NYC Health + Hospitals Launches Meatless Monday
The goal is to encourage healthy lifestyles and reduce disease risk.
NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public healthcare system in the country, will now be offering a Meatless Monday “chef’s choice” option to inpatients at all 11 acute care hospitals. Hospital dietitians will counsel patients on the benefits of a plant-based diet as they’re making their meal choices for the day.
Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President joined Mitchel Katz, President and Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals to announce the program at a press conference where they talked about the importance of plant-based nutrition in healing patients and promoting overall well-being.
See the press release here and video highlights of the event below.
Brooklyn Borough President, Eric L. Adams, an ardent advocate for plant-based diets, commended Dr. Katz for his leadership and called on all hospitals to take the Meatless Monday pledge saying that “hospitals have a unique opportunity to influence patients and families in rethinking the nutritional quality of their meals, and Meatless Mondays now has a role in that conversation.”
Dr. Katz spoke about the hospital’s commitment to supporting patients in adopting healthy behaviors: “We want to empower our patients to live their healthiest lives by introducing them to healthier foods that they may choose once they’re discharged. The Meatless Mondays initiative is consistent with this mission and fits with our new Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals Bellevue, developed to provide intensive support for outpatients who wish to adopt healthy lifestyle changes.”
William A. Brown, Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island, added, “The Meatless Monday initiative is one small but powerful step we can take to help our patients make healthier decisions and improve their outcomes.” Commenting on the ability of the Meatless Monday program to encourage healthy behavioral changes, Whitney Ahneman, MS, RDN, CDN, CDE, Clinical Nutrition Manager at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island shared, “For many patients, making changes to their diets and breaking long-standing habits can seem overwhelming; however, Meatless Monday offers the ability for our patients to adopt small changes that can make a big difference over time in reversing or preventing certain chronic conditions.”
Meatless Monday Offers Expertise to Hospitals and Organizations
Hospitals wishing to implement Meatless Monday programs can consult with our team, which includes experts from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Free resources include:
- Research on the health and environmental benefits of choosing plant-based foods instead of meat
- Implementation guides for starting Meatless Monday in hospital cafeterias
- Creative materials that can be used to promote Meatless Monday on site or through digital and social media
- Downloadable cookbooks and weekly newsletters with Meatless Monday recipes
For additional information on the impact of food choices on chronic health problems and climate change, see resources from Meatless Monday’s scientific advisor, The Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University: “The Connections between Diet, People and Planet”
» Questions? Contact us now for additional information or to learn how to implement a program at your hospital.