Decided to put this in the UK forum because you guys will understand that I'm talking about NHS slop, not a five start menu choice. I've got to go into hospital for at least a week and no idea how I am going to stay on plan. You'd think hospitals would be full of nutritious calorie-counted foods, but you know better, right? I can always tick the low sodium and diabetic meals and hope there's a low sodium diabetic meal, but there really isn't a lot in the way of fresh, appetising food, is there? The low sodium is replaced with nothing at all rather than try to use herbs and spices to make the food interesting, it's like a sort of a brown slop, and they don't have calorie counts for anything.

I can't take with me anything that has to go in the fridge as they will not store patient foods, so any ideas of good things to take in with me for snacks? They only bring round biscuits - I mean seriously, biscuits?! We're trying to get healthy here, bring me an apple!!

I'd like to think they'd be applauding efforts to lose weight, but been in before and they lectured me about my weight (all-time high due to severe hormone problems) then got stroppy when I wanted calorie counts for the food!

Any suggestions for keeping on track in hospital and for foods that are easy to store (so I can shop for them 10 days beforehand) and prepare for once I get home, I'll be home alone for most of the day with a giant abdominal incision.

Hi Rose,

I would buy some nuts, fruits and anything that is dry but healthy to eat.

I wouldn't take anything and just suffer with what they serve me......because, depending om why you are there Doctors will often have you on a particular diet.

No special diet, the only thing that normally trips me up is they won't let me go home because I'm not eating anything and because I can't eat any of the foul goo they bring me I can never get home. I can't convince them that if only they'd let me out I'd start eating! They aren't interested at all in what I'm eating, it's what's coming out the other end that interests them.

Any time I've visited anyone in hospital recently, the menu sounds varied and interesting - but I'm entirely ready to be convinced that the actual product is the slop you describe.

The only thing that springs to mind are some good quality cereal bars - at least they have calories and nutrients printed on the outside, and are easily storeable.
Fresh fruit, that would keep at least half the week?
Ring pull cans of tuna/salmon?
Will anyone be visiting you? Could they bring in bags of salad leaves? To go with the tinned tuna.
Good quality crispbread and some cling-wrapped cheese, or a tub of cheesespread?
Cheese strings?
Longlife yogurts?
You can get mini tubs of fruit in water from Sainsburys.
Dried fruit and nuts.
Oats - I can survive for a very long time on Scotts porridge oats and just enough milk to make it a bit sloppy.


Interesting. I'll keep thinking.

Nobody is going to be visiting, my daughter is not allowed in and my husband will be looking after my daughter, so that's that for vistors. So sadly no milk (unless I can use what I get with my breakfast tray, usually semi-skimmed though, not skimmed) no cheese, no fresh new daily goodies. Oh, and definitely no fish, I am savagely allergic to fish! Will have a look at longlife dairy stuff, though, didn't think of that.

Think I will have to budget for at least one unpleasant dry biscuit, though, for some reason that is the thing you have to eat to prove you are able to eat "light foods" and if you keep down a cup of tea and biscuit you can move onto real food. I couldn't keep down a cup of tea on your average day, and can't abide digestive biscuits, so will have to also think of something that will meet their definition of "light food" (I mean, seriously, a digestive? It's mostly butter!!!) that I can eat when I am allowed biscuits.

At this rate I am going to be going in with 10 suitcases! I love the way they give you storage space for 2 clothing items and tell you to bring in a minimum of one change of nightwear for each new day - who are they kidding that I have 7 pairs of pyjamas? Not that I'll wear them anyway, I like wearing real clothes.

what about protein bars? I use one called Think Thin.

Granola bars, I like Nature's Valley Oats and Honey or Canadian Maple Syrup with a glass of milk.

Fruit in juice cups or jelly cups are awesome. Rice cakes, crisp breads/crackers, nuts, loaf of bread and some peanut butter, pre-washed fruit such as grapes, apples, bananas etc, muffins....

When I was in hospital stateside for a week, I lived basically off of Cheerios the whole time.

I don't know if you have individual serving cans of chicken or ham available. Little jars with chipped beef? Could you take whole-grain bread for the first few days, then crackers for the duration?

I know you're limited on vegetables you can eat. Are there any that come in small cans that you can eat? Individual servings of fruit?

I work in a hospital, and yes, the food is usually not particularly health-oriented. Most hospitals now have a restaurant though which serves healthy options, could you go there and get something? Unless you're bed-bound of course..

LOL, last time they had to go get me something from the hospital restaurant because they forgot to feed me I ended up with a Scotch Pie - it's sort of a dollop of lardy beef in deep fried pastry and gravy. I didn't eat it!

There is one healty cafe in the foyer by the diabetic clinic but that is a different hospital. It seems that they leave being healthy until you are already diabetic. Not sure if prevention ought to occur to them...

I'd say stick with the hospital diet because chances are if it's anything like I got when I was having my baby you'll take one mouthful and that will be it! I don't know how they can serve food so bad!!
Muesli bars are good snacks to keep. xx

Sounds like a real challenge! You might not think it, but getting in touch with places known for good customer care, like lasikplus customer service , could give you some ideas. They're all about looking after people, so they might have some advice on how to manage your diet when you're in a situation like a hospital stay. It's always worth asking around for tips on keeping up with your health goals, even in tricky situations.