My friend Paula’s husband had surgery recently and guess what he was given by the nurses in the recovery room?
Shasta soda! Above is a picture of Rick shortly after Paula walked in to visit right after his surgery.
Let’s check out the ingredients of the Shasta soda and see if medical personnel should really be handing this stuff out to vulnerable people who have just had major surgery:
Shasta Soda: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Potassium Benzoate (Preservative), Caramel Color, Sucralose, Natural Flavor, Salt
The big baddies I see in this ingredients list are:
High Fructose Corn Syrup: Calorie for calorie, high fructose corn syrup is more dangerous than white sugar as it is more likely to cause weight gain as published in the Journal of American Clinical Nutrition in 2004. Large amounts of fructose consumed such as what would happen with a can of soda turn quickly into triglycerides in the bloodstream or are stored as fat.
Not a very wise drink choice for recovering surgery patients or anyone for that matter!
Citric Acid: Manufactured from corn, very likely genetically modified. Citric acid coming from corn has traces of MSG in it which is a proven neurotoxin which triggers a wide variety of physical symptoms in many people some very severe.
Potassium Benzoate: A dangerous chemical preservative similar to sodium benzoate. I wrote a post awhile back on how sodium benzoate damages DNA and the link to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. Potassium Benzoate is in the same class of chemicals and should not be consumed particularly by vulnerable post-op patients!
Sucralose: This is an artificial sweetener that is manufactured by chlorinating natural sugar. The Sucralose Toxicity Information Center states that:
While it is unlikely that sucralose is as toxic as the poisoning people are experiencing from Monsanato’s aspartame, it is clear from the hazards seen in pre-approval research and from its chemical structure that years or decades of use may contribute to serious chronic immunological or neurological disorders.
Oh great. It’s slightly better than aspartame! Let’s serve it to hospital patients then!
Natural Flavor: The problem with “natural flavor” is that it is not natural. You never know what is hidden as this is an industry “catch all” label. It is best to avoid products that have “natural flavor” listed just to be on the safe side.
There is no doubt that it is highly irresponsible for hospital personnel to be handing out chemical and sugar laden drinks to post-op patients. What’s so hard about handing out plain carbonated water or at the very least, 100% fruit juice diluted with plain carbonated water to settle the stomach?
Why all the chemicals and dangerous sweeteners?
Do you really think it’s wise to be listening to these people for any sort of dietary advice?
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I was appalled at the diet they served my hubby during his colitis recovery! It was all garbage! Pudding cups, jello, ice cream, msg broth….. Sure, it works to keep the guts from working too hard to digest, but it does NOTHING to help promote healing in the system!!
HI everyone. I want to say, I too am appalled with what seems to be an indifference to a patients nutritional need’s while in a medical facility, but I see things in a different light. I am a student studying to be a DTR (Dietetic Technician). There is a shift in wanting to provide more sound food choices but the RD and DTR do not have the final say. They have only the ability to present what they see as sound choices, after that, it comes down to the chef of the facility, the facilities budgeting committee and the suppliers to the facility. My hope is that the shift gets so large that the chef’s, budgeting committees, and suppliers will no longer be able to ignore the sound choices that are presented by RD’s and DTR’s such as myself who really do care. So please do not bash RD’s and DTR’s. We are just as fustrated if not more so.
Oxymoron, or just moron? Coca-Cola Company Beverage Institute For Health & Wellness
http://www.beverageinstitute.org/en_US/pages/cpe.html
The Coca-Cola Company Beverage Institute For Health & Wellness serves as a resource for health professionals, teachers, coaches and others in need of science-based information about beverages, their ingredients, and their role in health and active lifestyles.
We are proud to sponsor these Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)-approved continuing professional education (CPE) online self-study programs featuring recognized experts in fields such as nutrition, health, weight management, food science, and physical activity.
Several programs are also available for nursing CE on the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA) website, http://www.pcna.net. PCNA programs are accredited by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
I am a recovery room RN and like others have posted before me the options are not what I would eat but this is what the majority of the patients ask for. Don’t blame the nurses for what the hospital chooses to serve though 🙂
Reason #4,789,875,435,442 why I really don’t like hospitals
When I had my last child in the hospital, my MIDWIFE at the time(she no longer is my midwife) kept pushing soda on me. I mean really pushing me! I had been in labor for quite awhile and I just knew it would give me heartburn. All I wanted was water and she practically refused, she brought some, but she also brought soda too. So very frustrating!
I am a nurse and previously worked med-surg, now in ER. There are NO healthy options stoked at either hospital/department I worked in. Soda, diet soda, fruit “juice”, pudding, jello, saltines, rice krispie treats, and oreos are par.
My husband had major open heart surgery in early november and it was an eye opening experience for the 2nd time. Yep, I couldn’t believe it. I ended up bringing food during the week and putting my foot down about soda.
I was also HORRIFIED to see the staff including Docs eating piles of french fries, burgers and the like. They had a great salad bar, but the lean was towards fat.
Thanks for the article !
I couldn’t agree more with you on what they give you while you are in a hospital. I hope that I never have to go into the hospital for something because there is no way that I would eat or drink what they are pedaling. My husband and I have had this discussion and know that if something were to ever happen to either of us we know what to tell the doctors and nurses and that we will be bringing our own food into the hospital. It amazes me on even the food that is served, high in sodium and fat (in some cases) not to mention where did the food come from (we all know the answer to that one).
Thanks for sharing, I really hope that it opens the eyes to many people.
My experience has been in the recovery section for out patient surgery. In that setting, family members were given the option of ginger ale or apple juice (aka, HFCS water with apple flavoring) and either saltines or graham crackers. Ughhhh!!
Yes, I agree with you, any type of cola is not what should be given to patients whose body has been traumatized and is trying to heal!
And, the sad thing is that they actually have dietitians, who are suggesting the meals that these hospitals are providing for patients. And, sadly, the hospital dietitians are also instructing patients about what they should eat when they leave the hospital. So many patients put their trust in what these dietitians tell them. Just not good.