Toledo hospitals take wellness seriously

TOLEDO, Ohio — Some people might think it is a stretch to call hospital-prepared food cuisine, but times have changed, and so have hospital cafeterias.

In an effort to combat obesity and to stand out in a competitive medical market, Toledo-area hospitals are looking for ways to offer healthier, tastier food options to patients, employees, and visitors.

Mercy’s food vendor Sodexo created a buzz in the St. Vincent Medical Center cafeteria Friday when it unveiled new Indian-inspired healthy entrees created by global chef Kabir Khanna.

The executive chef has been in Toledo since Oct. 9, teaching Sodexo cooks some of the secrets of preparing Indian cuisine and adjusting his recipes to the American palate.

“Today we have a live station. We have a mixture of veggies and protein, like chicken. Along with that we have some sauces, which are very spicy, a medium spice, and no spice,” Mr. Khanna said. “It’s yogurt-based. It’s very healthy. And you mix and match as you want with your sauces and your gravy. It’s a stir fry, in a way.”

He was treated like a rock star in the cafeteria as employees waited in line to sample the recipes he brought from his hometown of Mumbai, India. He said the task of fusing Indian food with American tastes is challenging, because many Americans don’t like spicy foods.

“[Americans] use a lot of cheese in [their] food,” he said.

“As Americans, we’re used to eating comfort foods,” said Robert Snoad, general manager for Sodexo at St. Vincent.

He said Mercy is trying to change the mindset about comfort food so people will get the same satisfaction from different healthy foods that they are used to getting from meat and potato meals.

Sodexo and Mercy have been working together over the last year to make changes in the cafeteria,