Hospital Food

I had to spend the weekend in the hospital with some baby issues.  Baby is healthy, big and strong.  Now just time to build my strength.

But how the heck do they think they're going to build up someone's strength with that food?

I mean, really?

I was there 3 days.  I had 8 meals during my stay.  3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners.

Breakfast was the same options every day: eggs (scrambled or hard boiled), several choice of bread, a few cereals and juice.  I ordered the same thing each day: Scrambled Eggs, Frosted Flakes, wheat toast & jelly, and apple juice and decafe tea.  I know they probably use a pre-mixed egg product, but each day the texture was different, and usually cold by the time it got to me.  The "toast" was just a slice of bread.  The hot water for the tea was never hot.  Thank goodness for the cereal!

Lunch and dinner, a different story.  My first day, I was not given a full menu to chose from, just the daily options.  I had forgotten that vegetarian options were available (as they had been 6 years ago when I had my son).  So I mostly ordered sides.  Soup, salad, potato, mixed veggies and a dinner roll.

Dinner

The first day, no problem.  They gave me what I ordered.  But day 2, they made it up!  I had been transferred to a different room, in the wing with all the moms who recently delivered (instead of being with all the moms in labor).  So maybe that's why the nutritional team felt the need to put the gross meats on my plate, and NOT my vegetable medley.  I mean, the chicken could have been edible, if it wasn't mostly bone.  And salisbury steak?  I don't eat beef, but even if I did, that looked gross.  I was offered a grilled cheese, but by the looks of the breakfast "toast," I passed.

Hummus plate, much better

Yay for my nurse, tracking down the vegetarian menu for me.  She got me a yummy hummus plate.

I've been tracking my food intake for a few years, monitoring my diet.  Especially the last 6 months.  This weekend, I was barely hitting 1200 calories, when I need to be getting at least 1700.  I was missing my protein shakes.  I was missing variety.  I was missing food that actually had flavor!  

I know they make thousands of plates at each meal, and that delivery time can affect food temperatures and so forth.  I totally get that.  But seriously?

And I was really surprised by their "Plate Mandate".  On the menu, it had a circle of what your plate should look like: Protein, Vegetables/Fruit, Carbs and Dairy.  However: At breakfast, no fruit or vegetable was offered, only juice.  And juice was listed as a "carb".  I got some flack for posting that image on Facebook.  I know that the sugars in fruits are technically a carb, but when I need to fill 1/4 of my plate with a fruit or veggie, shouldn't you offer one for breakfast?

In the first room I was in, no 'outside food' or additional snacks were allowed.  They didn't care as much in the other room, which was good because I had my husband bring me a shake from NewTrition first chance he could get!  Ahh.. good ol' Monster Cookie never lets me down!