Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Has The Right Idea

Love these Sunday mornings when I can relax a little and take my time with the papers. This morning Chris and I went out for breakfast and decided to buy the NY Sunday Times to peruse through while eating.

There was an article that caught my attention in the front section (not the SundayStyles section as usual!) for 2 reasons. One because it was about Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and one of my good friends works there as a plastic surgeon, and two because it was about an executive chef that works there that caters to the needs of young patients. "Goodbye, neon Jell-O and watery broth!"

From my perspective healthy eating is a necessity all the time but especially in times of sickness and disease. It never made sense to me that patients in hospitals were being fed garbage. Nothing nutritious to actually give them strength and support. Even though a long time ago, I still remember my grandma and great-aunts and uncles in hospitals and seeing mashed potatoes and gravy and Jell-O. What the....????

The article says that Sloan-Kettering patients can actually order meals from one of 75 room-service menus - kosher, halal, vegan, low-sodium, etc. One of the pediatric oncologists even noted that eating well can speed recovery and keep patients off intravenous nutrition.

Cancers and chemotherapy can often result in mouth sores, nausea and vomiting and difficulty swallowing. Having certain dietary restrictions is also pretty normal in these situations. The chef will meet with pediatric patients and their parents to discuss food preferences. How wonderful to be able to make a child with cancer happy because the hospital could provide a meal that was not only suitable nutritionally but also something like his/her mom would make at home.

Love it.