HOORN – Last Tuesday, nine hospitals, including the Dijklander Hospital, signed a declaration of intent to only offer healthy food by 2022. In December, eleven hospitals signed up to participate. These hospitals are thus taking a lead on the National Prevention Agreement, which aims to ensure that half of all hospitals have a healthy diet by 2025 and all hospitals by 2030.
Dijklander Hospital is one of the Vanguard hospitals of Good Care Proef je, a project of the Alliance Nutrition in Care. This means that the hospital is committed to a completely healthy food supply for patients, visitors and employees in 2022. ‘We believe that hospitals have an exemplary role in society in offering healthy food. A healthier range of food contributes to the recovery of patients, a healthy working environment for employees and a healthy choice for visitors’, according to the declaration of intent that was co-signed by Ymke Fokma, director of the Dijklander Hospital.
Larger range of healthy food Various initiatives are already underway at the Dijklander Hospital to offer healthy food. This declaration of intent will speed things up even further. Project leader Horeca & Services Christel Kerssens: “One of the requirements is that the vision of a healthy food supply for patients, staff and visitors is reflected in the policy. We are already working hard on that.
At least 80% of what is on offer, both in the staff restaurant and the food for patients, must be healthy. In concrete terms, this means that you can offer a croquette once, but no longer every day as standard. The patient meals are vegetarian three out of seven days. Reducing sugary products is also part of this. And installing water points. The point is that you can make healthy choices within our hospital.”
Less medication, faster recovery
The importance of healthy eating has been demonstrated by various studies. It not only has a preventive effect, but can also contribute to a patient’s recovery, for example after an operation. Where medical care traditionally consists of surgery, medication and good bedside care, food, drink and exercise have been added. Azem Karimbeg is a specialist in Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. He also sees that nutrition has a major impact: “I regularly treat patients with Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis or Irritable Bowel Syndrome who, thanks to a healthier diet and a more active lifestyle, require less medication.”
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