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Going to the Hospital? My Advice: Pack a Cooler From Home!

In 1998, my younger brother was diagnosed with “an aggressive cancer of unknown origin”. Though he had no real symptoms and no interruption of function, he was in stage 4b, the final stage of metastasized cancer. The doctors, having no specific treatment at that time and concerned with how advanced he was, took out the biggest drug in their chemotherapy arsenal and gave it a shot.

During his treatments, I noticed how they were feeding him. Chemotherapy, as you may know, kills fast replicating cells which includes cancer cells, your hair follicles and the cells of your intestines. This is why so many of our chemo patients are bald and feeling pretty terrible.

If your intestines are distressed in this way, it seems logical that the appropriate diet would be easy to digest and supportive to the immune system. The food provided for him by the hospital was neither. In fact, it would be more accurately described as non-nutritive, difficult to digest and actually toxic.

16 years later, I found myself at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. A dear friend was in the fight for her life having been diagnosed with a form of leukemia typically seen only in children. Her treatment plan included high doses of chemotherapy, specifically programmed to destroy virtually every immune cell in her body, in preparation for a stem cell transplant.


Once again, I noticed the food provided for her sustenance and found myself shocked and appalled by what our hospitals are STILL feeding their most sick and fragile patients.


Recently, another friend sent me a picture of the food provided for her elderly father who was being treated for bladder cancer at The Cleveland Clinic. I am no longer shocked but remain completely dismayed by the continued lack of decent, relevant, current, real, holistic and helpful nutrition education. The evidence of which can be found on every hospital tray.

What is wrong with this meal? In a word: EVERYTHING!!


There is zero nutritional profit from this meal because the nutrients have either been destroyed or, at the very least, cancelled out by the sheer volume of anti-nutrients:

  1. Sugar - highly destructive, blood sugar spiking, cancer feeding sugar in the “French” toast, cereal and orange juice.

  2. High fructose corn syrup – contributes zero positive attributes, is 20 times sweeter than sugar and is implicated in metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, cancer and a host of other maladies (breakfast syrup).

  3. Partially hydrogenated oil - an indigestible, chemically unstable substance that contains toxic compounds that can damage DNA and cell membranes (non dairy creamer).

  4. Vegetable oil - containing synthetic vitamins, poisonous compounds created when vegetable oils are cooked at high heat and free radicals responsible for aging, cell damage, cancer and heart disease (margarine).

  5. Commercially produced and processed, pasteurized and homogenized, non-organic milk: The list of chemicals found in commercially produced milk is quite extensive and includes, among other things, hormones, antibiotics and pesticides.

Unless or until our hospitals address and correct the nutritional deficits in the meals provided, you are better off taking control of your health and bringing food from home.

Disclaimer: This information is in no way intended to diagnose or treat specific medical conditions and is not a substitute for you own personal research. It contains basic information, that is publicly available. It is not intended as individualized advice or as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Any suggestions I make are not a substitute for you own personal research. Always consult your own licensed medical practitioner if you are in any way concerned about your health. You must satisfy yourself of the validity of the professional qualifications of any healthcare provider and, as always, do not discontinue any medications without your doctor’s consent.

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