One of the most blatant contradictions that becomes apparent as you begin to better understand human health is disconnect between food and our hospital system. How can we possibly be so backwards that we feed someone a cheeseburger the moment they come out of triple bypass surgery?

Hats off to New York City for taking a leadership role in a new approach to food within the hospital system. Read the article on MindBodyGreen here to learn more about the changes going into effect:

Last Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into effect requiring all New York hospitals to offer plant-based meal options to their patients.

This bill could mean good things for the state of New York. Currently, heart disease accounts for 40% of all deaths in the state, and an estimated 1.6 million New Yorkers have type 2 diabetes. In hospitals where patients are already suffering from some sort of ailment, it’s necessary for the nutrients of the food they’re consuming to match the medicine they may be receiving. The bill is requiring all hospitals to have a list on their menu with all plant-based options written out, along with having meals or snacks with no animal products readily available upon request.