"hospitals" news and stories

This is probably going to start a trend: hospitals in Wales have banned vending machines that sell soda and candy.

They are going to phase out the vending machines over the next six months. But one hospital, University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, will still have junk food vending machines in 2010. Not sure why they get special treatment, but if you're visiting someone in a Wales hospital and have a craving for Cadbury chocolate, you'll have to go there.

The junk food machines are going to be replaced with machines that have healthier food options, such as fruit juice. Though I hope they're looking at the sugar content of some of those so-called "healthy" fruit juices.

Hospitals have never been known for having good food, but after years of complaints from patients and their families, hospitals began to take a closer look at what they were serving. Now, many hospitals have taken up the challenges of providing tasty and healthy food with enthusiasm.

Instead of using versions of standard, pre-processed food service dishes, hospital kitchens are making food from scratch, using fresh, local and organic ingredients. Instead of jello and mystery meat, meals include meats like wild salmon and lean buffalo, paired with fresh vegetables, pasta and fruits. At some locations, hospitals are hosting farmers markets in their parking lots that bring local foods directly to the hospital for nearby residents, staff members, patients and visitors. It goes without saying that these changes are also good for hospital employees, who often take their meals in the building's cafeteria while on break.

All the changes mean that the food is good enough to make you actually want to eat there - which is something you probably thought you would never think about hospital food.

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