Jill McCarthy, RD ~ Food Service ~

Food Service: Theme Meal

For this project, another dietetic intern and I were asked to create a themed menu to feature at The Cove Café in UC San Diego’s Thornton Hospital.  We chose the theme of “foods to increase mood”.  In today’s society, people often turn to food in times of sorrow, loneliness, or depression.  Inevitably, unhealthy food choices are made to comfort stressors, without realizing that certain foods can be used to replenish the body and have mood-enhancing properties that can be more beneficial in the long run.  Our intentions were to educate people on the specific nutrients found in food that have mood enhancing or energy increasing properties and to highlight foods within our theme meal that are high in these nutrients.