Hospital Cafeteria Food?

NurseProud10

Question for all you wonderful people… I have a goal set for myself for the month of February and March for not eating out/no fast food. I work at a hospital with a wonderful cafeteria. Would you consider that eating out/fast food? I make good decisions when I eat in the cafeteria, they have delicious salad options, fresh fruit, cold and warm veggies and usually always some sort of chicken. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

lynn_glenmont

Hunh? For the month of what? Are you asking if "fast food" = "eating out"? It's your goal. You get to decide what it is and how you define it.

sollyn23l2

Same as eating out

Op it looks like your comment got cut off. You may want to edit it.

PAV8888

I'm confused my friend! Not sure what your goal is.

are you trying to control calories or do you have some other goals such as the quality or provenance of the various foods you eat?

Your food choices have calories and they can also contribute to you being satiated or not satiated or likely to overindulge or not overindulge beyond the point of satiation

That balance is individual.

I can have a sub 600 calorie quote unquote meal at a fast food restaurant or a single sandwich that will keep me going for a few hours. Unless I'm hitting the seniors menu or special ordering with great attention to detail and customizing menu items it's highly unlikely that I can have a restaurant meal that doesn't hit the 1200 calorie mark. Of course strategies exist such as taking half the meal home and all that stuff if that's something you tend to do which I don't.

Beyond the particular way that they're cooked which does impact the relative calories, portion size and satiation levels they bring with them I don't find that it really matters whether the food comes from the fresh Frozen fast food or slow food section

When I prepare my own food I get the best bang for my buck and my caloric buck! 🤷‍♂️

mtaratoot

If it is a hospital cafeteria, I bet a bagel (with cream cheese) that they have nutrition information available for the food they serve. There's a decent chance it's from Sodexo. If so, much of their offerings are in the MFP database.

Now I want a bagel.

penguinmama87

Same as eating out

As previous posters have said, you can set your own parameters. For myself, I would consider the hospital cafeteria the same as a restaurant. If it's done by a service company (like Sodexo) you can find entries in the database for logging purposes, but they are going to be subject to the same variation as any restaurant. Or you can find an equivalent entry that you use for what you would typically buy. If it fits into your food goals, then it works.

I always used to pack a lunch when I worked, even if there was a cafeteria or nearby restaurant, mostly to save money. One other perk is that you can be a lot more precise about what's in your lunch nutrition-wise. Some hospital food is surprisingly good - I was really thankful for it when I had a child stay in NICU and I basically lived at the hospital until he was discharged - but at least for me it probably wouldn't be a good long-term solution if I was trying to be very attentive to weight loss.

PAV8888

Not sure if editing was taking place while answers were getting composed. Be that as it may.

The provenance of the food doesn't really matter. The CALORIES YOU GET TO EAT DO.

Whether you call it home cooking or industrial slop... are you happy and satiated eating it? Are the calories and macros appropriate for your goals? Then: woohoo!

My general experience with a limited number of Canadian hospitals as a visitor or patient has been that you find regular cafeteria food... similar to, say, a university. Which means NOT as low calorie / high volume as I would make at home. With SOME options that are relatively speaking less calories, or more healthy, for values of healthy. Especially if the hospital had a strong healthy eating/take the stairs/be active/eat well drive or ethos going on (that would be two out of eight). And some *but not all* "shops" / areas / sections / cafeterias or restaurants actually include nutritional information or the box, so to speak.

I also couldn't help but notice that at least SOME of the hospitals had cafeteria seating available for staff to re-heat and eat their own food they bring from home.

AnnPT77

Yeah, I don't get why you want us to create the rules for your personal game. It's your game.

Personally, I would never make that a goal. It doesn't make sense to me, at least not for weight loss or nutrition reasons.

It matters what I eat. It doesn't matter who cooked it, what the building looked like, what corporate structure or marketing surrounds it, it just matters what its calories and nutritional value are.

I don't like rules that are a complete tangent to what I'm actually trying to accomplish, in this case probably either weight management or health. Arbitrary rules like that are a distraction from the main point, IMO a waste of head space.

Not eating out at all would maybe make sense to me if someone wanted to save money, or wanted to get past fear of cooking (or reluctance to do it), by cooking all their own meals. Maybe.

mtaratoot

Wait. @AnnPT77 - you mean you actually would eat food prepared in a kitchen with one amber, one magenta, and one lime colored wall? Oh my! That would be my rule. I'd obviously have to tour the kitchen.

I only eat left-handed eggs if I order out.

Rockmama1111

I would consider it eating out, because you probably won’t meticulously weigh all your salad ingredients on a food scale and serving sizes will be inconsistent. (Possibly even more so than McDonald’s, where every menu item has nutrition info available.)

nsk1951

Same as eating out

Like others have said ... or asked ... why do you want to curb the food not prepared at home? If it's too lose weight, it won't matter! If it's to save money ... go for it! .. unless your cafeteria is subsidized by the hospital so food is ridiculously cheap to buy! ... In that case, you'd probably spend more creating the same dishes at home ... OR ... is it because you know you will eat the 'wrong' food based on your dietary needs if you purchase instead of cook? ... Good Luck. ...

LiveOnceBeHappy

Defining it doesn't matter. You can eat low calorie and healthy choices at both McDonalds and the hospital cafeteria and at home. It's what you choose that matters, not where you buy it.

cwolfman13

Same as eating out

Same as eating out...not that it matters. Plenty of healthy eating can be done eating out. Whether I get a salad at a salad bar or make my own at home, there is zero difference. I got takeout last night from a local place called El Modelo...I took home 2 quarts of green chile stew which consists of copious amount of green chile, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, chicken, and diced potatoes. I make the same at home frequently...it's the same thing. My wife and I mostly cook at home and brown bag breakfasts and lunches, but that's more of a $$$ thing than an "eating out is bad" kind of thing. It also matters what you are eating out just like it matters what you are eating at home. A big bowl of green chile stew out or at home is relatively low calorie...a NM plate of red chile chicken enchiladas w/rice and beans is going to be a calorie bomb out or at home.

My thoughts on fast food are different because the nutritional profile is not equitable to what I would make at home, never mind quality which is important to me so I don't eat much fast food...I can't remember the last time I had McDonalds...probably a good 10 years or so. Though I do get my Popeye's Chicken fix about once per month.

kshama2001

NurseProud10 wrote: »

Question for all you wonderful people… I have a goal set for myself for the month of February and March for not eating out/no fast food. I work at a hospital with a wonderful cafeteria. Would you consider that eating out/fast food? I make good decisions when I eat in the cafeteria, they have delicious salad options, fresh fruit, cold and warm veggies and usually always some sort of chicken. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

Well, eating cafeteria food is clearly eating out, so a better question would be, "Does eating at the cafeteria support my weight goals" and from what you said it sounds like it does, assuming "good decisions" = "meets your calorie goals."