Prevention of disease
At UMC Utrecht we do not only treat people, we also help our patients and employees to be and stay as healthy as possible. This leads to a health benefit, but is also good for the environment. The most sustainable healthcare is after all ensuring that it doesn't need to be given. We aim to promote a healthy environment, food, and lifestyle. Both for patients and for employees. We do this via programs around mental health, sport and exercise, nutrition, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The Healthy Lifestyle access point and exercise monitoring are fine examples of this.
Healthier and more sustainable food offer
UMC Utrecht is a trailblazing hospital in the project Good Care You Can Taste . In 2023 we adapted our nutritional offer to include more vegetarian, plant-based, and whole-grain products, and products with less salt and sugar. In the scope of the EWUU alliance we are studying environmental pollution caused by hospital meals and the protein content of vegetarian versus non-vegetarian meals. This provides insights for future research on the role of vegetable protein in food for patients, and the improvement thereof.
