Let's Talk About Hospital Food

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Getting well while in the hospital is supposed to be made possible by strict medical supervision, restful atmosphere, clean surroundings, and healthy food. Sick people are not exactly known to be eager eaters as appetite is commonly affected by sickness. Hospital nutritionists are therefore tasked to come up with food preparations that are not only in accordance with the advised diet but also encourage them to eat to make the convalescence period shorter.

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Patients who do not have any diet restrictions usually have an easier time accepting hospital food as nutritionists have more choices to work on. Hospital food have a widely-known reputation for being bland. This is because spices and artificial flavorings are kept to the minimum, if at all allowed.

Types of Hospital Diet

Many hospital patients are not able to tolerate the Regular Diet. Some will be given Liquid Diets which can consist of water, broth, clear juices, popsicles and gelatin. Others can be given the Soft Diet which includes food that can be mashed by a fork and easy to swallow. Restricted Diets can limit the amount of calories, fat, salt, or other substances, depending on doctor's orders. Therapeutic Diets are specifically prepared as part of the treatment of a disease or sickness. Nutritionists will have to be extra creative for these special diets. Photo below shows pulverized food molded to look like their real counterparts as shared by the image owner.



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Presentation of Hospital Food

Hospital food is brought to the patient's room in a compartmentalized tray or in plates and bowls, depending on the viand. In the recent hospitalization of my wife, I noticed a variation. Patients' food came in boxes as seen below.




Rice is wrapped while the viands were placed in separate paper containers with cover. Soup and dessert is also included. Liquid or powdered drinks are likewise included especially for breakfast.



This is actually a welcome change as we cannot help but think of the possibility of contracting any additional sickness while staying in the hospital. Although I know hospitals have disinfecting procedures in place for cleaning plates and utensils, these lunch boxes appear to be more hygienic. I'm also happy to note that many hospitals are now more conscious of the importance of food in treating patients.  


The Many Ways of Cooking Milkfish with Sarangani Bay Premium Bangus

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Milkfish or Bangus has always been a popular choice among Filipinos when it comes to seafood. Well, it isn't the country's national fish for nothing. But because of issues like marine pollution and illegal fishing, it is becoming more and more difficult to find fresh quality seafood. Good thing that we have the "fresh frozen" option such as those offered by Sarangani Bay.



Sarangani Bay

Sarangani Bay is the most trusted and largest processor of premium quality bangus and other processed seafood products. It is also the country’s largest exporter of the said products. Synonymous to the brand name is Sarangani Bay, the marine sanctuary of the premium quality bangus which is located at Southern Mindanao. The clean and fresh water fish of Sarangani Bay is bred by the Alsons Aquaculture Corporation—the only integrated farm to market fish processing operations in the country.

Fresh Frozen
Fresh frozen is a way of commercially packing fish which makes it possible to lock in the freshness by freezing fresh caught harvest within a very short time after being caught. Commercially packaged frozen fish can taste as good as fresh fish. It’s not true that “fresh” fish is always better than frozen fish. 

Commercially packaged frozen fish can taste as good as fresh caught harvests because they are carefully “fresh frozen” within a very short time, locking in freshness and flavor. Often fresh fish is NOT fresh as it may have sat on insufficient ice for days before reaching the market. The best way to enjoy fresh frozen fish is to select brands sold by established seafood processors with a reputation for consistently excellent quality.

Sarangani Bay Premium Bangus Products

In our search for nutritious seafood options which are readily available, we came across Sarangani Bay Premium Bangus Products. They make it every easy to cook milkfish in many ways . There are numerous options to choose from including Marinated, Unseasoned, Frozen, and Cooked Bangus Products.

Here are some Sarangani Bay Premium Bangus Products we have already tried:



Baby Milkfish

We fried the baby milkfish and paired it off with achara. The size of the bangus is ideal for single serving. It does not require long cooking and is ready to eat in no time.



Marinated Baby Milkfish

If you prefer no-fuss eating, then marinated baby milkfish is the best choice. Pair off with plain rice and vinegar. With the new baby milkfish spicy variant, you don't need any other flavoring to a enjoy a meal that truly satisfies.


Smoked Milkfish

We baked the smoked milkfish and came up with a winning combination with bagoong rice, salted eggs, cucumber, and tomatoes. This was surprisingly a big hit to my kids but not a surprise at all with my wife and I.




Milkfish Belly

This is an all-time family favorite. Crispy milkfish belly cut into serving pieces, soaked in beaten egg and rolled in bread crumbs before frying, served with green salad and hard-boiled eggs has been served many times on our dining table before but we never get tired of it. 



Boneless Milkfish

If there is anything that discourages me most about eating milkfish, it is having to contend with fish-bones. It can make eating a lot more tedious than it should be especially for the children. That is why Sarangani Bay Boneless Milkfish is such a welcome option.





We can choose to pair it off with bread and soup when we don't feel like eating rice. We can serve it literally sizzling with butter sauce and mixed vegetables. The options are as unlimited as our imagination. Other Sarangani Bay must try-products include bangus sisig, boneless tocino, and boneless tapa. I will try it soon for a fish viand with broth.




The Crucial Test

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so they say. So when I send my children to school with this flaked bangus and white rice, and they bring me home an empty food container, asking if there is some more, then I know the food passed a crucial test. Sarangani Bay Premium Bangus just made it workable to include fish as a baon choice.  



Facts About Seafood


Seafood provides various health benefits due to the vitamins and minerals it contains such as iron, zinc, iodine, vitamin B1, folic acid, and especially the omega-3 fatty acids that is known to prevent heart diseases.The fat in seafood also combats other diseases such as
Arthritis, Asthma, Diabetes, Lupus, Prostate Tumors, and Breast Cancer. Apart from the nutrients seafood offers, it also helps to easily achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle because it has less calories and fat compared to chicken, pork, and beef.

Sarangani Bay Processes

To maintain the freshness of the fish products, Sarangani Bay practices the cold chain management that is critical in maintaining the premium quality they offer compared to other fish processors. Sarangani Bay is also a favorite in countries like the United States, Canada, Guam, Australia, China, and the Middle East. Quality control is seen from the processing plant to our kitchen.