The entitlement in this thread, wow. For some kids, school lunch is the only real meal they get. Should it be high quality? Yes! But we should not force OP's dietary choices on kids who might not get food elsewhere.

FWIW, I was vegetarian for more than a decade and vegan for several years. I feel much, much better eating meat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I think this is a terrible idea.

“Low budget kid friendly vegetarian” is going to equal carbs carbs carbs, sugar sugar sugar

The kids who rely on school lunches need MORE protein, not less. Poor kids aren’t overweight because they eat too much protein. Just saying.

Kids are not going to eat meat substitutes or creative bean entrees and whatnot. They just aren’t.

I’d suggest leaving the entrees in place and fixing the side items to focus on fruit and veg options that actually appeal to kids. Then again, that costs $.

Where do you get this. Kids do eat meat "substitutes" Mine eat the veggie nuggets, veggie balls (though not a lot as I don't encourage it often with the soy/chemicals) and tofu. Mine generally eat tofu 5-6 days a week. And, eat plenty of veggies.

Your kids eat that way because you brought them up that way and that's what you serve at home. It's 180 degrees from what the average public school family serves at home, and no, most schoolkids most assuredly wil not eat "veggie nuggets, veggie balls and tofu." LOL!

They would if parents served it at home and it was normal. Schools now serve some of it and kids do eat it but the processed veggie nuggets and balls aren't healthy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I think this is a terrible idea.

“Low budget kid friendly vegetarian” is going to equal carbs carbs carbs, sugar sugar sugar

The kids who rely on school lunches need MORE protein, not less. Poor kids aren’t overweight because they eat too much protein. Just saying.

Kids are not going to eat meat substitutes or creative bean entrees and whatnot. They just aren’t.

I’d suggest leaving the entrees in place and fixing the side items to focus on fruit and veg options that actually appeal to kids. Then again, that costs $.

Where do you get this. Kids do eat meat "substitutes" Mine eat the veggie nuggets, veggie balls (though not a lot as I don't encourage it often with the soy/chemicals) and tofu. Mine generally eat tofu 5-6 days a week. And, eat plenty of veggies.

Your kids eat that way because you brought them up that way and that's what you serve at home. It's 180 degrees from what the average public school family serves at home, and no, most schoolkids most assuredly wil not eat "veggie nuggets, veggie balls and tofu." LOL!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My school offers far few menu choices than my DD’s school a mile away. My school is one of the highest farms rate in the district. The cafeteria manager argues that the students won’t eat the healthier options. However, when my students conducted several studies, they found that students ate much less meat at home (lots of rice and beans or rice and peas) and were open to at least trying vegetarian entrees offered at the neighboring school. They wrote up everything and the cafeteria manager still said no.

Then why are so many kids overweight?

Because chemicals are cheaper than food, and salty, floury carbs are cheaper than protein, and many people gain weight easily eating salt, fat and low fiber carbs. Price out one serving of a decent ( not “ delicious “) apple. Price out a serving of high fructose filled, shelf stable apple sauce. Price out lean meat vs fattier cuts. Price out a veal chop vs a breaded hydrogenated oil filled salt infused “veal cutlet”. Basically, it’s because “processed” and carb heavy ( Cheetos vs actual cheese) cost less per serving, with the possible exception of plain frozen vegetables which cost less than fresh.

Just because one is vegetarian, it does not mean healthier. The vegetarian stuff in public is far from healthy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are figs vegan?

Figs are ambrosia

Dude, last time I visited Ancient Greek during my time travels .. I am preeeettttyyyy sure it was liquid.

Anonymous wrote:It’s one thing to allow certain children to consume animal products on school grounds over lunch.

But there is NO reason - none at all - that taxpayer dollars should go toward funding animal cruelty and serving the results of murder.

What a travesty! Do you insist on killing INNOCENT fruits and vegetables on a taxpayer buck!!!!???? How dare you!

How come you just stomp with your rude vegan foot right over the rights of the fruitarians OPPOSE such a barbaric acts with our whole fruitty heart.

Here is what we believe is the right thing to do...

Some fruitarians will eat only what falls (or would fall) naturally from a plant: that is, plant foods that can be harvested without killing or harming the plant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism

[3][4][5] These foods consist primarily of culinary fruits, nuts, and seeds.[6] According to author Adam Gollner, some fruitarians eat only fallen fruit.[7] Some do not eat grains, believing it is unnatural to do so,[8] and some fruitarians feel that it is improper for humans to eat seeds as they contain future plants,[7] or nuts and seeds,[9] or any food besides juicy fruit.[10] Others believe they should eat only plants that spread seeds when the plant is eaten.[11] Others eat seeds and some cooked foods.[12] Some fruitarians use the botanical definitions of fruits and consume pulses, such as beans, peas, or other legumes. Other fruitarians' diets include raw fruits, dried fruits, nuts, honey and olive oil,[13] nuts, beans and/or chocolate.[14]\

Oy!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s one thing to allow certain children to consume animal products on school grounds over lunch.

But there is NO reason - none at all - that taxpayer dollars should go toward funding animal cruelty and serving the results of murder.

x1 million. Those poor animals have no voice and no votes just a lifetime of suffering to endure before they end up as proceeded food

Give it up. Barely 5% of adult Americans claim to be vegetarian. Until vegetarianism becomes more mainstream, it is not good to foist your minority view on the majority across the nation. If it were closer, even 35-40%, it might be reasonable, but for such a small minority to make that type of decision on behalf of the much larger majority, it's not the right thing to do.

Additionally, from experience, my children attended a small private school that switched for about 2 years to a vegetarian menu, it was much more expensive. And the preschool where I work has a vendor that will provide them with a subset of vegetarian meals to go with the other meals. Those meals cost more than the regular meals. The cost per child is about 130% what they pay for the regular meals. Since that is a private preschool funded by tuition, the school eats the cost difference since it isn't very many students (roughly 5% of the student population per year). But large public school systems cannot afford or eat this type of cost increase.

With the way local governments are curbing school expenditures, we cannot afford the cost of the vegetarian based food companies cost per student. Our school districts need the money for applications that directly affect the teachers, teaching, materials and resources available for teaching children.

Anonymous wrote:It’s one thing to allow certain children to consume animal products on school grounds over lunch.

But there is NO reason - none at all - that taxpayer dollars should go toward funding animal cruelty and serving the results of murder.

x1 million. Those poor animals have no voice and no votes just a lifetime of suffering to endure before they end up as proceeded food

I can't believe this has outlasted the meditation thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My school offers far few menu choices than my DD’s school a mile away. My school is one of the highest farms rate in the district. The cafeteria manager argues that the students won’t eat the healthier options. However, when my students conducted several studies, they found that students ate much less meat at home (lots of rice and beans or rice and peas) and were open to at least trying vegetarian entrees offered at the neighboring school. They wrote up everything and the cafeteria manager still said no.

Then why are so many kids overweight?

Because chemicals are cheaper than food, and salty, floury carbs are cheaper than protein, and many people gain weight easily eating salt, fat and low fiber carbs. Price out one serving of a decent ( not “ delicious “) apple. Price out a serving of high fructose filled, shelf stable apple sauce. Price out lean meat vs fattier cuts. Price out a veal chop vs a breaded hydrogenated oil filled salt infused “veal cutlet”. Basically, it’s because “processed” and carb heavy ( Cheetos vs actual cheese) cost less per serving, with the possible exception of plain frozen vegetables which cost less than fresh.

Anonymous wrote:Are figs vegan?

Figs are ambrosia

It’s one thing to allow certain children to consume animal products on school grounds over lunch.

But there is NO reason - none at all - that taxpayer dollars should go toward funding animal cruelty and serving the results of murder.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shocking, but the US school lunch is comparable to processed unhealthy food most kids outside of DCUM-land are given at home too. You think middle class America is making their kids arugula and beet salad with goat cheese at home? No.

Americans eat like crap and most parents don’t prepare heathy non-processed meals at home regularly. Why would you expect the school to do a better job at feeding kids than their parents do?

You’re quoting my kids’ favorite salad exactly, except for roasted walnuts. 🤣

It specifically says outside of DCUM-land. Because of course the children of DCUM love arugula and beets with a homemade Parmesan crips on the side and an apple/kale smoothie

I don't like beets, because I always forget and think I'm bleeding out of my butt later. Tastes good. Much regret.

Hahaha. Yes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shocking, but the US school lunch is comparable to processed unhealthy food most kids outside of DCUM-land are given at home too. You think middle class America is making their kids arugula and beet salad with goat cheese at home? No.

Americans eat like crap and most parents don’t prepare heathy non-processed meals at home regularly. Why would you expect the school to do a better job at feeding kids than their parents do?

You’re quoting my kids’ favorite salad exactly, except for roasted walnuts. 🤣

It specifically says outside of DCUM-land. Because of course the children of DCUM love arugula and beets with a homemade Parmesan crips on the side and an apple/kale smoothie

I don't like beets, because I always forget and think I'm bleeding out of my butt later. Tastes good. Much regret.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shocking, but the US school lunch is comparable to processed unhealthy food most kids outside of DCUM-land are given at home too. You think middle class America is making their kids arugula and beet salad with goat cheese at home? No.

Americans eat like crap and most parents don’t prepare heathy non-processed meals at home regularly. Why would you expect the school to do a better job at feeding kids than their parents do?

You’re quoting my kids’ favorite salad exactly, except for roasted walnuts. 🤣

It specifically says outside of DCUM-land. Because of course the children of DCUM love arugula and beets with a homemade Parmesan crips on the side and an apple/kale smoothie