Hazards in Health Care

Hospital Shops Promote Ill-Health

Hospitals are devoted to rest and recovery from illness, so I was shocked to visit one recently and find its shop actively promoting ill-health. Rows upon rows of crisps, sweets, chocolates and even bags of refined sugar were on display, beside a large chilled cabinet filled with sugary and artificially sweetened soft drinks. Racks offering different varieties of pot noodles containing monosodium glutamate and other synthetic niceties added insult to injury. Eventually, I managed to find what I was looking for – a fruit section the size of a postage stamp, containing the grand total of 3 lonely bananas. According to shop staff, apples aren’t on sale and grapes are “way too expensive”.

I was briefly tempted to attach a “Keep out, contents hazardous!” sign to the shop door but decided I might be detained until further notice in the psychiatric ward. My pleas of “But you must listen to me, I’m a nutritionist” would be met with patient stoicism and a hefty dose of tranquillisers. Once settled into the routine of institutional care and cuisine, my finely tuned blood sugar levels would unbalance themselves and my digestive system, unused to large amounts of refined carbohydrates, would begin to clog up. Then, as sure as night follows day, those forgotten cravings would start to haunt me, and I would gaze longingly at the rows of chocolate bars inside what had become my ultimate nemesis, the hospital shop…

Before I get completely carried away, let’s turn to a very real and inspiring story. The famous doctor Max Bircher-Benner, born in Switzerland in 1867, pioneered a system of healthcare based largely on living foods. He realised that the doctors of his age knew little about the relationship between diet and health when he himself fell ill with jaundice. Bircher-Benner was unable to digest food properly until his wife put a slice of fresh raw apple into his mouth and he was surprised to find he could tolerate it. Several days later, after munching his way through raw apples, he had completely recovered. Apples are a well-known aid for improving detoxification, digestion and circulation, and they form the basis of a delicious breakfast dish invented by the physician called Birchermuesli.

Basic Birchermuesli recipe for one portion:
Soak 1 tbsp oats with 3 tbsp cold water overnight. In the morning, add 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp of honey to the mixture. Peel and grate an apple straight into the muesli, stirring frequently to prevent the apple from going brown, add some linseeds and/or nuts and serve immediately.

Dr Bircher-Benner would have been horrified to see our modern day hospital tuckshop, an Aladdin’s cave overflowing with gilded tat. The items bear no resemblance to “real” food but their shine mesmerises and confuses the customer, and they have proven adverse effects on human health. Should one paralyse the hapless patient’s immune system for a few hours with a beautifully wrapped bar of sugar, or dehydrate them with a packet of additive-laden salt?

We may have more consumer choice than ever before, but I’m not sure it should be applied to what we eat. If we value food and treat its origins with respect and gratitude, health is a more likely result than disease. Research tells us that vegetables reduce the risk of cancer, that a mother’s diet before and during pregnancy directly impacts on the lifespan of her child, and that essential fatty acids protect the brain and reduce the risk of degenerative disease such as diabetes. If we allow our foods to continue to degrade in nutrient content whilst being displayed like amusement arcade prizes, we have no right to complain about the shoddy quality of our winnings. We also need to reconsider our duty of care towards the patient, so that when we next come bearing gifts, we remember to “first do no harm”.

Smart Fats for Smart Kids