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Location: somewhere between Lk. Michigan & Lk. Huron
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The most recent I was in the hospital was 2 years ago to have one ovary & large cyst removed, & I don't think I was on a restricted diet, but I thought the food was good & filling.
I was admitted to the hospital the other morning for a labor induction (that was unsuccessful) and was brought a menu and I was allowed to order anything I wanted. Pregnant ordering anything?!! I was excited! I ordered a hot turkey sandwich with a side of mashed potatos and green beans. It was so good, I almost licked the plate.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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It's all about special diets vs regular. Most hospitals I've been at, the regular food is ok, sometimes quite good. The restricted diets are always horrible ..... I had the impression that they didn't really differentiate between special diets either, people on the low sodium, the lowfat, gout, or low calorie diets, simply were served the same cold gruel and decaf coffee for breakfast, with some saccharine packets on the side.
I was in the same hospital twice last year (Duke) for a total of 17 days and the food was good. Of course I was wasn't on any kind of restricted diet so I am sure that helped. I would order from a menu brought to me each day and if I didn't like what was on there, I could order off menu and get cheeseburgers, hotdogs, pizza, etc. If I didn't like what was brought to me, I could call and order something else. What sticks out in my mind the most was their breakfast sandwich and lasagna. The sandwich was basically an egg mcmuffin only it was made with regular bacon instead of canadian bacon. It was delicious. The lasagna was excellent and almost as good as homemade.
It depends upon the hospital. One hospital served patient's choice of filet mignon wrapped in bacon or a lobster tail! I almost fainted when I was told. (That was at Lake Pointe Medical Center, in Rowlett, TX.)
Other places, the food has been horrid. In fact, food has been so bad that I ordered deliveries. One order was for pizza. I called my order in, told them to come through the Emergency Department and say the pie is for such-and-such nurse's station, but when they got upstairs NOT to go to the nurse's station or talk to any of the nurses and go directly to room # whatever. I told them I would tip very handsomely for their troubles (which I did). The next night I ordered Chinese...
It cost me a small fortune to make the minimum delivery purchases and to tip so well, but I wasn't about to starve.
It's all about special diets vs regular. Most hospitals I've been at, the regular food is ok, sometimes quite good. The restricted diets are always horrible ..... I had the impression that they didn't really differentiate between special diets either, people on the low sodium, the lowfat, gout, or low calorie diets, simply were served the same cold gruel and decaf coffee for breakfast, with some saccharine packets on the side.
That is generally not true. In MOST cases, hospitals do as much as they can to make the food palatable. However, they DO make sure that they follow the doctor's orders.
If you are very unhappy with the food, your best bet is to talk to your doctor as he is the one that determines the diet that is prescribed, not the nurse or the dietitian.
Be happy, be VERY happy that you are NOT on some of the special diets of a generation ago. Some of those were absolutely EXTREME. Look at the Sippy Diet which was used in some hospitals as late as the 1980s:
I have never had good food at any hospital. It is usually mushy when it should be crisp. Never are you offered any seasoning even if you are not on a restricted diet. The food has only been tolerable at best. Heavy, cheap food- not understandable since the price of staying in hospital per day is extreme. The one thing that is really strange to me is the smell. Sort of like dish water. Why is this? It seems to exist no matter where the hospital is located.Has anyone else noticed this or is my nose overly sensitive?
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) and was brought a menu and I was allowed to order anything I wanted. Pregnant ordering anything?!!
I was excited! I ordered a hot turkey sandwich with a side of mashed potatos and green beans. It was so good, I almost licked the plate.
