As the seasons change, it’s in a hospital food service facility’s best interest to offer a variety of tasty and nutritious food options to suit the times. Not only is this a great way to boost customer and patient satisfaction in hospital menu options, but it can also be a fun way to attract new patrons to your business while abiding by recommendations from the diet office.
With the dog days of summer officially here, customers will be looking for delicious snacks to celebrate the season that won’t weigh them down in the process. Luckily, there are an assortment of seasonal treats that are ideal for serving in hospital environments. Here are five summer snacks that are equally good to eat in terms of taste and nutritional value.
Greek yogurt
One of the biggest health crazes sweeping the nation right now is a desire for Greek yogurt. Offering a unique Mediterranean twist on classic yogurt varieties, Greek yogurt is the perfect base for mixing in honey, fruits, granola and an assortment of other toppings for a healthy and flavorful snack. Furthermore, Greek yogurt is low in calories and high in nutrients like calcium and bacteria meant to improve dietary health. Even better, Greek yogurt can be served frozen for a great alternative to ice cream.
Fresh fruit
Sometimes the simplest answer is the best answer, which is why fresh fruit slices are a clear choice for offering health-conscious snack options to customers and patients. Big slices of watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew can stand alone as dessert choices for lunch or dinner crowds. You may also want to put out an assortment of other fruits, such as grapes, bananas, kiwi, peaches, pears, oranges, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pineapples, apples and mangos. These snacks are ideal for people with a sweet tooth who don’t want to eat sugary candy bars, cake or other fatty desserts.
Vegetable slices with dip
While you may want to avoid high-calorie French onion, ranch or spinach dips – which are often loaded with cream and cheese – vegetable slices with other accompanying dips can be delicious snacks for hospital patients. For example, a variety of sliced peppers, carrots and celery sticks can be ideal for snacking alongside some flavorful assortments of hummus or Greek yogurt dip. These menu choices are also great served chilled for cooling down on hot summer days. You can also consider serving edamame for an alternative to classic vegetable selections.