NYC Health + Hospitals puts plant-based dishes front and center for patients

Plant-based dishes are taking center stage on the inpatient dinner menu at NYC Health Hospitals.

All 11 of the system’s public hospitals are now menuing plant-based items as the main option for the evening meal, NYC Health Hospitals said in a news release, an initiative it aims to roll out to its five post-acute care centers later this year as well.

The plant-based selections are globally inspired and include Garden Bolognese with Rotini and Spinach, Moroccan Root Vegetable Tagine with Tricolor Couscous, Red Curry Vegetables with Roasted Tofu and a Pad Thai Noodle Bowl.

Options containing meat will be available when requested by patients.

“Science shows that a plant-based diet helps fight off disease, something that’s critical as New Yorkers find themselves in the throes of a ‘tripledemic,’” NYC Health Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz said in the release. “Plant-based meals also help treat some of the chronic illnesses that cause many of our patients to wind up in the hospital. The expansion of our program will help get them on a healthier path.”

Hospitals across New York City have been focusing on plant-based fare while facilities including NYC Health Hospitals, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and NYU Langone Health participate in an initiative from NYC Mayor Eric Adams and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. The endeavor trains doctors, dietitians and other healthcare workers on the tenets of so-called lifestyle medicine, one of which is a healthy, plant-based diet.

NYC Health Hospitals estimates it will serve 850,000 plant-based meals this year.