The Red, White, and Green

Last month, Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) became the first district in the nation to adopt Meatless Monday, as part of a larger plan to implement healthier eating for its nearly 84,000 students — a whopping 37 percent of whom are overweight. Now, even better news: The story has made national headlines, even appearing in an ABC World News feature.

WATCH:

For those who argue that vegetarian eating isn’t mainstream enough for the average American — and for kids with finicky appetites who have grown accustomed to school lunches of hamburgers and chicken nuggets — it’s pretty heartening to see students from the inner city gobbling up veggie lasagna and planting collard greens in the school greenhouse.

The benefits of a healthier school lunch program will likely extend beyond smaller waistlines and reduced risk of health problems like diabetes and heart disease: When Central Alternative High School in Appleton, WI, swapped out its processed, empty-calorie lunches for fresh, wholesome meals (and eliminated sugary drinks from the cafeteria), it saw grades increase, absenteeism drop, and disciplinary problems virtually eliminated. It’ll be interesting to see if violent incidents at BCPS disappear along with the district’s chicken patties.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Having trouble planning meatless meals that you and your kids will enjoy? Try the Six O’Clock Scramble, an online dinner planning service that emails you a weekly menu plan — including an organized grocery list — of healthy recipes that take 3o minutes or less to prepare. Three of the recipes each week are meatless or can be made without meat.

More Meatless Monday posts:
Baltimore City Public Schools first in nation to adopt Meatless Monday
Meatless Monday arrives in Vancouver
Meatless Monday: Vegetarian fast food

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