Public school lunches are a nightmare for those who depend on school lunches
Every child enrolled in school knows the struggle of finding something at all desirable while filling up at lunch.
There are those of us who find eating lunch at school to be very unpleasant. I am talking about vegetarians and vegans. As a vegetarian I am disheartened by the school district’s lack of healthy vegetarian options.
Public school lunches are a nightmare for those who depend on school lunches
Every child enrolled in school knows the struggle of finding something at all desirable while filling up at lunch.
There are those of us who find eating lunch at school to be very unpleasant. I am talking about vegetarians and vegans. As a vegetarian I am disheartened by the school district’s lack of healthy vegetarian options.
It is hard to imagine how difficult it must be to be vegan in high school, as they will not consume meat, dairy products, egg products, honey, or anything with any kind of animal product in it.
A vegan in high school would be able to eat significantly less. A vegan’s options are extremely limited to junk food or small peanut butter bars. In many cases, vegans are extremely health conscious leaving them with inadequate options.
Living a cruelty free lifestyle can be a challenge without factoring the school district’s carnivores only stance. We already have to analyze any food that was not prepared with our needs in mind any time we eat out. Even when a meal contains no actual meat, it may have been prepared with chicken stock, lard, or other animal bi-products.
A vegetarian who qualifies for the free or reduced lunch program would struggle even greater. To the point where there probably will not be any vegetarians on free and reduced lunch. I have eaten a meal from the lunch program (prior to going vegetarian). It is what most would consume only as a last choice. The meat even to a carnivore is not the least bit appetizing.
This frustrates me sincerely. Living a compassionate lifestyle should not be punished. Those of us choosing an ethical way of life should be considered when schools are deciding on what to feed us. We are small but we still exist. Even on a tight budget providing a vegetarian replacement could cost the same if not less than the meat they serve.
Something as simple as meatless Mondays could be very beneficial for the school community. It could potentially save money, depending on where we purchase our produce it could support local farmers, we would have healthier children, less animals will be killed, the environment will prosper (seeing as 40,000 pounds of tomatoes can be produced on one acre of land whereas only 137 pounds of beef can be produced), and my fellow vegetarians and vegans will have something to look forward to.
This will not solve the issue with not having a vegetarian staple available to the student body. It is however a step in the right direction. Becoming more vegetarian friendly is not just in the best interest of vegetarians and vegans but in the best interest of the school district, the students, the environment, and of course the animals.
