Mayor Eric Adams Announces Expansion of Plant-Based Meals For Patients in NYC Public Hospitals

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the successful rollout and expansion of plant-based meals as the default option for patients in NYC public hospitals. Along with the New York City Health + Hospitals (H+H) CEO Dr. Mitchell H. Katz, Mayor Adams announced that the dinner program will expand on the successful plant-based lunch default program that was launched this March. That program has a whopping 95 percent satisfaction rate.

“When it comes to preventing diet-related chronic disease, there is a growing recognition that it’s not our DNA — it’s our dinner,” said Mayor Adams. “Since January, we have introduced Plant-Powered Fridays into schools, introduced fresh produce into the nation’s only municipal emergency food system, and expanded Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Clinics to public hospitals across all five boroughs. Now, we are proud to announce the successful rollout and expansion of default plant-based lunch and dinner options at all H+H sites. This transformative program is already changing lives, empowering patients to take control of their own health and further cementing New York City as a leader in preventive medicine.”

Source: Forbes Breaking News/YouTube

Each year, H+H serves around 3 million meals for lunch and dinner. Around half of all patients are eligible for plant-based dishes, and 60 percent have chosen them since the program was launched. This means that approximately 864,000 plant-based meals are being served per year. This program builds on Mayor Adam’s Meatless Mondays initiative that was launched in 2019.

“As a primary care physician, I speak with all of my patients about the importance of a healthy diet and how it can help fend off or treat chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “Our new meal program is rooted in evidence for health benefits and environmental sustainability, and expands on the success of our Meatless Mondays Program.”

Source: Meatless Monday/YouTube

Patients who are considered high-risk, who have been prescribed a special diet, or who are given a referral can meet with one of the over 100 registered H+H dieticians to receive information about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

The H+H has 14 new plant-based options, and they offer a selection each day. The meals are inspired by Latin, Asian, and other cuisines that accurately represent the diverse patient population. According to a press release, these options include Thai noodle bowls, Spanish vegetable paella with yellow rice, and a Southern black-eyed pea casserole.

Mayor Adams, dubbed the ‘vegan mayor,’ has preached the benefits of plant-based diets. Before he was elected, he promised to promote all things plant-based, and he has continued to keep his promise to NYC. The mayor has even announced that city public schools will serve vegan meals one day of the week. NYC’s public school system is the largest in the country, so this was a massive accomplishment.

The mayor has made other remarkable progress towards a plant-based city and is currently revising standards for all food purchased and served by the city. He is also expanding plant-based meals to city-run institutions such as jails and shelters. Along with that, he is offering financial incentives to neighborhood grocery stores in an attempt to stock the shelves with healthy food and promote healthy eating.

Related Content:

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• NY Mayor Eric Adams Declares March 20th MeatOut Day For City of New York
• How Mayor Eric Adams Reversed Diabetes with a Plant-Based Diet
• 7 Actions Eric Adams Has Taken to Improve Public Health in New York City

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App, which has thousands of delicious recipes, making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
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