Why My Mother Refused To Eat Hospital Food

My mother was in the hospital this week for surgery. Thankfully, she came home today. However, I wanted to write to you about the diet she was placed on while in the hospital.

Since she had bowel surgery, she was put on clear liquids immediately after the surgery. When the clear liquid tray was brought up to my mother she said, "I would rather starve than eat that mess."

There were five items given to my mother (see the picture on the right). Chicken broth from bouillon, diet sorbet, decaffeinated coffee, diet jello, and something labelled fruit ice. The ingredients from the bouillon cubes included partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sugar, hydrolyzed corn pectin,and silicon dioxide. There were a few other ingredients that I could not pronounce--I would assume they are not good things to ingest. In fact, I have been telling my patients for years to read food labels and only purchase items where you can prounounce all the ingredients.

One other thing; she could have as much diet soda as she desired.

As for the fruit ice, diet jello, and diet sorbet, I did not see any healthy ingredients in them. The diet sorbet and jello contained aspartame. Asparatme is a very toxic substance and should be avoided.

You would think that a post-surgery patient, in the hospital, would be given healthy food to help heal the body. You can see what they gave my mother to eat was far from healthy. In fact, I would say what they tried to feed my mother would inhibit healing. The amount of refined sugar in these substances is bound to inhibit healing as studies have shown refined sugar actually disrupts the normal functioning of the white blood cells for a few hours. There was nothing nutritious in any of the items they served her.

What did we do? I was tempted to call the dietician to her room, but I felt that would not go well. Instead, I brought my mother healthier chicken broth made from an organically-fed chicken. I had her drink a lot of water and avoid the 'food' that was served to her.

My mother commented, "How do they expect you to heal with drinking unhealthy food?" It is truly amazing to me that patients do get better eating food like this.

I am sure patients would heal better if served healthy food in the hospital. It makes sense; provide the body with the proper nutrients and it will take care of itself.