NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing to expand the Dietary Guidelines for Americans into hospitals, integrating federal nutrition standards<\/a> into patient care.<\/p>\n On March 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), led by Dr. Mehmet Oz, sent a memo directing hospitals to align their meals with the guidelines by reducing ultraprocessed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined carbohydrates and added sugars.<\/p>\n Kennedy reportedly shared that Oz\u2019s memo effectively acts like a federal mandate, as hospitals may need to follow the dietary guidelines to maintain funding.<\/p>\n DR OZ BLASTS ‘WHITE FOODS’ AS OBESITY DRIVERS AS FEDERAL DIETARY GUIDELINES CONTINUE TO MAKE WAVES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Most hospital menus rely heavily on convenience foods, according to Dr. Hamid Khan, chief medical officer of Jorie AI, a healthcare revenue service.<\/p>\n “Patients are often served items such as pasta, processed deli meats, packaged snacks with artificial components, sugary desserts, cereals, juice and soda,” he told Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent a memo directing hospitals to align their meals with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Although many hospitals have begun the implementation of ‘healthier options<\/a>,’ the average menu still tends to prioritize low cost, long shelf life and ease of preparation over nutrition.”<\/p>\n Larger concerns include high sugar and sodium levels, processed ingredients and refined carbohydrates in hospital foods, Khan said. “There seems to be a lack of high-quality protein, fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy fats,” he added.<\/p>\n “The average hospital menu still tends to prioritize low cost, long shelf life and ease of preparation over nutrition.”<\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Khan said he has seen patients order their meals from Grubhub, DoorDash or Uber Eats because they felt the hospital menu options were not healthy enough.<\/p>\n “Most of the hospital meals do not provide adequate nutrients \u2026 to properly support healing, muscle maintenance, immunity or overall recovery,” he told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n “Poor nutrition only makes things worse for this patient pool,” Khan went on. “Ultimately, poor nutrition is very harmful for elderly patients<\/a> and people with chronic illnesses. They are at a higher risk for muscle loss, weakness, delayed healing, infection and re-infection.”<\/p>\n “There seems to be a lack of high-quality protein, fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy fats,” a doctor said.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Celebrity chef and restaurateur Geoffrey Zakarian is partnering with Tampa General Hospital in Florida to transform hospital dining, introducing Mediterranean diet\u2013inspired<\/a> meals for patients.<\/p>\n Zakarian told Fox News Digital that hospital food is often a mix of “high desire, low-value and low-nutrition food,” typically priced to meet a strict per-plate cost that hospitals cannot exceed.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “[There is] very little emphasis on original, pasture-raised proteins and fats like eggs, whole dairy grass-fed beef and poultry, and unprocessed vegetables,” he said.<\/p>\n In Tampa, Zakarian has been working since 2023 to eliminate all processed foods \u2014 removing items containing hormones, added sugars, seed oils and anything prepackaged.<\/p>\n “All the food originates from farms and gardens in and around Tampa,” he said, calling the mission “Farm to Gurney.”<\/p>\n “Patients are often served items such as pasta, processed deli meats, packaged snacks with artificial components, sugary desserts, cereals, juice and soda.”<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Sec. Kennedy and CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a similar initiative at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami.<\/p>\n Vani Hari, known as the “Food Babe,” told Fox News Digital that this is the first time leaders in Washington are openly acknowledging that food is medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “The fact that they had to send a memo reminding hospitals of that tells you everything about how broken the system is,” said Hari, who is based in North Carolina. “People are at their most vulnerable in a hospital bed<\/a> \u2013 and for decades, nobody in charge seemed to care what they were eating.”<\/p>\n Medicare and Medicaid fund the majority of inpatient services, including at least half of inpatient days at 96% of hospitals and two-thirds or more at 80% of hospitals, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA).<\/p>\n An AHA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that hospitals recognize that nutritious food is an essential part of healing and recovery.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n An AHA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that hospitals recognize nutritious food<\/a> is an essential part of healing and recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n “They are deeply committed to providing patients with high\u2011quality, nutritious meals that meet clinical standards, individual dietary needs and federal guidance,” said the spokesperson.\u00a0<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Hospital teams collaborate with registered dietitians and clinical staff<\/a> to make sure each patient receives meals tailored to their medical needs and recovery plan, according to the AHA.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The spokesperson also said the organization regularly evaluates current evidence-based nutrition recommendations and integrates them into meal programs.<\/p>\n “Beyond the hospital walls, we partner with community organizations to expand access to nutritious food, provide education on healthy eating, and support initiatives that promote long\u2011term wellness<\/a>,” they added.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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