The Most Dangerous Place to Eat in America

We can give you a liver transplant, but we don't know what real food is.

You just survived surgery. Time to push your body into full recovery mode. The medical staff has concerns about infection, scar tissue formation and how quickly they can get you back to full function. “Nurse, get him a plate of pseudo food heavy on corn starch, corn syrup, canola oil, artificial flavors and annatto for color.”

The American medical system needed a federal mandate to get hospitals to stop feeding the most health challenged among us junk food.

Consider the absurdity. You’re admitted to a hospital, your body is fighting to survive the ravages of chemotherapy, recovering from an appendectomy, you are in a diabetic crisis, you are healing from open heart surgery and the institution entrusted with your care brings you meal after meal that has a lower ROI than most fast food chains.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services just issued a Special Alert directing hospitals to align patient meals with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. No more ultra-processed foods, soda pop, white flour pancakes with corn syrup disguised as maple syrup, and microwaved in plastic macaroni cheese.

These epicenters of supposed human technological advancement have been a health trap for decades. Literally choosing to not nourish the human in their most compromised health state. A patient just had triple bypass surgery, now get him a Sprite. What’s wrong with this picture?

This isn’t a supply chain problem. We have grocery shelves filled with vegetable, fruit, meat, beans, nuts, seeds, oats, einkorn, buckwheat readily available.

We even have companies like Liquid Hope that supply organic whole food feeding tube formulas. I could prescribe liquid corn syrup with artificial vitamins all day long, but the second I recommend Liquid Hope? Nope can’t do it. Isn’t that gross. Gotta stick to non food substances for all sick patients.

The fact that it took the threat of losing federal funding to move the needle is disheartening. I am grateful that RFK and Oz are forcing health promotion, but to think institutions supposedly dedicated to healing (listen to their commercials and read their why we exist statements) had no internal motivation to get there on their own.

If you end up in an American hospital, it is paramount you have someone who will bring you real food. Unfortunately, you may have to sneak it in.

I hope none of us end up hospitalized, but imagine going into a hospital and being surrounded by a team of medical professionals who exemplified health, vigor and vitality? Who could also explain at a minimum what a whole food meal looks like, how to prepare it, where to procure the ingredients and why real, whole foods are essential for the best possible outcome?

I am grateful for the surgeon who saved my life when my appendix ruptured exactly 16 years ago. I’m also grateful I had family who brought me real food post surgery.

Accumulate Health, even in the hospital!