You’ve heard of the cola challenge, right? I propose the carrot challenge. Try biting into two raw carrots: one organic, the other nonorganic.

For a chef, there’s no question that the flavor profile is much different between the two, but I think anyone can notice the intense flavor, the bite, of an organically grown carrot.

Flavor is one good reason to use certified organic produce, but as the chef at Mount Nittany Medical Center, my reasons go beyond the palate. A chef must look at his customer base. Our “customers” come to us with suppressed immune systems. They may have cancer or other illnesses that affect the appetite.

I can make something taste good, but if the food isn’t organic, it may have been sprayed with chemicals, tainted or injected with growth hormones. Unless the produce tag says Certified Organic, I have no assurance that the food is as healthy as possible.

The average patient stay in the medical center is three to four days. These hours are the most crucial for healing. Your body is what you put into it. By providing certified organic produce, I have peace of mind that the 2,000 meals a day that we

serve in the café and the snack bar and, most importantly, the patient meals are of the highest quality.

Last year, we served 668,000 meals. Because of this volume, we’re not able to secure all of our produce from local farmers. Our vendor deals with more than 30 farmers in the United States to bring in a constant supply of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables in the quantities we need. Our menu planning also follows the seasons, because nature seems to provide what we need when we need it. Pomegranates, for instance, are considered a super food. Why is it harvested in the fall? Fall is flu season. We need to build up our immune system.

There are also flu vaccinations. I’m not saying to simply eat a pomegranate and forget about it. I’m saying that we can support the healing work of our physicians, our medicines and our treatments with good, healthy, nutritionally rich food.

Everyone I know looks forward to a great meal. According to our customer satisfaction surveys, our patients are having a “very good” food experience. This reflects a number of components — the team approach in the kitchen, a very caring service staff and a good-quality product.

Gary B.Glenn is a certified executive chef and director of nutrition and culinary services at Mount Nittany Medical Center.