Healthy Food Choices for the Kaiser Cafeteria

Currently underway is an Innovation Grant Project: Bringing Healthy Food Choices to the Kaiser Santa Rosa cafeteria. The project was sponsored by Walter Mills, MD, and a committee consisting of Brad Larsen, Rorie Walden, Barbara Weir and Audrey Young.

Jill Nussinow was hired as a consultant to help with the transition which includes more locally grown produce, whole grains, legumes and other plant foods as a focus on the menu. The first noticeable change will be a salad bar upgrade (although the size of the salad bar must remain the same) and change of items. Subsequently, the daily special, soup and sandwich offerings will change to reflect healthier offerings.

The purpose of this project is to promote the health of staff and members by having healthy choices available every day.

Mun, the cafeteria manager, is really pleased to be working with the team on this project. She has already instituted changes on her own and has a new Korean special called Bi Bimbob, which is brown or white rice served with condiments such as pea sprout shoots, cucumber salad, shredded tofu, mung beans and hot sauce (optional). Mun reports that many people are choosing brown rice over white. This is the kind of behavior change that this project hopes to see happening on a more frequent basis.

This effort will manifest the vision of the regional Healthy Picks program offering more varieties of fresh, local, sustainable, healthy foods in Kaiser Permanente facilities to improve the health of our members, employees, and our communities.

As Healthy Picks spread from Kaiser Permanente vending machines to cafes and cafeterias, choosing to eat healthy is becoming easier than ever before. "In today's society it can be difficult to make the right decisions about food because we are overwhelmed with conflicting messages telling us what is healthy and what is not," says Jan Sanders, director of National Nutrition Services. "Healthy Picks make it easier for people to make the right choices that will help them live well and thrive." In all cafes and cafeterias, food and beverage items that meet nutritional standards developed by Kaiser Permanente dietitians will be clearly labeled with the Healthy Picks symbol.

This spring, cafes and cafeterias in Northern California, Southern California, Northwest, and Hawaii Region medical centers are moving toward nutritional changes in their preparation methods and selection. In Southern California, the Bellflower medical center is already incorporating many Healthy Picks items in their cafeteria. "People get really excited every time a new healthy item is introduced," says Steve Griffith, Food and Nutritional Services manager at Bellflower medical center. Bellflower is now offering choices such as chicken breast marinated in fat-free dressing instead of breaded chicken breast on their hot sandwiches, and suggesting healthy substitutions such as walnuts instead of croutons for added crunch on top of salads.

Cafeterias have also been transitioning to the use of trans fat-free oil in food fryers, providing low/non-fat dressings, and offering more reduced fat sources of protein on their salad bars along with fresh fruits and vegetables. Other changes include offering trans fat-free margarines, hormone-free milk, and more nutritional breakfast choices. "We're highlighting healthier options," explains Sandra Kelly, Food and Nutritional Services manager in the northwest region. "Instead of featuring items like donuts and pastries for breakfast, we're now spotlighting fresh fruit and yogurt." These healthy changes are supporting better lifestyles for our employees, our physicians, and our members, and they have the potential to benefit many others as well.

Healthy Picks Helping Others

Having access to fresh, local, organic foods will benefit all of Kaiser Permanente, and Healthy Picks will also help many others outside of our organization. To ensure that the freshest produce is delivered to Kaiser Permanente cafeterias, Healthy Picks will source from local farms and growers whenever possible. "The program targets the well being of 'Limited Resource' farmers, and aims to support them and their efforts to compete with much larger companies," says Lynn Garske, Environmental Stewardship manager. At the West Los Angeles medical center, the cafeteria has expanded its salad bar to serve sprouts and sprouted beans purchased from a local farmer, and will soon be bringing in fresh fruit from nearby growers as well. "By supporting small, local farmers we are helping them and their families make the proper wages so that they may be able to afford health care coverage," says Garske.

In addition to benefiting people both inside and outside of Kaiser Permanente, Healthy Picks will also help the health of the environment. Relying on small, local farms instead of large, remote farms will help reduce pollution as they produce less waste and require much shorter shipping distances from the farm to the medical centers. Furthermore, choosing organic, hormone-free products benefits the health of both the animals that produce the food and the people who consume it. "The advantages of locally produced foods are far-reaching," explains Garske. "Providing benefits to economically disadvantaged farmers, the environment, and even animals, Healthy Picks are helping both people and nature thrive!"

Eating Well, Learning Well, Living Well

Kaiser Permanente has a social responsibility to help our employees, our members, and our communities live well. Programs like Kaiser Permanente Farmers' Markets and Healthy Picks are making fresh produce available while simultaneously providing health education and encouraging people to eat well and learn well. "Not only are we offering more choices, but we are providing tools and resources so that people can know the facts about their food and make informed decisions," says Sanders. The thinking is: if you know what's good for you, you're more likely to make the right choice.

The Healthy Picks program was created under the Kaiser Permanente Comprehensive Food Policy with a vision of improving the health of our members, employees, our communities, and the environment by increasing access to fresh, healthy food in and around Kaiser Permanente facilities. From vending machines in 2005 to cafeterias in 2006, Healthy Picks will continue to grow into other food service areas of Kaiser Permanente, including coffee carts and catering services in coming months.

Bringing more choices to more people, Healthy Picks is planting the seeds of good health, one choice at a time.