Registered dietitians are the secret sauce that allows senior living foodservice providers to reach the proper balance of healthy and tasty.
The role of food in medical wellbeing is becoming more crucial in senior living, patient care, and hospital retail. With that, registered dietitians (RDs) are building their influence on menu development and dining practices. The essential role played by RDs was the topic of the IFMA Live Conversation with members of the Healthcare Foodservice Leadership Council on May 16.
Session participants:
- Mary Cooley, Director of Dining, Pennswood Village, Newtown, PA
- Mary Angela Miller, Instructor, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Matt Tremblay, Director of Procurement and Culinary Operations, Northbridge Communities, Burlington, MA
- Moderated by IFMA’s Charlie McConnell
Pennswood has 440 residents in senior living: OSU Medical Center serves 10,000 meals per day; and Northbridge has 19 communities with 2,400 residents.
“The main attraction for people in senior living is what does the building look like and how does the food taste,” says Tremblay. “The challenge is to serve healthy food that meets the nutritional needs of seniors yet still tastes good. That is even more difficult with so many dietary restrictions, such as no lactose and even no garlic.”
Cooley adds, “We need to balance dietary needs with a positive taste experience.” At Pennswood Village, plant-based meals are helping accomplish that while combatting rising costs. “Our residents no longer expect meat to always be at the center of the plate,” says Cooley.
Miller believes that registered dietitians are “the brain trust for nutrition in a health care setting.” (OSU has 60 RDs on staff.) “We develop a philosophy of food, creating a message throughout the system, for patients, doctors, staff, visitors and all of our constituents,” she says. Only 30% of the organization’s meals are served to patients.
All believe that it would be invaluable for foodservice manufacturers to have an RD on staff. “Reach out and recruit an RD. You will be benefiting your company and the entire industry,” says Miller.