Hyderabad: Now, yummy dishes to lure Coronavirus patients in city

Hyderabad: Corporate hospitals in twin cities that usually serve simple and plain diet to patients admitted in the hospital have changed their menu this season.

They are now offering a special, protein-rich diet with a variety of recipes, snacks, soups, fruits and fruit juices to Covid-19 patients admitted in their hospitals. These hospitals never used to serve non-vegetarian dishes, but the pandemic has set a new precedence. Some of the hospitals, if not all, are offering fish and chicken curries while almost all of them have included boiled eggs as a part of their menu. Due to the emphasis on protein-rich diet, hospitals had to give in to the demands and tastes of patients and hence the decision to offer non-veg dishes. As an alternative, some hospitals are offering paneer dishes.

Due to the intake of various kinds of anti-viral drugs and steroids during corona treatment, patients are experiencing an increased appetite and hence they are being offered rich nutritious food during breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner.

Due to the special diet being served now corporate hospitals are charging anywhere between Rs 550 to Rs 1,200 per day as food charges. Patients per day costs are going up to Rs one lakh per day which is why they are not holding back when it comes to filling their hunger pangs. Some patients are seeking the one-on-one meetings with dieticians so as to ask them to include some of their taste choices on the menu.

Sujatha Stephan, a noted dietician and wellness expert stated that they are offering high protein normal diet and high protein soft diet depending on whether the patient is diabetic or non-diabetic. The diet composition per day in food given to patients is around 2,000 to 2,600 calories and 60 to 80 gms of protein. She said that dietician and nutritionist's role has become very important in Covid treatment as nutritious food decides the recovery of patient and in restoring immunity levels in the body.