Healthcare System Commits to Plant-Centric Menu
According to Food Management, California’s Palomar Health, a public health district with three San Diego-area hospitals serving 12 communities, has “made a formal commitment to plant-based eating with a major shift in the ratio of plants to meat on both patient and retail menus.”
According to the article, hospital CEO Bob Hemker stated that Palomar Health would focus on “prevention-based measures” and “food as medicine,” therefore committing to plant-based food replacing “traditional center-of-the-plate meat in 60 percent of the menus.” In a statement, Hemker said:
“Healthy eating is the foundation of vitality…our cuisine is an extension of our mission-which is to heal, comfort and promote health in the community we serve.”
Some of the vegan options on the menu include jackfruit barbecue sliders, seared tofu steak with Asian sauces, a housemade quinoa-black bean burger, zucchini noodles with heirloom tomatoes, garlic and fresh pepper and cauliflower steaks with a rich caper sauce.
Jim Metzger, CHA and director of hospitality at Palomar Health, added that for a healthcare foodservice, it’s an “obligation to be a moral compass.” You can read the full article here.
Photo Credit: www.palomarhealth.org