HAMMOND, Ind., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Some Indiana hospitals are giving patients large menus of restaurant-style food to make eating part of the healing process, the Hammond Times reported Thursday.
At Porter Portage Hospital Campus, patients order their meals from a substantial bedside menu, and decide when they want to eat and how much. It's not uncommon to see patients ordering breakfast for dinner, said Kirk Sissell, director of food and nutrition at the hospital campus.
"You want to make people forget they're in a hospital," Sissell said.
Aside from traditional favorites, Sissell said patients dine on dishes, including carved meats, stuffed fish, stir fry, pastas, Belgian waffles and sizzling Caesar salads.
Cyndi Schaefer, who has been a chef at The Methodist Hospitals for three months, said patients can expect new food options sometime this month, with an emphasis on fresh foods, a variety of cultures, new spreads and sauces and exotic vegetables.
