This has been the perception of hospital food services for decades. Fortunately, for many of us, a growing trend in health care began a few years ago. This trend saw food service professionals lending their talents and expertise to health care with the development of an exciting approach toward food offerings served to patients. Hospital guests and staff also benefited from this revolution and began enjoying freshly prepared foods based on culinary techniques that were not previously used in the health care setting. Hospitals began hiring chefs and other industry professionals to develop new and exciting flavor profiles and services that were typical of finer hotels instead of the usual drab hospital cuisine. Chefs began working with dietitians to develop nutritious foods that met specific requirements tailored to the patients’ needs and their pallets.

The result was overwhelmingly positive. Patients received food that was good for them as well as being palatable and comforting to their spirits. Patient satisfaction scores began to rise, and the overall effect of good food for patients was undeniable.

At Midland Health, we have embraced this spirit in our food offerings. As the executive chef, I have been blessed to work alongside dietitians and other industry professionals to be a part of what I feel is an exciting food and nutrition program. We successfully launched our room service program in the new patient tower, which is now working on its fourth year. Patients receive menus tailored to their dietary needs and prepared to order and delivered in a timely fashion. Gone is the typical cafeteria found in most hospitals; in its place is a new market-style food entity. A variety of options, including sustainable fresh fish served every Friday, is now offered. In fact, Midland Health is one of the few hospitals that sources their fish products from Seattle Fish Co., a member of the Marine Stewardship Council. The council focuses on protecting the environment by using mostly sustainably sourced fish. All seafood items are acquired from this company and done so in a seasonal fashion to not only drive prices that Midland Health’s consumers can afford but is healthier, fresher and yes, tastier, than most seafood products in the area.

The focus on food does not stop here. The Food and Nutrition Department is partnering with Taylor Made Bakery from Bryan to develop a line of gluten-free products for not only our patients but all of the food services offered at Midland Health. Stronger attention has been focused on healthier eating. With the launch of the whole food plant-based program made popular in the movie “Forks over Knives,” Midland Health has raised the bar in food services for health care in the area. As a facility, Midland Health is dedicated to Midland being the healthiest community in Texas. The whole food plant-based diet is one step closer to achieving that goal.

Diet, huh? As you read that part, I am sure you thought that diet was indeed a four- letter word. Many Americans struggle with health issues and weight loss. So, using the term diet many times carries with it the stigma of tasteless, boring food. With the whole food plant-based program, more focus is paid to eating fresher ingredients that are more plant-based than protein-based. The success rate of this lifestyle change is unheard of in health care. People such as David Foster, who was only 57 when his doctor told him he needed a heart transplant. He had 100 percent blockages in his heart. Without going under the knife, he was able to reverse his heart disease by participating in the Ornish Reversal Program at his local hospital. During this nine-week intensive program, doctors help at-risk patients transition to a plant-based diet and a healthier lifestyle. No pills or surgery are required.

Did you notice I used the words, “lifestyle change?” Life-changing is what this diet is. In fact, to think of the program as a lifestyle change is more appropriate, I feel, than a mere diet someone undertakes. A whole food, plant-based diet is centered on whole, unrefined or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains and legumes. And it excludes or minimizes meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil.

This program is just one of the tools in Midland Health’s arsenal to provide better food and service for our patients and guests and help the community we serve be healthier and happy.