In the beginning of the year, I remember walking into a crowded line of students in the cafeteria anxiously waiting for the food. I forgot to pack my lunch that day so I was hoping that this time, the cafeteria will provide a meal with a vegetarian option.
Right as I walked in however, as expected, they were only offering bosco sticks made with cheese and pepperoni, and the only alternative was a salad bar. This is what I have gone through as a vegetarian for a year now with our school lunch options. The only vegetarian meals currently available are the cheese pizza, salad, nachos and cheese bosco sticks with fruits and vegetables.
I appreciate the effort of providing salad, but that’s not the only thing one eats with a vegetarian diet, we aren’t rabbits.
When given those options, I either pack my lunch everyday or I turn to chips with a Nature Valley bar from the vending machine and am still hungry after going to track practice with a fairly empty stomach.
It’s unfair that those are the only non-meat options given, which still fail to benefit a vegetarian diet. Even if one isn’t vegetarian, they can still benefit from such dishes.
Other public schools like one in Queens, New York, an Active Learning Elementary School, has gone fully vegetarian. This change has caused a decrease in student illness and an increase in concentration levels, resulting in higher test scores. Providing students with these dishes is beneficial to not only to their health, but also their learning skills.
When looking at their school menu, I noticed various vegetarian options and sides that would be appetizing for students, including foods such as cheese flatbread pizza, confetti corn, vegetarian chili, teriyaki crunchy tofu and sweet potato wedges.
I’m not saying that we have to make our school lunch menu completely vegetarian, but at the very least, we can try and add different options two to three days a week.
Our school’s salad bar needs more protein options such as quinoa, edamame, with different seeds and nuts for protein and dressing such as olive oil and vinegar. The vending machine should add different foods such as nuts, dried fruit and vegetable chips.
Overall, the entirety of the student body, whether they’re vegetarian or not, can still benefit from healthier lunches.
This reporter reached out to district food service for the story, but did not receive a response as of press time
TCHS School Newspaper