hospital food should heal
Sign the Petition!
Join us in asking that Cork University Hospital serve healthier, balanced meals to all their patients and staff by signing the petition below.
It's simple:
We should be able to rely on our hospitals to provide the healthiest possible food. Cork University Hospital can and must do better.
We are eating too much meat and eggs, too many over-processed products, and not enough fruits and vegetables—and it's making us sick.
Because food environment is the primary influence of food choice, the health care institutions we rely on have a responsibility to provide leadership on healthy lifestyles for our communities by serving meals in line with the best nutrition evidence.
Nutrition science is clear. Cork University Hospital menus can and must make these common sense changes.
That's why we are asking Cork University Hospital leadership to commit to reducing the amount of disease-promoting foods on their menus and replace them with the things we know make kids grow strong and healthy: fresh fruits and vegetables, lean plant proteins, and whole grains.
The leading causes of preventable disease, chronic illness, and premature death in the Western Hemisphere are all related to diet and poor nutrition—diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and even some cancers. Children born today have a shorter predicted life expectancy than their parents as a result of skyrocketing diet-related diseases. Hospitals are the leading health care advocates in our communities. We need to be able to rely on them to provide leadership healthy lifestyles—and the time to act is now.
Reduce the amount of foods high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and sodium like meat, egg, dairy, and other processed products
Eliminate processed meats like hot dogs, pepperoni pizza, sausage and egg sandwiches, chicken nuggets and fish sticks
Replace unhealthy menu items with foods rich in nutrients and high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, plant proteins, and whole grains
Diversify protein options to include plant sources by serving a warm, meatless entree at every meal
Communities across Ireland are already suffering the consequences of imbalanced menus.
The problem: menus served by Cork University Hospital don't reflect a balanced diet.
Only 37% of people in Ireland eat the recommend amount of fruits and vegetables every day
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Only 25% of people over 75 eat even the minimum recommended amount of fruits and vegetables
Nearly 1 in 3 adults have a chronic, diet-related disease like high blood pressure or high cholesterol
3 of the top 4 leading causes of death in Ireland are diet-related, and therefore preventable
Too many products high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and sodium like meats, eggs, and full fat dairy products
1
Too many ultra-processed foods made with disease-promoting refined grains and processed meats
2
Too few health-promoting fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes
3
Imbalanced menus make it harder for patients to get the nutrients they need to recover, heal, and thrive.
Independent public health organization Balanced reviewed the healthfulness of CUH's menus and gave it a "D" grade—nearly a failing grade, with huge consequences for our community's health. In their analysis, Balanced found that the CUH served:
SUPPORTERS
Meet some of the people behind this effort to help Cork University Hospital serve healthier food.
Sonja Bucksch
Health Coach
As a Nutrition & Health Coach from Ireland, I get to see firsthand the effects of diet on a person's wellbeing. It is especially important that, when they are in hospital, they need special care and should be given the right food choices. The body has an enormous power to heal itself, but it needs our support and the right nutrients coming from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. I would love to see the CUH offering meals that contribute to the healing process of its patients and thus, have a strong impact on the health of Cork's community.
