to stop selling diseases on hospital grounds. ”
What message do residents receive when they are fed pizza and soda at Grand Rounds? We need a health care system with “more Hippocrates and less hypocrisy.”
To learn more about how the profit motive is worsening our health, check out the related articles below.
