Do you think your work place should support healthy eating?

Nurses Rock Toon

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What vending machines do you have at work? Are the products healthy or junk food? I've seen some places with coffee vending machines - these taste HORRIBLE! Yuck. We are in the health business ... I often wonder why not offer ONLY healthy foods? What do you think?

Specializes in oncology.

At least we have choices! Most of our patients get served at times they did not choose with food they did not pick or possibly picked from a confusing menu where breakfast dysphagia 'pancakes' arrive in a bowl and have the consistency of pudding. I have heard that a few hospitals have experimented with allowing patients to order up when they are hungry and the dietary department responds much like a café/diner would. Patients love it and get to eat when they are hungry. This also saves on staff labor and food waste. Of course, if you are on any diet precautions these would still apply and you might still get the pudding pancake treatment.

Since I've gone to weekends while in RN school, I have no clue what our cafeteria serves. It's only open 6:30am to 4pm M-F, and is closed on all holidays too.

Specializes in LTC, ER, Med/Surg.

My opinion on this is: It's a personal choice to eat what you eat... BUT places of employment should offer healthy snacks for free (or AT LEAST cheaper than vending machine prices) as an incentive for the staff to eat healthier. This way it's a win-win situation for the staff and employer... Staff will feel better by eating healthier and it will boost moral (employer providing free or cheap food). But it would be pricey for the employer... The hospital I worked at had junk food vending machines but we also had reduced priced meals from the cafeteria that were healthy and pretty yummy. I normally brought my own food though. Haven't ran across coffee vending machines in any places I've worked at... pretty gross though, and employers should at least provide a coffee pot(s) for staff to use! Especially night shift, I drank so much coffee on night shift... Gotta stay awake in between call lights ringing and bed alarms going off lol

We have only healthy food and diet pop for employees yet our patients have other choices. It's unfair I think they should offer a bit of both we are adults and have the right to choose to have a little junk food to make our shift more bearable!

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Right now I'd kill for a coffee pot and a vending machine of ANY kind. I work in a new government building that has everything except the essentials of life. How can a three-story facility in the Northwest NOT have coffee anywhere on the premises??

Specializes in ICU.

One of our hospitals out here has what is called room service. You get a menu and call in the food when you want it. And let me tell you it is delish. The absolute best hospital food I had ever had. I spent 3 months there in 2009 due to blood clots. I had a PE in my left lung and a blood clot in my carotid artery. I also had pneumonia. So it was a mess. The one thing I remember is they had the best chicken caesar salad which I ate for one of meals daily. Had really good pudding also. I know that sounds weird but if you have to be deathly ill and stuck in the hospital for 3 long months the food needs to be good!!

Specializes in Med/Surg, Rehab, Case management.

I can't figure out how diet pop became "healthy."

The hospital where I used to work had a huge menu for patients. Where I work now they have two or three entree choices a meal and some of our patients are there for two months so it's the same thing over and over.

Right now I'd kill for a coffee pot and a vending machine of ANY kind. I work in a new government building that has everything except the essentials of life. How can a three-story facility in the Northwest NOT have coffee anywhere on the premises??

They don't have a break room where you could have a coffee pot??

Right now I'd kill for a coffee pot and a vending machine of ANY kind. I work in a new government building that has everything except the essentials of life. How can a three-story facility in the Northwest NOT have coffee anywhere on the premises??

More importantly--how can a government facility not have a coffee pot on the premises??

In my branch, that'd be considered out of regs!

I so agree that the work place should support healthy eating amongst their employees. The facility where I work is in a rural area. The only option we have is a vending machine full of candy, chips, snack cakes, and a couple of strange microwave meals. I bought one of the pre fab microware meals cause I was starving, ate it, and the next morning I woke with my face swollen from all the salt in that concoction. Of course its important for us to keep our energy up with healthy foods, and sometimes I just don't have the extra time or energy to pack a healthy dinner. Candy and coffee- gross!!!

Specializes in Critical Care, Nsg QA.

At my facility there much talk of healthy eating, yet fried foods are in abundance. Fresh fruit/salad bar is unbelievably expensive. I bring my own most of the time.

Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.

We have junk food vending machines and healthy food in the cafeteria (although any healthy food offered can be made unhealthy, lol).

I absolutely looove junk food. I especially love it when I can sink my teeth into a Snickers bar on hour 13 of my 12 hour shift.

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