A Midlife Rollercoaster Ride

Hospitals Fail When it comes to Foods that Heal

I have been employed by various hospitals over the years so what I am about to say is not directed toward any specific health care facility or person, it is a generalization and only meant to make you think. If you are a patient in a hospital we can conclude a few possibilities. You are sick, having surgery or mending from an accident.

You have been placed in that facility to expedite the healing process, manage pain and achieve a higher level of wellness or at least that is what we are hoping for. By now I hope most people have made the connection between what you eat and your state of health. Your health, or lack of it, is largely determined by what you place in that mouth of yours. A diet full of raw fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, meats and whole grains is unlikely to yield candidate for diabetes, cancer or heart disease. A diet full 

of breads, cold cuts, mac and cheese, pizza, soda, chicken wings and subs is a fast track to the diseases mentioned above along with obesity and inflammatory issues. 

So now you find yourself a patient in a hospital. We are all likely to have this experience at some point in our life. Be it an accident, surgery or illness—we are all at risk. Healing is expedited if the body is nutritionally supported. Pancakes, bagels, pudding and bread will absolutely slow the healing process. Artificial sweeteners are as close to poison as you can get and should absolutely be banned from any institution that is promoting health. Carbonated beverages? How is phosphoric acid and carcinogenic (cancer causing) caramel coloring supposed to promote healing? So many people are suffering from digestive disorders but have no problem pouring this acid down their throat. These are just some of the foods that are responsible for destroying our health and should be banned from any healing institution. 

Slow wound healing is not the fault of the doctor, nurse or any other health care professional. It has everything to do with the less than perfect state of the individual. A diet abundant with breads, processed and sugary foods is likely to be loaded with yeast and I can tell you from lots of experience—healing will not be expedited. The risk for infection is dramatically increased when the body is lacking in healthy bacteria colonies and loaded with fungal organisms. It is easy to blame others when the healing is not going as planned but it is truly the state of the individual that is to blame. Unfortunately, most dietitians have limited knowledge when it comes to foods that heal. But they are not to blame. Food service companies are hired by the hospital and I am sure there is some limitation to selections. Cost is a factor and poor food choices are cheaper than healthy choices. Processed foods have a shelf life whereas fresh nourishing foods loaded with vitamins, minerals and enzymes, do not. 

In my opinion, an institution that promotes healing would obviously not offer artificial sweeteners, MSG loaded soups and broths, and would keep the sugar to a bare minimum. Butter is the only option. Artificial, artery- clogging spreads, such as margarine should never be offered. Hospitals would shorten patient stays if the focus would be nutrition based. 

Wheatgrass shots, smoothies or healthy plant protein shakes (not ENSURE which is loaded with sugar) should be served to give energy and healing potential to those trying to heal. Salad dressings would be olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice and not a packet filled with chemicals. “Real” eggs would be served every day in order to protect your “good cholesterol”. American cheese, AKA plastic, has no place in any diet. Fake and artificially flavored yogurts should be avoided as well.

So what should you do? Be conscious to the food choices you make if you are trying to heal. Have family members bring in healthy foods such as fresh salads and fruits. Homemade soups made from broths that do not contain MSG would provide the recovering individual with excellent nutrition that is easier to digest. Drink lots of pure filtered water. 

No one wants an extended stay in the hospital. Studies show that the longer the stay, the higher the incidence of infection, complications and even death. Nourish you body well and it will reward you with a speedy recovery.

As Thomas Edison once said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in proper diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”