|
|
|
Chef Dan Rytting prepares
natural beef tacos Thursday while working in the cafeteria at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
|
|
Good Shepherd goes from beef to bison
By Kathy Aney
of the East Oregonian
HERMISTON — For some
people, the words “hospital food” are not an appetizing fit. The term
conjures up images of Jell-O, pale broth and anemic green peas that have
spent too much time on a steam table.
Nancy Gummer, registered dietitian at Good Shepherd Medical Center, says
it’s time to forget those stereotypes and get ready for wild Alaskan
salmon, roasted sweet potatoes and cherry pie made from scratch — no
reservation required. If salmon doesn’t suit you, try a low-fat bison
burger.
Last year, Good Shepherd transformed its meal program when it moved to a
hotel-style room service for patients.
More recently, hospital dietitians gave the hospital menu a makeover,
banishing most canned and packaged foods and replacing them with organic
vegetables and fruit, whole grain breads and meats free of antibiotics
and hormones.
Many dishes are made on the spot. Cooks wait until they receive a
specific order to throw noodles in the pot or make guacamole for a
south-of-the-border entree.
Patients aren’t forced to eat at the hospital’s whim. When they start
feeling hungry, they peruse a restaurant-style menu, grab the phone and
call in their order.
Within a half an hour, the meal arrives bedside. Kitchen hours are 7 a.m. until midnight.
“People here are sick,” Gummer said. “They don’t necessarily feel like
eating at 8, noon and 5.”
In a move that raised a few eyebrows, hospital nutritionists replaced all
ground beef with bison.
“Bison has 75 percent less fat than beef and a third less fat than
chicken,” Gummer said. “The fat is monounsaturated, which helps to lower
bad cholesterol.”
Beef is still used in occasional hospital fare, but it’s natural, meaning
no antibiotics or growth hormone injections have been given to the
animal. The meat comes from Misty Isle Farms in Washington state.
“Data shows that antibiotics used in animals
contributes to antibiotic resistance in humans,” Gummer said.
The dietitians eliminated canned soups (except for tomato) from the
hospital kitchen, citing excessive sodium and MSG. They order only wild
salmon, which doesn’t have as much mercury contamination as farm-grown
salmon. Freshness is a prime consideration.
“It’s caught, it’s quick frozen and it really tastes fresh,” Gummer said.
“It doesn’t taste fishy.”
The salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, known to benefit the heart,
enhance immune function, normalize blood pressure and help control pain
and mood swings.
Hospital chefs now make pie crusts and fillings from scratch and avoid
commercially-prepared mixtures that offer little nutrition and plenty of
calories and additives.
“You’re not getting a bunch of slimy stuff with a couple of cherries in
it,” Gummer said. “We’re trying to serve food that is food. There’s
nothing extra, and it doesn’t cause you harm.”
Patients order 25 percent of hospital meals with the rest eaten by
employees and visitors. But Gummer invites anyone to order from the Guest
Menu.
“I will put it up against anybody else’s food,” she said.
Though kitchen staff must prepare meals individually and make a multitude
of dishes from scratch, the number of employees have
stayed about the same, Gummer said, and the make-to-order meal program
has brought one unexpected benefit.
“Our waste went to nothing,” she said.
|
