Many hospitals have either limited or eliminated sugar-sweetened beverages from patient menus, cafeterias, and vending machines. The move is certainly in line with healthcare\u2019s prevailing goal of population health management, but it does present challenges. There\u2019s a reason sugary beverages such as sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened teas, and coffee drinks do well\u2014they taste good and they are happily embedded into many people\u2019s daily routines.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s no getting around the studies that demonstrate how consuming too many sugar sweetened beverages contributes to obesity and related ailments such as heart disease and diabetes. Hospitals and long-term care facilities that take the initiative and implement better-for-you beverage alternatives position themselves as leaders in prevention-based care. They align their beverage program with their core mission statement of health and wellness.<\/p>\n
But outside of diet sodas and other artificially-sweetened refreshments, what can they offer? Indeed, diet drinks do offer one pathway here, but as we\u2019re seeing throughout food service, today\u2019s consumers demand more. They take wellness cues from wholesome, fresh ingredients. They don\u2019t want to sacrifice. They want to feel good about their choices\u2014and they want those choices to taste good. Understanding this mindset can frame a better-beverage strategy for your healthcare food service program.<\/p>\n
These three ideas accentuate the positives inherent in their beverage builds. They deliver the all-important freshness and wellness cues while tasting refreshingly delicious.<\/p>\n
This category is making big moves, leaving the confines of health spas and moving into cafeterias, dining halls, boardrooms, and waiting rooms. Clear water dispensers sporting fresh fruit and herb inclusions is a great way to offer guests water in a memorable, eye-catching way, using what\u2019s on hand, or what\u2019s in season. Try these:<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been a surge in the popularity of housemade sodas at the restaurant level, where restaurants are featuring creative combinations of flavored syrups, chilled seltzer water with add-ins, and garnishes. Sugar-free syrups make housemade sodas an appealing addition to nutrition-conscious beverage menus. Try these (all sugar-free syrups):<\/p>\n
Similar to the handcrafted sodas, but featuring 100 percent fruit juice instead of syrup, these spritzers see chilled seltzer water with just a splash of juice. Boasting very little labour, these builds deliver a fresh, better-for-you beverage. Consider featuring a few exotic options for variety and differentiation. Try these: <\/p>\n
Many hospitals have either limited or eliminated sugar-sweetened beverages from patient menus, cafeterias, and vending machines. The move is certainly in line with healthcare\u2019s prevailing goal of population health management, but it does present challenges. There\u2019s a reason sugary beverages such as sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened teas, and coffee drinks do well\u2014they taste […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3954,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culinary-ideas","category-healthcare"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n