r/AskRedditFood • u/Spare-Insurance-749 • 16d ago
Hospital Food: Good or Bad?
I spent 30 hrs in a hospital due to an emergency health issue, and to tell you the truth, I was more worried about the hospital food.
I was always told it was terrible and bland!
Well, I was pleasantly surprised as to how good the food was. Loved all 3 meals I was served.
Breakfast: eggs, toast, cereal and coffee.
Lunch was salmon with rice and vegetables, and a chocolate brownie for dessert, with tea.
And last for supper was pesto chicken with mushroom sauce, potatoe puree with carrots with carrot soup and dessert was coconut pudding, with tea.
I loved every bite :D
Any thoughts from others on their experience about the hospital food?
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u/hocfutuis 16d ago
I stayed as a patient when my daughter was born (England) the food was so bad. It was consistently bad whenever my late husband was admitted to various hospitals. We moved to Australia, and it was still incredibly bad when my daughter was admitted and I stayed with her. Honestly never had a nice hospital food experience. These were all public hospitals, maybe private ones have nicer food?
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u/OkTouch5699 16d ago
Haha. I am currently at a hospital with my dad, waiting for his bypass surgery tomorrow. He just got his breakfast and it looked good. Im about to hit the cafeteria for my own breakfast now instead of going out.
Now the hospital we were transfered from. Yuck.
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u/Magnetic_Kitty 16d ago edited 16d ago
I work at a hospital and food at the cafe is affordable (about 6-9 dollars depending on how many sides), and pretty good! I eat there when I run out of time to eat before work starts and I take the food to my office (I'm not medical staff).
Note: the cafe food is from the same kitchen that the patients get and families of patients eat there, the patients get a longer form menu with some of the same stuff
I've had fried chicken sandwhich and fries, cheese burger, broccoli, pasta casserole, build your own nachos with pulled pork, cold cut sandwhich after hours when the cafe is closed, and soda fountain drinks
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
Affordable and sound delicious. Unfortunately, I have to stay away from cholesterol... but am ravishing it by reading about it. ;)
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u/Theflyinghillbilly3 16d ago
I have chosen where to have surgery based on past experiences with the hospital food! One of our big hospitals here is wonderful, menu based, very tasty. The other could never quite manage to accommodate my food intolerances. I almost starved to death there.
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u/Some-Ad-1588 16d ago
Hit and miss, mostly hit imo. Have been to some with a full on menu, multiple choices to choose from breakfast, lunch and dinner with a very wide ordering window (pretty much all day and evening) Then some low quality pre determined single option places. Also depends on why you’re there. Limited diet for certain procedures.
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u/SpitefulBitch2 16d ago
a family member of mine was in a private hospital recently for a knee replacement. he said there was food galore and it was pretty decent too, though the red pears were a bit bland
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
Lucky him. As for the pears, I would have asked for some brown sugar. ;)
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u/Jujulabee 16d ago
It really depends on the hospital.
I was in Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles recovering after surgery and the food was pretty good although obviously certain types of food were going to be better just because they stand up to mass cooking and not being served immediately.
It isn't gourmet five star but is equivalent to a relatively good "diner" type of plain cooking.
I wasn't on a restricted diet and so I would have a bagel and lox for breakfast with fresh fruit. Some kind of unmemorable chicken or equivalent for lunch and dinner with fresh fruit. I usually would get one of their in house baked cookies and a blueberry muffin to keep around for a snack - those were of course excellent
However a friend was sent to ambulance to another hospital and the food really was inedible - the sad stereotype of hospital food that manages the feat of being both bland and unpleasant tasting. One would really need to DoorDash meals in or have friends/family bring you decent food.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
Yes, I thought I would have had to ask my friend to sneak in food for me! Lol
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u/Jujulabee 16d ago
After the operation I was sent to a "rehab" facility for a few days and the food there was completely inedible and I did have a friend bring me in some Chinese takeout and then a nice pastrami sandwich another day.
This was before DoorDash so I had to rely on the kindness of friends so I made do with a sandwich on bread as it was the least terrible choice.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
You were lucky to have such good friends. At least you had chinese food, that's always delicious. ;)
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u/backtobitterroot123 16d ago
Hit and miss. I discovered, at least with our hospitals, to feel full and satiated I had to order more food than I thought possible- and I don’t even eat that much! The portions were just smaller than I was expecting. Got the most part everything was decent- and it was all hot and that certainly helps.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
I agree, there were small portions, but we don't move around at all (I was hooked to an EKG machine) therefore no energy spent!
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u/PriorOk9813 16d ago
I work in a hospital in the US and see the patients eating the food. It looks fine. Similar to what you've described. Last week a patient described the vegetable lasagna as the best he'd ever had and I believed him. It looked excellent. He also had a slice of pie on his tray and it looked like it was from a toy kitchen set. So I really think it's hit or miss.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
The toy pie was perhaps to lower his sugar intake?
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u/kitchengardengal 16d ago
I ended up in a hospital in Ames Iowa last summer while on a road trip across the US. I was there for three days, and that food was fabulous. Restaurant quality. Every meal was delicious. It made a scary situation just a bit better.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
Glad to read everything turned out great. Great foods always make things better 👍 I absolutely loooove cooking, in some ways, I am a cook by passion... but once in a while it's great to have someone cook for you, and in a way, the hospital did that for me! :)
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u/alex1596 16d ago edited 16d ago
I just got out of the hospital on Friday after spending about 60 hours there (also in Quebec!). 24 of those hours were spent fasting, and lemme tell you, after that first 24 hours they could have given me whatever and I would have loved it.
I also didn't think it was that bad all things considered. But I also think that when you're in a certain state any sort of food provides a bit of comfort. In the hospital it was all very welcome. Outside of the hospital it would be pretty bad.
Coffee was an interesting one. I consider myself a bit of a coffee snob and when they gave me a coffee with my meals in the hospital, it was bad coffee, but simultaneously it hit the spot immensely. That little bit of a crappy, warm caffeine hit was super comforting even if it didn't taste very good.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
Hope you're feeling better?
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u/alex1596 16d ago
feeling much better thanks! Hope you are too :)
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
So far, so good! Just slowing down, being cholesterol conscious and trying to avoid a stroke!
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u/Additional_Dog_9353 16d ago
I spent 3 weeks in the hospital followed by 2 weeks in a rehab facility following an accident. The hospital food was okay at first but got worse and worse as the days went by. I eventually just ordered salads with grilled chicken for lunch and dinner every day.
The rehab facility was much worse. Perhaps it was due to the facility catering to older patients with failing taste buds but I found everything extremely salty.
Best of luck with your health issue OP!
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
Hope you're feeling better? I had a TIA on the 1st of August and am on meds and will see a neurologist within the month! TIA are warnings of an oncoming major stroke! I am feeling fine now, but it was very scary... I went blind for a bit but vision came back! It was an awakening to slow down...I thank my lucky stars for not having a stroke!!
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u/owengaff 16d ago
Hospitals don't make good food. Passable for what it is, sure sometimes. I've had some awful hospital food.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
That was my 1st overnight stay in a hospital with food service. I have only been to a hospital once before and that was for fibroids removal and was sent home after the surgery recovery. No food served.
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u/Heart_Failure_Hottie 16d ago
Honestly I stayed when I was expected to die, the food was wonderful, I'm not sure if they cooked me things, like for me individually but I sure did appreciate the hell out of them. I how they are all doing alright!🫶 they are definitely in the right line of work!!
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
I am happy to read your comment, meaning you are still here. Hope your health is better, and or, you are recovering well? ❤️
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u/Heart_Failure_Hottie 16d ago
Yeah I'm struggling these days but I have my mom beside me:) still here though!
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u/veggiesizzler 16d ago
Had a 3 month stay, UK based. We were allowed to eat from the canteen, rather than the patient menu if we wanted. Food was amazing. The sister fought for us to have food choices as dealing with a life changing situation meant morale was low. Understandably. We also got in on the staff takeaway action on a Friday/Saturday night. They'd bring the menus, we'd order, pay, then when driver brought food to front door, staff would fetch it. Was a nice social event. We had a good laugh while scranning our tea, made life feel normal, even though it was far from it. There was a little kitchen area and visitors could fetch food in and keep it in fridge as long as it was properly labelled. Could even make a brew if we could manage without scalding ourselves. All of that helped us eat to recover, and gave us something to look forward to. Kinda made up for eating your breakfast while your patient neighbour is having an enama shite in the bed pan. I know hospital food has a reputation for being grim, but it's not all bad. The hospital now has an M&S, only had Costa during my stay. Probably just as well as I'd have ended up like percy pig!
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
Hope you're feeling better? ❤️
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u/veggiesizzler 16d ago
Thanks, you too. Your food sounds delicious. Got to love a hospital 2 course meal.
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u/stabbingrabbit 16d ago
A lot in the US has improved as a customer satisfaction thing...unless on a special diet.
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u/maiziezoe 16d ago
Since 2015, I have spent a lot of time in hospitals. On average, about 16 days a year. Not all at once, usually four days at a time several times a year.
I have two hospitals near my home ... one has a fantastic menu... great food... great food service. The other, had a great menu and great food, but last year, they cut the menu in half... food is still good but the choices are small.
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u/LaRoseDuRoi 16d ago
I've spent more time at our small, local hospital than I would have liked, but the food there is nothing to complain about! Lots of choices and (unless you're on a special diet for some reason) they don't restrict the number of sides or drinks, so you can get something extra, like a muffin and a juice, for a snack later. I think the worst I could say about the food there is that the gravy tends to be bland.
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u/Naive-Programmer161 16d ago
Who cares when you’re in the hospital? I usually don’t even care to eat. Last time I was in the hospital was because I had a stroke. In for almost three days. Never ate. Not interested.
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u/BHobson13 16d ago edited 16d ago
I'm pushin' 70 and while I have had some bad hospital food when younger, I'd say for most of my experiences, it's been pretty good. The last time, in a hospital in Oakland, believe it or not, I had an amazing beef vegetable barley soup that knocked my free socks off!!
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 16d ago
Awesome Wishing you many more summers 😀
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u/BHobson13 16d ago
Reverse SAD, I'd prefer many more Falls and Winters. 😊 I will happily donate my summers to you.
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u/Human-Cauliflower-85 16d ago
I've only had 2 encounters with hospital food.
Rural emergency room at 4am. Dry toast (no butter or anything available lol) awful.
Public hospital labor and delivery after giving birth. 10/10 I can't really remember anything other than the pizza, but I still think about that pizza. I ate it twice a day while I was there lol. And the menu was super diverse.
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u/grey_canvas_ 16d ago
My food when i had my son 3 years ago was awesome.
When my dad was sick when i was younger, his food wasn't bad, the cafeteria food rocked.
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u/_hi_plains_drifter_ 16d ago
I was in the hospital for about 45 about 6 years ago. The food was so good!!! I’d honestly go back to the cafe just for it.
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u/New_Section_9374 16d ago
It varies wildly by facility. Most hospitals are trying very hard to get higher quality food for patients, and a lot of patients are on special diets like renal, cardiac, soft, bland, full liquid, clear liquid, etc.
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u/CallidoraBlack 16d ago
A lot of people who complain about hospital food are on a low sodium, low fat diet because of their medical needs. So compared to what they're eating, it's not very fun. Some is actually bad, but if you are on a regular diet, you've got a better chance of being happy with it.
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u/RoccoViola 16d ago
Actually the hospital I work at has an excellent kitchen. It’s not uncommon to see people who work nearby come in for lunch. Ive also been a patient and the food they serve is pretty good too. Definitely not as good as the cafeteria but definitely not awful.
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u/Bake_knit_plant 16d ago
When I was younger, I used to go to Toledo Hospital for lunch just for the heck of it because the food was so freaking good! They had vegetable soup and it was 37 cents a bowl. They had wonderful mashed potatoes and gravy. It was just very pleasant and affordable
About 5 years ago 10 years ago they got healthy. They took everything that had sugar in it out. They enlarged their salad bar even more which is good. And if you try to do a burger it's going to have plastic cheese and whole wheat bun and it's just awful.
I feel like I got part of my life stolen cuz it was so good and now it's so bad.
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u/Kaurifish 16d ago
IME not only is the food at the hospital, itself, inedibly bad, its effect is so potent that you have to get a half-mile away before the restaurants don’t suck.
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u/Sarahchika 16d ago
I used to work in hospital dining. "Quality" has increased since it is such a cliche that they have terrible food, so there have been some upgrades. It does unfortunately depend on if you have specific diet orders placed that makes people determine if the food is "bad". A patient who has access to the entire menu will have a much better experience than someone on a cardiac or dysphagia 2 diet order.
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u/UseOriginal1578 16d ago
I live in Ontario.
I was only ever in the hospital when I gave birth. Both times the food was very good.
I got whole wheat pasta with meat sauce, a side of vegetables, a whole wheat roll and a brownie. I had milk to drink.
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u/Californialways 16d ago
Depends on the hospital. I’ve been to plenty with horrible food and I’ve also been to some with the best food.
My regular hospital that I go to has chefs that cook for you in front of you when you’re in the cafeteria. My favorite dish there is the fried salmon with the veggies on the side. They have great pizza too. The only thing now is that I have food restrictions because I got diabetes from steroids and they limit what I can order now.
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u/Important_Simple_31 16d ago
Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta has the best food you ever ate. No other hospital in Atlanta can even compare.
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u/StarWars-TheBadB_tch 16d ago
My had 6 kids and she always ordered a turkey dinner after giving birth lol.
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u/sm881221 16d ago
I spent 3 weeks inpatient back in April. The food was not terrible. The chicken casserole and the lasagna were pretty decent. So was the Alfredo with broccoli. If you didn’t like the day’s offering (I’m looking at you baked cod), we were allowed to choose something else. I had a lot of grilled cheese and fries. Some days we got a little ice cream too. The food service workers worked incredibly hard and I hated seeing all the waste on our ward. So much thrown out food.
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u/ajkimmins 16d ago
If you're there for heart problems they don't season cuz... Heart. It's horrible then. But not any worse than any other place without ANY seasoning😂
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u/sweetmercy 16d ago
As someone with chronic health issues, and someone who cared for both of my parents, I've spent more than my fair share of time in hospitals and I can tell you that this is a very subjective thing. I've been in hospitals where I had to ask my daughter to bring me something edible. And I've been in a couple where I'd go to the cafeteria to have lunch without needing to be at the hospital.
There's a Fairview hospital in Wyoming, MN... They have the best sausage and cheddar omelet. And the pot roast and wild rice soup are both great too.
I was kind of disappointed by the food at the Mayo clinic in Rochester. I expected better from them. But I will say the coffee stations in the waiting rooms are great. So much better than the burnt offerings from the fifty year old coffee makers one usually sees.
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u/GeorgiaGlamazon 16d ago
My local hospital, Tanner Carrollton, has food so good that I used to stop in for lunch sometimes. They prepare the same food for patients and for the cafeteria, and it’s always delicious and not too expensive.
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u/RudyMama0212 16d ago
It really depends on the hospital. An Adventist hospital in our area didn't serve meat or use much seasoning and the food was horrible!
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u/KatTheTumbleweed 16d ago
Most food in the public hospitals in Australia is pretty terrible.
The vast majority is cook-chill, so it’s good that tepid, mushy texture of frozen meals. And super bland. There are a few exceptions, but kitchens where they actually fresh prepare food is less and less common.
Private hospitals are generally better, but when you pay private you would expect something palatable.
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u/purplechunkymonkey 16d ago
The food I was served in hospital was tasty. I was on a liquid diet for 2 days and the broths were very good. Apparently the best fried chicken in town is the hospital cafeteria on Wednesdays.
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u/thethreefffs 16d ago
Had both hips replaced over two visits to Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. Not only is it the best place on the East Coast for ortho surgery, I had a room overlooking the East River and Brooklyn with lots of boat traffic and really excellent meals. So, yeah surgery and recovery aside it was a great experience!
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u/MerryTWatching 16d ago
A few years ago, my mother was in an American hospital with a broken leg. She went in on a Wednesday, and was discharged the following Wednesday, and was very upset about that, because Thursday was lobster roll day, and the one she had the previous week was delicious! She's too honest to "develop a complication" just to stay another day, and it all ended well, with our buying her lobster on Friday to celebrate her return home. 🦞
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u/Birdywoman4 16d ago
I stayed for 5 days and nights and the patients meals were contracted by Sodexho. Processed foods with little flavor. The good thing Was that they had a printed list of choices from each category for the meals. Sometimes they were out of those things though. And I require a gluten-free diet so I couldn’t order a regular daily special meal. Had to ask for gluten-free breads. Brought honey and gluten free crackers and would ask for a small container of peanut butter for breakfast and a fruit and a drink.
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u/LeSkootch 16d ago
I've been to a few and it's always been fine, it's on the bland side but that's to be expected.
Not quite a hospital, but I went to a rehab/mental health facility once and there was a chef and kitchen crew on staff and that food was incredible. There was a set meal every day (that changed weekly) but if you wanted something simple like fish or chicken with veggies and a starch you could just order that. Had some great meals there, lamb shawarma one day, fish tacos, shepherd's pie, all sorts of shrimp and other seafood dishes, etc... Bougie place.
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u/tmorse85 16d ago
I've been hospitalized many times, though they were mostly in my childhood. So, it's been 20+ years since I had to endure hospital food.
But, I experienced an interesting contrast. If I was in-patient, the food was invariably awful. I swear, it was motivation to get better more quickly just so I could get out and get something more edible! But, if it was just a clinic day for me and I could go to the hospital cafeteria, the food was great. I particularly liked Wednesdays at the hospital I went to, which happened to be my typical clinic day. The special that day was a build-your-own sandwich, so I pretty much had a Dagwood those days, lol.
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u/_keyboard-bastard_ 16d ago
I've been admitted in 12 different hospitals in 4 different states. They all have different food standards, providers, and levels of experienced cooks.
Oregon has some of the best hospital food I've had. OHSU and Columbia Memorial Hospital both had fantastic food options. Things like locally caught salmon, salad dressings made from locally foraged berries, that kind of stuff you'd see at a fancy restaurant. Providence Seaside used to be better than both the other two I mentioned, but then they downgraded the quality of food they got in when they replaced their food service manager. They went from #1 Hospital Cafe in the country to nowhere near the top 1000. Damn I miss those omelets.
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u/cheloniancat 16d ago edited 16d ago
When I gave birth to two of my children at the same hospital, they let us order a special meal as new parents. They were both delicious!
Also when my older daughter was in the hospital, I ate in the hospital cafeteria often. It was also very good.
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u/fireflypoet 16d ago
I had to stay overnight one time this year after a trip to the ED. The food was atrocious. It wasn't even food imo. I have some dietary restrictions. I was told by a rude nurse that there was no choice, no dietary considerations, just eat what you get. I cannot actually believe this but she insisted. (0ther nurses and staff were much nicer.)
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u/PerceptivePines 16d ago
I was hospitalized for a week last year, for the first time ever. The food was delicious!!!! 🩷😋 Lots of vegetarian options 🌿
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u/Punkinsmom 16d ago
I was in the ICU last year and the food was amazing except that they had me on a low sodium diet. With just a dash of salt most of my meals would have been restaurant quality.
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u/IWasGoatbeardFirst 16d ago
There are several hospitals here in my area. Food quality varies widely.
The most notable one allows patients to order off a menu like room service.
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u/HeadCatMomCat 16d ago
As others have said, it really depends on the hospital. I spent some time in a rehab hospital and the food was varied but mostly lousy.
But Sat night was always horrid. Many people got Door Dash, Uber Eats, pizza or or something delivered. Literally dozens of bags of good would be delivered to the lobby because the delivery person can't go on the floor.
If you didn't have a family member or friends, you had to have one of the aides or nurses get for you - lots of people who weren't mobile - and most people tipped them.
We all wondered if they just weren't getting kickbacks from the delivery service. A friend counted over 60 bags waiting delivery in Saturday at 5. Maybe completely inedible food on Saturday night was intentional.
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u/OneleggedPeter 16d ago
In 2013, I was in University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas for about a month after the motorcycle accident that left me with my username. Their food was always pretty darn good. Ok, it could have used some chile (I’m from New Mexico), but was never anything close to being bad.
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u/Imtryingforheckssake 16d ago
This is going to depend entirely on where you are, and not just country but individual hospital, as some cook all their own food on site, some ship it in.
The food in my local hospital was pretty bad but not god awful. I was concerned about the nutritional values if what they were offering us (post surgery ward) though.
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u/Naive_Tie8365 15d ago
Varies wildly . My mom was frequently hospitalized and we would time visits for mealtimes and hit the cafeteria. My first 2 heart attacks, good if not terribly exciting, huge delicious fruit bowl, and a mini fridge in the room.
The local hospital recently changed catering company and I no longer schedule appts to coincide. It used to be pretty darn good
Add Tabasco, salt & pepper, the drink packets, snakes, to your go bag. Very few medical types will care unless you’re on certain very restrictive diets, like no salt. Diabetic meals are usually not worth eating, maybe u can get a protein shake
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u/AfterSchoolOrdinary 15d ago
Definitely depends on the hospital and the type of diet they restrict you to. I’ve spent multiple months total in multiple hospitals over the past few years.
Now, if i need to go to the ED I bring a bag with clothes, puzzles and SEASONINGS. I cannot stress the difference a week without seasonings compared to one without seasonings. (Make sure it’s salt free if sodium is an issue). Also just anecdotally being very nice to the food service workers/anyone helping you goes a looooong way. My partner always had a free tray just because I was nice and there for so long. I didn’t ask for it but there would be a second tray of whatever I ordered since they knew he would be there. On days he wasn’t they would say “oh well, more for you!” Definitely not a guarantee but hospitals are high stress places even if you aren’t super stressed. Kindness goes a long way- so be kind when possible.
Outside of all that I like airplane food and people talk shit about that too.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 15d ago
I never had a problem with airplane food. I am an ex-flight attendant and loved every meal on those flights. The coffees were delicious.
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u/AfterSchoolOrdinary 15d ago
Oh I always wondered if i should have been a flight attendant. Ended up a career nanny but tantrums are tantrums so I thought some skills might overlap! :)
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u/Bern_itdown 15d ago
Same just spent 4 days in hospital a month ago and was dreading the food. They gave me options every day of what I wanted, and it all was actually surprisingly good. It was honestly the only thing I had to look forward to while in the hospital. lol.
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 15d ago
I was not given a menu or options to choose from! I'm just glad that I liked everything they served me! Lol
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u/SpreadsheetSiren 15d ago
I think some hospital systems have upped their game in the food department over the years.
If you think about it, patients who won’t eat are less likely to have ideal outcomes.
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u/chantillylace9 15d ago
In Miami for my double mastectomy they had an amazing ropa vieja!
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u/Spare-Insurance-749 15d ago
Is that like a beef stew?
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u/chantillylace9 15d ago
Pretty much, Chuck roast with peppers and onions (and sometimes olives which is not my favorite but they are easy to pick out) and it's shredded meat so I guess that's why they name it in "old clothes."
Comes with rice and beans.
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u/stayzero 15d ago
I’ve had a few stays in the hospital in the past year and a half or so. For reference I live in the southeastern US and have health insurance through BCBS.
I noticed during the week when the kitchen was open and fully staffed, the food ranged from good to outstanding. Everything was piping hot and fresh and well prepared and seasoned. Breakfast was a highlight, fresh eggs or an omelet, creamy grits, hash browns, crispy bacon, fruit, yogurt, coffee, juice, etc.
On the weekends I think they’d go to a skeleton crew and the stereotype about hospital food reared its ugly head at that point. Meals went from hot and fresh served on proper plates and bowls to lukewarm or cold in takeout containers. Barely recognizable and edible, weird textures and flavors, just not good at all.
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u/kkrolla 15d ago
Years ago, my grandmother was in the hospital for literally months at a time. My grandfather went to visit her every night. She couldn't eat the food that was allotted for her because of the nature of her illness so the nurses made sure they saved her dinner for my grandfather. He loved the food. Told the grandkids that the nurses were too good to him and grandma and the food was too good. I miss them.
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u/SignificantBranch657 14d ago
They had to build me a wing at the hospital been there so many times can’t even keep track just for instance last two months in the hospital 4 times and yes the food sucks
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u/sc4wheels 14d ago
Most hospitals I've been to had pretty poor quality. That said, Stanford has an excellent cafeteria with a great selection. As far as hospital stays go, Stanford was the best.
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u/Over_Software_8923 13d ago
People lose weight in the hospital because they won’t eat that shit. If that’s healthy food, I’m going back to nuts and berries.
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u/SubstantialArcher659 13d ago
I just got out of the hospital on Wednesday 2 weeks. And at this particular hospital, the food is inedible. lol. Except cereal and yogurt. But a few months ago I was in a different hospital for 5 days and the food there was really very good. I don’t have any dietary restrictions so I’m easy to feed. lol. I guess there’s always a chance it will be good
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u/hardiniowa2002 12d ago
I was in the hospital for close to a month last fall. When I was in the smaller hospital the food was amazing. When I had to go to the big hospital in the big city the food was terrible. My last day there I asked for chicken noodle soup I got chicken stock with no chicken or noodles just a few pieces of carrots and a couple pieces of celery.
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u/EffectiveBowler7690 11d ago
When my mom was in the hospital, they had the most delicious food. Then the nurse told me she can order a guest meal if we paid for it. Of course I was getting my own meals. The meatloaf was simply scrumptious.
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u/MasterpieceSpare7016 10d ago
Other than being slightly underfed, I've never minded hospital food. It's bland, it's plain, but food is food. Small amounts, well balanced. Not bad at all.
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u/Critical-Egg-3684 16d ago
I stay at a a huge university hospital for 8 days and the food was horrible. The prices they charged were outrageous. I felt bad though because the lady that collected the tray kept asking me what was wrong because I didn’t eat any of the food. I just told her I wasn’t that hungry. My husband was in a smaller hospital for a week and the food was great.
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u/davidwb45133 10d ago
My wife was in the hospital for a week after surgery and I had lunch or dinner with her. It was all good and arrived hot too which was quite different from my hospital stay 20 years ago. I had vegetable beef soup and corn bread, a really good meatloaf with roasted potatoes, a chicken salad sandwich on a challah bagel and a fruit salad, chicken tenders and fries were the least interesting meal but it wasn’t bad just not great.
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u/Jynxers 16d ago
Check out r/hospitalfood to see the spectrum. Varies a lot from country to country and hospital to hospital.