Hospitals and Healthcare

For the Healthcare Chef...

When the prescription says "no salt," reach for the versatile, nutritious lemon.

Achieving the exciting tastes that all chefs strive for is difficult in the healthcare environment. You're often serving individuals whose taste faculties are impaired by age, illness or medication. These impairments often cause decrease in appetite, inhibit the enjoyment of food and possibly even affect health as a result of reduced caloric intake.

And then, there are dietary restrictions. Many of your patients may not be able to use the most common and potent flavor enhancer, salt. How do you appeal to hampered taste buds when one of your basic weapons is literally "taken off the table?" One option, of course, is to turn to other flavor enhancers, such as spices, herbs or even monosodium glutamate (MSG).

A healthier option takes advantage of the natural flavor-enhancing qualities of Sunkist lemons. Particularly flavorful is the "zest," or tangy exudate of the lemon's peel. Squeeze a lemon to add flavor to soups, salads and entrées. Twist the peel for an added sparkle to a drink. Grate the peel for a burst of flavor. And if the desire for chewing food is waning, keep up the appetite with playful, colorful and nutritious citrus drinks. Fruit smoothies that feature Sunkist oranges and lemons mixed in with other colorful fruits and nutritional powders, deliver healthy options for healthcare customers. The Sunkist web page is a valuable resource for citrus drink ideas.

Lemons also make a colorful garnish, adding visual excitement to just about any food on a plate. And as every professional knows, when the sense of taste is diminished, the appetite can be stimulated visually. Lemon-flavored foods are also more nutritious -- a medium sized lemon has more than a third of the USRDA requirement for Vitamin C.