{"id":8365,"date":"2024-02-10T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-10T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8365"},"modified":"2024-02-10T19:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T19:30:00","slug":"birmingham-va-unveils-exciting-culinary-transformations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8365","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham VA unveils exciting culinary transformations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-02-10T19:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p>At Birmingham VA, Veterans are at the heart of everything we do. And in Nutrition and Food Service, customer service is not just a culinary ingredient: It\u2019s the secret sauce.<\/p>\n<p>Studies show that good food is the foundation of health, and this approach doesn\u2019t just cut medical costs, it improves and saves lives. In September 2022, the White House held a <a href=\"https:\/\/health.gov\/our-work\/nutrition-physical-activity\/white-house-conference-hunger-nutrition-and-health\/conference-videos\" rel=\"noopener\">conference<\/a> on hunger, nutrition and health. Since then, \u201cfood as medicine\u201d has been listed on the menu for Veteran care across the country.<\/p>\n<p>Birmingham VA is eager to be a part of this exciting movement, which is why we\u2019re announcing some mouth-watering changes\u2014to include a wider variety of fresh ingredients and scratch menu options with increased food choices.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A feast of choice and freshness<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More variety:\u00a0The new menu will offer a wider selection of delicious options daily, giving Veterans greater control over their dining experience.\u00a0Among these are Caesar salad with chicken,\u00a0cottage cheese and fruit plates, and fresh seasonal fruits.<\/li>\n<li>Star meals:\u00a0Each day will feature a special \u201cStar Menu,\u201d showcasing a signature dish like a comforting roast turkey dinner or a savory beef sirloin.\u00a0Veterans can choose any or all these star items or mix and match with their favorites.<\/li>\n<li>Scratch-made goodness:\u00a0Say goodbye to reheated frozen dinners.\u00a0Under the leadership of Megan Mihaly,\u00a0chief at Nutrition and Food Service, along with Jennifer Maranowicz and Dana Drake, Birmingham VA is moving toward fresh,\u00a0scratch-made recipes.<\/li>\n<li>Cook-serve, not Cook-chill:\u00a0Birmingham VA is transforming the old cook-chill system, where food was prepared, frozen and reheated.\u00a0Instead, with the new cook-serve system, talented chefs will cook hot,\u00a0fresh meals right before service,\u00a0ensuring quality and flavor in every bite.<\/li>\n<li>More choice for Veterans: Staff will take meal orders one day in advance with set delivery times on each ward so Veterans know when their meal will arrive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To ensure a seamless transition, the service is refining workflows, establishing set delivery times, and creating recipes. \u201cWe even have new plates that will be placed on skid-resistant trays to avoid slipping,\u201d said Mihaly.<\/p>\n<p>Motivated by a passion to help others eat in a healthier way that followed the death of her grandmother from diabetes, Mihaly approaches food as part of the healing process. That approach is felt by the Veterans. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vUDRZylcqAE\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch<\/a> the team in action. \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A taste of transformation<\/h2>\n<p>Birmingham VA\u2019s transformation will be a shining example of how health care is evolving to put patient well-being and satisfaction at the forefront. It\u2019s about treating the whole person, and that includes nourishing their body and soul with delicious, healthy food and exceptional service.<\/p>\n<p>Being in the hospital can be an unsettling experience for Veterans, caretakers and their loved ones. The Birmingham team will bring not just a hot meal but warmth to the stay and serve Veterans a dining experience with the comforts of home. Food is healing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s our passion and what we do,\u201d Mihaly said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the many reasons Veterans choose Birmingham VA for their care.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/128151\/birmingham-va-unveils-culinary-transformations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Birmingham VA announces mouth-watering changes including a wider variety of fresh ingredients and scratch menu options with increased culinary choices<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Birmingham VA unveils exciting culinary transformations - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Birmingham VA announces mouth-watering changes including a wider variety of fresh ingredients and scratch menu options with increased culinary choices\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=8365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Birmingham VA unveils exciting culinary transformations - 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