Patient Dining FAQs

Sometimes patients are put an NPO diet, which means “nothing by mouth”, in preparation for a medical procedure or because your healthcare providers have determined it is not safe for you to eat.

Your healthcare providers may assign a special diet to you to optimize your health. This could mean that certain nutrients or amounts of nutrients are restricted from your diet, and your diet clerk will keep track of your intake and let you know if you have reached your limit. Foods that contain components you are allergic to may be restricted.

UCSF allows 6 trays a day for patients. This is to ensure that we have enough staff to deliver patient trays and to keep our food costs manageable. You can maximize your intake by ordering snacks for in-between meals on your trays.

At UCSF we serve very large patient and retail populations, so we serve foods and meals that appeal to a wide variety of preferences. Unfortunately, to ensure timely delivery, we can’t modify recipes to leave out or add items. Foods that are prepared in bulk or prepared outside of our organization cannot be modified either. We also have strict food service regulations to follow, so we can only serve foods prepared in a way that has been approved by regulatory agencies.

Guests can place a meal order at the same time the patient places their order or a guest can order separately by calling 3-111 (415-353-1111). At Mission Bay and on 11L Parnassus, you can order a guest meal order through the bedside tablet by selecting “guest tray”.  Guest trays cost $9 and your guest can pay using a card.

Guests can order an entree, 2 sides, soup, dessert and a beverage.

Ask your nurse if you are approved to bring in food from outside. Food must be labeled with the patient name & date it was placed in the refrigerator or freezer. Refrigerated foods (including the container) will be discarded the morning of the second day after it is brought in (ie: if the food is brought in Monday, it will be discarded Wednesday morning). Refrigerated foods with manufacturer’s expiration date will be discarded per manufacturer’s instructions. Frozen foods can be kept up to 14 days or per manufacturer’s expiration date.

If you are experiencing menu fatigue, you can request a visit from a nutrition representative to help you navigate your meal options. If you are using MyChart Bedside, you can view our DIY Creative Menu under the Food section to see some creative suggestions.

At UCSF we plate our trays with pride to keep our trays looking appealing and to keep the weight of trays manageable. Sometimes an order that exceeds the maximum number of items allowed will overflow onto two trays.

All items are served a la carte to track nutrients accurately, keep items separate for those with allergies, and for sustainability reasons as an effort to eliminate waste. Because everything is served a la carte, you can order the exact condiments or garnishes you want.

You can order non-perishable snacks on your meal trays to save for later. You can ask your nurse for a snack from the pantry or heatable meal from the pantry at any time, as long as your diet order allows.

While we don’t allow patients to take food home from the hospital due to food safety concerns, if you have extra supplements in your room at the time of discharge, you may bring these home with you since we cannot reuse them.

If you are interested in nutrition counseling or have questions about your food intake, please let your nurse or doctor know and they can request a visit from a dietitian.