Salad bars stocked with fruits, grains and heart-healthy veggies. Meat produced without antibiotics. And farmers markets right outside the building.
In recent years, hospitals have been cleaning up their food choices, adding healthier fare for patients, visitors and employees. Now, Vanguard Health Chicago, which operates four hospitals in Cook County, is taking the next step, one that few others have taken: a phasing out of all "sugar-loaded beverages,'' including soda and sports and energy drinks, starting now.
Over the course of this year, the hospital group hopes to refine its choices, eventually phasing out diet drinks and sweetened juices until it offers only unsweetened drinks or those that contain less than about a teaspoon of sugar per 12-ounce serving. By comparison, a can of Coke contains more than 7 teaspoons.
The change comes at a time when the American obesity rate has hit an all-time high and certain foods, especially sugar-sweetened beverages, are coming under increased scrutiny for their role. One government-funded study found that sugar-sweetened beverages accounted for 20 to 40 percent of all weight gained by Americans between 1977 and 2007.
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