Intermountain Healthcare Chefs Don’t Make “Hospital Food”

Hospital food. Maybe nutritious, but not generally thought of as fine dining.  That is, unless you have had a LiVe Well Healthy Plate from an Intermountain Healthcare hospital.

Eating right should be the goal of everyone. But sometimes delicious is more important to us. Intermountain Healthcare’s LiVe Well Plates are designed to address both.  And they must be popular, since over 150,000 plates were served last year.

“Our goal for each LiVe Well Plate is to create something that will look and taste delicious while being just as good for you,” said Laura Watson, Patient Support Services director. “Each plate is about balance, offering a complete and flavorful meal with no more than 600 calories, less than 700 mg of sodium, and less than thirty percent of the calories from fat.”

Intermountain chefs have created over 100 LiVe Well Healthy Plates. Popular ones include Chicken Athena with Root Vegetables and Pork Loin with Pilaf and Chard, but they are constantly changing. “The larger Intermountain hospitals offer a different LiVe Well Plates each day,” said Watson. “Smaller ones might offer them every few days.”

And if you like them, in many cases, you can also pick up a recipe card designed for a home-sized portion. Or you can find recipes at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/live-well/eat-well/recipes. 

“LiVe Well Healthy Plates are part of our goal to help people live the healthiest lives possible,” said Watson. “If we can model a healthy meal for our visitors that they can take home to their families, we can affect their lives for the better.

Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based, not-for-profit system of 22 hospitals, 185 clinics, a Medical Group with some 1,400 employed physicians, a health plans division called SelectHealth, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare through high quality and sustainable costs.  For more information about Intermountain, visit intermountainhealthcare.org.

Top Five LiVe Well Plates in 2015:

#1 Pecan Chicken with Red Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans  

#2 Berry Chicken Salad

#3 Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Rice

#4 Beef with Mushroom Pan Sauce

#5 Salmon w/ Fruit Salsa