Plant-based (vegan) mandate for NY hospitals

[Emergent]

What do you think of the new bill passed in New York State requiring vegan options on the menu?

It does appear to be a political endorsement of this diet over others, such as paleo, which had benefited many as well. While I definitely favor choice for patients, this law is promoting a plant-based as superior.

Also, whenever government imposes another mandate, it creates an expensive bureaucracy and burdensome red tape.

New York's landmark bill guarantees healthful plant-based meals to hospital patients

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

10 hours ago, Emergent said:

Obviously, this is, yet another, fruitless discussion here. Such a waste of time...

Why, because people disagree with you? Why be so childish?

[klone, MSN, RN]

Emergent, don't be a baby. Get back here and defend your arguments!

[PeakRN]

I have no problem with vegetarians, I have several of them in my family.

I wouldn't automatically assume that a vegetarian diet is a healthy one, there are plenty of vegetarians and even vegans who are quite overweight.

If this was about providing healthy options then why not mandate that the menu items provided by hospitals must label nutritional information?

[Orion81RN]

On 12/14/2019 at 10:41 AM, Emergent said:

It does appear to be a political endorsement of this diet over others, such as paleo, which had benefited many as well. While I definitely favor choice for patients, this law is promoting a plant-based as superior.

I don't know that I completely agree. If they were taking away options, then I would fully agree that they (politicians) are dismissing diets such as keto (a diet that is greatly benefitting me personally.) I do see they are trying to remove *processed* meats. I think that's ok.

The article, the writers, on the other hand, is definitely promoting a plant based diet as THE way to go. I'm frankly pretty tired of hearing from everyone else how I should be eating. I think people can live healthy lives as vegans, vegetarians, ultra low carbers...Whatever works for you.

I get pretty defensive about my diet. I do intermittent fasting for example. I was listening to a Registered dietitian absolutely bash IF, and I had to click away bc I got so irritated in the moment.

[Orion81RN]

On 12/14/2019 at 8:33 PM, Emergent said:

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/rise-of-veganism-in-politics/

http://dailynexus.com/2017-05-22/the-politics-of-veganism/

Ok, I genuinely tried to read through the entirety of that 2nd article. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for the author to explain HOW this is political. Sorry, I'm not spending a half hour of reading to understand your feelings. If someone asks me why I feel or believe a certain way, I explain. I don't simply pass out assigned reading. I'm not saying veganism isn't politicized. Im simply ignorant as to how. *If* it is.

[Orion81RN]

On 12/15/2019 at 9:10 AM, LibraSunCNM said:

Well, that I can understand ? I hear that complaint about vegans a lot but in my experience, the vegans I've know have been actually pretty quiet about it. Keto on the other hand...haha. I don't think there's a vast government conspiracy at play to favor vegans. I do think that the environmental impact of the meat industry will become untenable really soon (sadly, as I love meat and dairy).

I keep hearing this lately. That people who eat keto don't stop talking about it. I only mentioned it here bc its pertinent to the conversation. In general I don't tell anyone at all. I don't want to hear people's misinformed opinions on it. I don't want the judgement, nor the unsolicited advice. I don't even tell my doctors anymore. I just say "low carb."

When I do hear people talking about keto its bc they were asked about it. When you lose a significant amount of weight and reverse health problems, people want to know how you did it. And then there's YouTube. And its literally their job to talk about it. They get paid for their content.

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

4 hours ago, Orion81RN said:

I keep hearing this lately. That people who eat keto don't stop talking about it. I only mentioned it here bc its pertinent to the conversation. In general I don't tell anyone at all. I don't want to hear people's misinformed opinions on it. I don't want the judgement, nor the unsolicited advice. I don't even tell my doctors anymore. I just say "low carb."

When I do hear people talking about keto its bc they were asked about it. When you lose a significant amount of weight and reverse health problems, people want to know how you did it. And then there's YouTube. And its literally their job to talk about it. They get paid for their content.

That's just my experience with people who do it (and of course I'm being a little hyperbolic)---totally not knocking the diet itself.

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

7 hours ago, PeakRN said:

I have no problem with vegetarians, I have several of them in my family.

I wouldn't automatically assume that a vegetarian diet is a healthy one, there are plenty of vegetarians and even vegans who are quite overweight.

If this was about providing healthy options then why not mandate that the menu items provided by hospitals must label nutritional information?

I definitely don't assume vegetarians/vegans are healthy, I roomed with a vegan in college who was morbidly obese from all the french fries, potato chips, and eggplant fried in inches of oil she consumed daily. It was weird, but certainly not the norm. However, the fact that it hasn't yet been mandated that hospitals provide nutritional information to patients doesn't actually mean that requiring them to provide vegan meals is some sort of deep state conspiracy. I think both are good ideas.

[Orion81RN]

1 hour ago, LibraSunCNM said:

That's just my experience with people who do it (and of course I'm being a little hyperbolic)---totally not knocking the diet itself.

I didn't think you were. I just find it interesting. Maybe I just truly don't know anyone else on keto? In real life.

[PeakRN]

3 hours ago, LibraSunCNM said:

I definitely don't assume vegetarians/vegans are healthy, I roomed with a vegan in college who was morbidly obese from all the french fries, potato chips, and eggplant fried in inches of oil she consumed daily. It was weird, but certainly not the norm. However, the fact that it hasn't yet been mandated that hospitals provide nutritional information to patients doesn't actually mean that requiring them to provide vegan meals is some sort of deep state conspiracy. I think both are good ideas.

I don't think it's some kind of conspiracy. I think it's probably legislators who have a inadequate understanding of nutrition mandating changes that they don't actually fully understand.

[Lorri Cook, ADN, RN]

Amen.

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

9 hours ago, PeakRN said:

I don't think it's some kind of conspiracy. I think it's probably legislators who have a inadequate understanding of nutrition mandating changes that they don't actually fully understand.

Ok, but in this case, how is that harming anyone? What's the downside to offering vegan meals in a hospital?