What children eat in the school cafeteria sets the tone, not only for their health and academic performance as children, but for their future health as adults.

Childhood obesity, diabetes, allergies, disease prevention, food safety, and both special and restrictive diets all place increased pressure on food service personnel to provide low-fat, carefully planned menus. But cutting fat, improving the quality of food, preparing new recipes, and most importantly, convincing children to try new foods are certainly more difficult in an environment of minimal support and resources, tight schedules, fast food, and crowded cafeterias.

CHOICE is committed to working with school food service to:
1. Offer healthier, plant-based options in school meal programs.
2. Provide vegetarian alternatives with every meal.

Here's why...

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Cancer Society, the American Dietetic Association, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, the USDA and the National Institutes of Health all recommend that there be greater emphasis in the American diet on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes with a reduction in consumption of animal foods.

That's because at the heart of our nation's health crisis is a conventional diet centered on meat and dairy. While the food pyramid and nutritionists favor a diet centered on plant foods, particularly whole grain complex carbohydrates, beans, fruits, and vegetables, it is sometimes difficult to make a transition to serving these healthier foods. Several factors contribute to this dilemma, perhaps the most substantial of which is simply our own habit and upbringing.

For generations, Americans like you and I were raised on the four food groups. A meal of red meat (burger or steak), a cup of whole milk, white bread (either a slice on the side or a bun), and a side of vegetables (often canned, frozen, or French fries) were considered healthy and a sign of affluence. Consequently, we see this meal pattern reflected in the foods we serve our children.

But our understanding of health has evolved, and now we know that deep-fried foods, overly processed bread, milk, junk foods and meat have contributed significantly to a new health crisis striking our nation through obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

We can directly impact the future health of our nation by working together to improve the quality of food served in the school lunch program. Schools need to be on the cutting edge, not only in providing effective nutrition education, but also by providing delicious plant-centered alternatives to a conventional American diet.

In good conscience, it is time for a change. It's time to become more aware of what we are serving, and how that food benefits or undermines good health; it's time to experience new preparations; and it's time to center our children's diets on healthier fruits, vegetables, beans and unrefined grains.

How you make this change will depend on the environment in which you are working. Does your school recieve food from a central kitchen? Or do you cook at your school? Do you serve 100 students or a 1000? Does your administration support change, or would it prefer to bring in fast foods. Each situation will vary...but for each situation there are answers.

CHOICE provides the tools and information necessary to overcome the obstacles before us and turn the tide on our children's poor eating habits. Please take the time to review the dietary information, preparation tips, menus and marketing tools provided. And give us your input! If you have suggestions, recipes, success stories, or any other information you'd like to share, send it to us. We'll post it on the website, so that others many benefit from your experience.

Just remember, for every plant-based menu you serve you are cutting back on saturated fats, helping children to meet the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, satisfying varied dietary requirements, preventing future illness and opening the door to a whole new experience of good food and good health.

Food Service Menu
Overview | Why Serve A Plant-based Menu
Vegetarian and Special Needs Diets | Introducing New Foods
Recipes | Marketing Tools

~American Institute
for Cancer Research

Those who eat diets
low in animal products "have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer."

...American Dietetic Association

"This is our seventh year," said Jennifer Keogh, one of two parents managing the program. "There were three parents who got together serving pizza one day, and then they added another day and another day. Now we're up to five meals. We've been serving a grain based vegetarian lunch."