Eating Healthy In a Hospital Cafeteria
If you’re a health care professional who eats one (or more) of your meals a day on-the-job you know how hard it can be to find options that meet your health concerns, energy needs and personal tastes when it comes to eating in a hospital cafeteria. While things are slowly changing in how cafeterias work, nurses, doctors and other medical professionals can take healthy eating into their own hands in the meantime and make sure on-the-job meals are healthy and beneficial.
Many cafeterias around the nation are making real attempts to have healthy options. Of course, many also acknowledge that they have to balance the needs of medical staff with those of patients and their families, who often want comforting foods as they are coping with illness, loss and uncertainty. Medical professionals can expects to see more healthy, organic options on menus in the coming years, but if your hospital lags behind in healthy options it never hurts to speak up. Changes in menu items won’t come from being silent and advocating for your own health is the only way to make real, lasting changes in your hospital’s cafeteria.
One way you can help stay healthy on the job is by avoiding vending machine fare. These items, while convenient, are rarely if ever healthy or good for you. Fatty chips, calorie-laden candy and sugary-sweet beverages are hardly the foundation of a good diet. If you have to snack on the go, bring your own from home or stock up in the cafeteria on fruits and nuts before you begin your shift.
While the pizza and burgers offered by the hospital cafeteria might be tempting, most have to admit that there is usually at least one or two healthy things offered on the menu. You’ll likely be able to find salads, veggies and fruits somewhere in your hospital’s cafeteria. You might have to do a little more work to cobble together a meal out of them if one isn’t currently offered, but there are always options that can help meet your health needs if you choose them.
What’s good for us is rarely easy or convenient, something many who struggle to eat well in their work’s cafeteria know all too well. If your cafeteria still doesn’t offer the healthiest options, become your own activist, bring food from home or do a little extra work to eat right. It might not be easy, but it’s the best thing for you in the long run.
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This entry was posted on Friday, November 21st, 2008 at 10:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
