Four nights. One hospital room. $30,000.
That’s $6,500 a night—more than the Four Seasons. But what are patients actually getting for that price? Meals full of Red 40, Blue 1, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup.
Let’s break that down.
Red 40 and Blue 1—banned or restricted in parts of Europe—have been linked to behavioral issues in children and hypersensitivity reactions. Hydrogenated oils? Major source of trans fats, which the CDC directly associates with heart disease, inflammation, and insulin resistance. High fructose corn syrup has been tied to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.
This isn’t fringe science. This is basic clinical nutrition.
And yet, it’s what we’re feeding people post-surgery, post-chemo, post-childbirth—the moments when nutrition should accelerate healing, not set it back.
Ironically, hospitals are where the science is practiced—but not where it's applied to food.
Study after study confirms what we already feel in our guts: whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods support immune function, reduce inflammation, and improve outcomes. So why are we still treating nutrition as a side note?
If food is medicine, why is the “medicine” being served on hospital trays laced with chemicals and fillers?
We had to DoorDash our own meals just to eat something with actual nutrients. At $30,000 a stay, how is that the patient’s responsibility?
We don’t need a revolution—we need accountability. Hospitals should be held to the same standard as the medicine they prescribe.
Because when it comes to healing, real food isn’t optional. It’s essential.