With the return of the living hostages to Israeli territory on Monday, they were transferred to hospitals throughout central Israel for essential treatment and examinations. Dr. Sigal Frishman, head of the nutrition department at Beilinson Hospital, where five captivity survivors are located, recounts, "We were moved to see that everyone is on their feet, speaking coherently, smiling. Since November, we have gained experience and accumulated knowledge. However, being in captivity for two years is not like 50 days."
"We are providing personal home care for each hostage. We assess the amount of muscle and fat lost. The longer the survivors did not see sunlight, the less vitamin D they produced. As a result, their bones became increasingly deteriorated. They ate only rice and pitas, leaving them with no resources for building muscle. The survivors do not want to see rice; they saw a lot of rice and pitas. Everything stems from a prolonged period of inadequate nutrition. To our understanding, each one went through a different story, and now we will treat them well and properly. In general, we know and knew there would be deficiencies in vitamins and deficiencies in minerals, iron, B-12, and vitamin D," Dr. Frishman recounts.
"We have a chef in the hospital who cooks for the entire hospital. What the survivors receive is really made to order, custom-tailored for every day. This actually considers several things. One aspect is their condition, specifically, to what extent they can eat and how freely they can do so. The second thing is really their cravings, their appetite, and their needs."
"We know how to prepare everything, to prepare breakfast like a hotel buffet, omelets, shakshuka, salads, tahini, good yogurts, good cheeses, really everything, and at lunch, and at holiday meals, or at dinner, meat meals, really with all the variety, fish, chicken, and sushi."
"If there is a special craving for something we do not know how to prepare, then we bring it from a good place, quality, and one that we know is clean, which is no less important. We ensure, within the framework of a perfect kitchen team, warm home-cooked food. The customization is personal, and we are constantly checking cravings, appetite level, and the digestive system. If all of this checks out, we will, of course, obtain everything. We will prepare it here or bring it from outside."
