Evaluating adherence of hospital meals to Mediterranean diet: the case of a developing country

This study aimed to assess the nutritional composition of meals served to and consumed by patients in Lebanese hospitals and to evaluate the extent to which these meals adhere to Mediterranean diet guidelines. Conducted between April 2023 and September 2023, this cross-sectional study involved 155 in-patients from various departments across 16 hospitals in Lebanon. Food quantities served were measured, and nutritional analysis was performed to evaluate the nutritional content of meals provided and eaten by patients. On average, served meals weighed 1.24 kg (SD: 0.43), providing an average of 1489 kcal energy (SD: 546.55) and 72 g of protein per hospital bed per day. These meals typically met 79% of a patient's daily estimated energy requirement (EER). On the other hand, patients consumed an average of 0.85 kg of food, providing 1084.3 kcal energy (57.3% of EER) and 50 g of protein per day. The most served food group in hospitals was the 'grains and cereals' group. Compared to the Mediterranean diet, our results showed that hospitals exceeded the recommended servings for dairy and meat products, while they served less than the recommended amounts from the vegetables, fruits, legumes. Patients did not meet their daily requirements for almost all the macro- and micro-nutrients. This study highlights the importance of public health policies, interventions, and food service management strategies to ensure patients receive adequate diets aligned with their nutritional needs.