At St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim, Mona Berg and her son are looking for food. They have envisioned a lunch that is light and healthy. The mother must take into account her son who has celiac disease and must therefore avoid foods with gluten. So far, they have visited both the canteen and the kiosk without success: – There are quite a lot of waffles, baguettes and spread here, she says. There are several people who share Berg’s impression that a lot of unhealthy and sugary food is sold in the hospital. – You are encouraged to make the wrong choice. That’s what senior doctor Rønnaug Rønnaug Ødegård says. She works on a daily basis with children and young people who have the disease obesity. She is very critical of kiosks and canteens offering so much unhealthy food. Is it okay to sell unhealthy food in hospitals? Party every day Both Ødegård and his colleagues in other parts of the hospital spend time helping people change their diet so that they get better health. In addition, a lot of money is spent on treating the problems caused by obesity. Rønnaug Ødegård is also an associate professor at NTNU and head of the regional center for obesity research. Photo: Jørgen Leangen / news Therefore she cannot understand that it is necessary for hospitals to allow canteens and kiosks to sell so much unhealthy food. – Obesity both exacerbates and causes many of the diseases that are treated here at the hospital. The canteens basically sell what Ødegård calls normal, healthy food. But, for example, in the canteen in the children’s department, cinnamon buns and an ice cream counter are set out right next to the till. – It is not good. Patients are shown how to eat unhealthy, not how to eat healthy. That’s how it is every day – every day is a party. It is not difficult to find sweet and unhealthy foods at the tills in the canteens at St. Olav’s hospital. Photo: Jørgen Leangen / news Ødegård emphasizes that this is nothing special for St. Olav’s hospital, but that it is common in Norwegian hospitals. She believes the hospital in Trondheim knows very well that this is not good for the patients. – At the same time, there is something about the economic forces that quite obviously make it easy to make money by getting people to eat differently and more than they should. Ødegård says it is entirely possible for the hospitals in Norway to become healthier. Salad and cinnamon buns At the hospital, opinions are divided about the food selection. Sivert Byvold (23) has bought a baguette and an energy drink between lectures. He thinks there is a wide selection of food, and says there are both baguettes, børek, spring rolls and yoghurt in the kiosk. – Is it easy to get hold of healthy food? – I would say it is easier to get hold of unhealthy food, the finer baked goods and such, says Byvold. Sivert Byvold thinks you are a bit tempted when there is such a large selection of unhealthy products. Photo: Marthe Svendsen / news Julie Ness (19) and Adrian Skarpnes (24) eat a brought lunch and purchased baguette in the canteen at the Women’s Center. They think the food selection at the hospital is good. – The hot dishes are very good, says Ness. Both believe that it is easy to find healthy food, although there are also some sweets on offer. The salad bars in the canteens at St. Olav’s hospital are well stocked. Photo: Marthe Svendsen / news – Then it is very much up to you to choose what you spend your money on. You have the choice between buying a salad and buying a cinnamon bun, says Skarpnes. – How easy is it to choose the salad when the cinnamon roll is nearby? – Very often it is easy to choose both, says Skarpnes and laughs. Julia Ness thinks people should be allowed to choose what they want to eat. Photo: Marthe Svendsen / news Inquiry Gunnar Kvamme is head of the canteens at St. Olav’s hospital. He says he works for people to eat healthy. – I feel we have a responsibility. The first thing you see when you walk in here is the fruit and salad bar. But it is mostly adults who make their own choices. If they don’t get things from us, they go elsewhere. We want our share of the turnover. Communications manager Marit Kvikne at St. Olav’s hospital writes in an e-mail that the hospital wants to have as wide a food offer as possible, and that commercial kiosks are an addition to the canteens. – As in society in general, there is a balancing act between demand and what is healthy. Such assessments must also be made by those who offer food in the hospital. We want cafes and kiosks to have healthy alternatives readily available, and will engage in dialogue with the tenants to see if there is anything that can or should be changed. Senior doctor Ødegård believes the hospital should take the lead, and change which food is sold there. – Of course, it’s not impossible if you really want to.
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Obesity doctor criticizes hospitals for offering too much unhealthy food – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
