Eric Adams, the New York City Mayor, advocates for weekly menu changes. Adams is a plant-based dieter himself.
From now, the Friday lunch menus at New York City schools will be vegan
Last week, the school district posted the weekly menu change via social media.
The district tweeted: “NEW! @NYCschools cafeterias will be vegan on Fridays!” Schools that use plant-based foods can promote healthy eating and healthy living for thousands of NYC students.
According to the Associated Press, the district’s main meal will now be vegan.
The AP reported that even though the meal is vegan, students can request other options. Students will also have unlimited access to peanut butter, jelly sandwiches, milk, and pretzels.
According to the AP, students were treated to “vegan vegetable tacos” with salsa and tortilla, along with a side dish of broccoli and a carrot and lemon. This was the district’s first Friday as a vegan district.
According to AP, other vegan Friday meals will include a Mediterranean chickpea recipe with rice or pasta and a black bean-and-plantain rice bowl. According to reports, the vegan meals were approved by small groups.
According to the AP, New York City’s public school district is the largest in the U.S. and has offered Meatless Mondays and Meatless Fridays since April. It has approximately 938,000 students.
According to a 2018 survey by the School Nutrition Association, 14% of schools across the country offer vegan meals, while 56% offer vegetarian meals at least in one school.
Eric Adams, the new mayor of New York City, pushed for the move to vegan Fridays. Adams follows a plant-based diet.
“I cannot tell people what they should put on their grills this weekend. Adams spoke on Friday on WNBC-TV, saying that we shouldn’t be feeding the health crisis in our prisons and hospitals.
According to 2019 data, nearly 40% of New York City’s public school students in grades K-8 were obese or overweight.
Angela Odoms Young, associate professor in Cornell University’s nutritional sciences division, said that she helped create the nutrition standards for National School Lunch Program.
She stated that students can get the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables and be exposed to new foods. This change could help children develop long-term healthy habits. It will also dispel the myth that children are resistant or unable to eat vegetables.
Odoms-Young stated that it doesn’t have to be just broccoli. It can be many different things that kids might eat, especially if they’re prepared in different ways.