All NYC public hospitals to observe Meatless Mondays

The 11 public hospitals in New York City will now observe Meatless Mondays. The hospitals, managed by the city’s Health Hospitals division, will add new plant-based items to their menus each Monday. These items include: black bean soup, spaghetti and garden Bolognese sauce, three-bean chili, rice and beans, cream of potato soup, assorted fruits and hummus.

New dishes will be added occasionally to keep the offerings fresh. Led by the Food and Nutrition Department of Health Hospitals, the Meatless Monday program is designed to help patients maintain a healthy lifestyle, even when they’re not in the hospital setting.

“For many patients, making changes to their diets and breaking long-standing habits can seem overwhelming; however, Meatless Monday offers the ability for our patients to adopt small changes that can make a big difference over time in reversing or preventing certain chronic conditions,” said Whitney Ahneman, clinical nutrition manager for NYC Health Hospitals/Coney Island, in a press release. “We are happy to provide the opportunity for patients in the hospital to try foods that not only taste great, but also can fit seamlessly into a healthy lifestyle moving forward.”

On the first Meatless Monday, on Jan. 7, 1,500 patients at the 11 hospitals chose one of the vegetarian selections.

Meatless Mondays is one of many initiatives introduced recently as part of the Plant-Based Nutrition Program at NYC Health Hospitals. The next initiative is Enhancement of Vegan and Vegetarian Menu, which focuses on introducing additional healthy offerings for patients throughout the week.