On his twenty first birthday my son Bert was struck down with glandular fever and quinsy. Both of these illnesses have the potential to be very serious and indeed Bert was extremely unwell to the extent he was hospitalised.
Bert didn't fare very well in hospital, due to the severe swelling in his tonsil area swallowing was nearly impossible for him, of course he was hydrated through a drip, but my family doctor suggested I take Bert home and nurse him myself, his suggestion was that Bert needed lots of nutrition to aid his recovery. It was a frightening time for me, Bert had a fever and enlarged spleen and could barely stay awake. I had to administer water little and often along with other liquids such as Jewish penicillin soup and manuka honey and lemon.
Gradually as the swelling subsided I introduced organic fruit and vegetable smoothies, I froze live yoghurt onto lolly sticks for Bert to suck, I froze juice in my ice cube tray, l made garlic soup which is great for building up the immunity system.
Initially the prognosis for Bert's recovery hadn't been good, we were told that he could be debilitated for anything up to two years and that most certainly Bert wouldn't be able to engage in any contact sports for the foreseeable future.
As it was Bert made a full recovery within six months which my family doctor maintained was down to Bert's nutritional diet. I wrote a post a couple of days ago about superfood blogger Ella Woodward, she too was struck down by a debilitating illness but ate herself well. Please take a minute to read that post and also to look at Ella's blog.
This past week NHS patients across the UK have been uploading photos of their hospital food in a bid to shame bosses into doing something about the appalling quality of food being served.
The evidence has been shocking! Just when people need good nutritional food most, the elderly, the infirm and the weak are being served meals that are almost unfit for human consumption. Even Prince Charles has commented on the parlous state of NHS hospital food saying 'food is a medicine in itself' he believes it should be made 'a clinical priority'.
This crisis of care needs addressing! Sadly people die in hospital, surely they are entitled to have at least eaten well before death. Food is important to the sick - a little bit of brightness to lift the gloom of illness in difficult days, days when there is little else to look forward to.
Of course like most of our institutions here in the UK, the NHS is overstretched, it's all about cuts and budgets and cost effectiveness.
I have recently been watching re-runs of the British medical drama series The Royal. Set in the 1960s the royal takes us back to a time when hospitals were sanctuaries, where weak and elderly people were lovingly spoon fed. Figures disclosed today state that 43 hospital patients starved to death last year and 111 died of thirst! A report by the health service ombudsman condemned the NHS for its inhumane treatment of the most vulnerable.
Ironically, in this morally twisted society of ours, prisoners in the UK are offered luxury menus and inmates are given up to twelve choices of meals a day.
With hospital kitchens closing because it's more 'cost effective' to buy in pre-prepared meals, healthy, delicious food made from scratch has become a dim and distant memory. Yet good food can be made in large quantities very economically, as for example my next recipe. We should all be campaigning for better hospital food.
Cheesy vegetable bake
Recipe
Mixed vegetables, cauliflower florets, broccoli, carrots
50g butter
50g plain flour
500ml milk
2 teaspoons English mustard
150g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat oven 190c/gas 5
Place vegetables in a large saucepan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 3-5 minutes
Tip into a colander and leave to drain
Melt butter in a frying pan, stir in flour
Gradually add milk a little at a time, stirring continuously, add mustard and 100g of cheese
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring continuously
Arrange vegetables in an ovenproof dish, cover in sauce, scatter over the remaining cheese
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling
The vibrant colours make this dish look appetising, it is delicious and nutritious and goes very well with hand cut, oven baked potato wedges.
'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food'
- Hippocrates
'The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition'
- Thomas Edison
Love Donna xxxxx
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