NYC Health + Hospitals, New York City's 11-hospital public health system, debuted "meatless Mondays" Jan. 7 to provide more plant-based meals to inpatients.
Meatless Mondays is an international campaign aimed at improving individual and environmental health through reducing the use of animal products.
"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," Mitchell Katz, MD, president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, said in a press release. "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."
On the health system's first Meatless Monday Jan. 7, 1,500 chose the plant-based options, which are offered at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Options include black bean soup, spaghetti and garden bolognese sauce, three-bean chili, vegan beefless strips, a garden burger, rice and beans, cream of potato soup, assorted fruits, and hummus.