Take a Peek at Our New ‘Room Service’ Menu
Now patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital can choose from a variety of fresh, culturally diverse meals during their hospital stay. Plus: See how to make vegetable stir-fry.
NewYork-Presbyterian believes in always putting patients first, and now, that hospitality extends to the palate. Thanks to a new program called Room Service, patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital can choose from a varied menu of fresh meals that reflect the cultural diversity of the community.
“A lot can be out of the patient’s control when they stay in a hospital,” says Juan Mejia, senior vice president and chief operating officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital. “Room Service gives our patients the ability to order meals when they are hungry or want to dine with their visitors. We recognize the comfort that food can provide during the healing process. By offering a wide range of fresh, healthy foods on demand, we aim to improve the quality of their entire stay.”
The menu, developed by a team of clinical nutritionists, physicians, and chefs, with feedback from patients and caregivers, includes items like a vegan noodle bowl with rice noodles and tofu, beef, and vegetable stir-fry, and chicken and salmon with homemade teriyaki sauce — in recognition of the hospital’s Asian patient population. Other menu items include a veggie burger, Greek salad with chickpeas, chicken tagine, and a hummus and pita plate.
The new Room Service menu includes a whole-food, plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and whole grains, and includes a limited amount of healthful fats such as olive, nut, and seed-based oils. Room Service is available from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
“Plant-based foods are fiber-rich, nutrient-dense, and naturally lower in calories than many animal-based food products,” says Louise Merriman, administrative director of clinical nutrition at NewYork-Presbyterian. “That means they are good for people and for the environment.”
Room Service is currently available at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital and will expand to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in early 2019.