To the editor:

I was shocked after reading the article “Gourmet hospitality” (Journal-World, Sept. 13). There is absolutely nothing “healing” about eating an animal-based diet. It’s interesting, though, that the places that are supposed to be helping to heal our family and friends serve up some of the unhealthiest foods available. It doesn’t matter if it’s dressed up as beef bourguignon or Brazilian pork. There is nothing healthy about these dishes. They are void of fiber and complex carbohydrates and are loaded with cholesterol and fat. Am I missing something here?

Most of the country’s associations dealing with health issues now agree that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and soy are healthy and help drastically to reduce heart attacks, diabetes and obesity. When was the last time you heard that to cure these ailments you need to eat meat, dairy and egg products? So why in the world would our hospitals be serving up animal-based foods that are void of everything our bodies need? Maybe it’s because doctors and nurses in our country get very little education about dietary needs. Unfortunately, the medical industry’s ideas of how to cure people is to cut them open or give them drugs.

This article did not surprise me, though. After visiting a family member in a Wichita hospital for a 10th angioplasty, I was stunned at the amount of obese staff members I saw.

I can only hope that LMH starts offering more heart-healthy food options instead of unhealthy animal-based foods.

Ann Wilson,

Lawrence