The French government didn’t set out to overtly ban vegan and vegetarian meals for schoolchildren, but new nutrition guidelines will effectively do just that. A new law obliges schools to serve a protein-rich food with meals, and defines the choices narrowly as meat, fish or cheese.
Public health experts recognize the importance of providing protein-rich foods to children. As in France, USDA school lunch guidelines mandate that school lunch should provide at least a third of a child’s daily protein needs. And a quick look at the U.S. government’s own database shows that it doesn’t require meat or cheese to reach those goals.
A meal including 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a slice of whole wheat bread can provide a 10-year-old with one-third of her daily protein requirement. So will a bean burrito in a flour tortilla or a veggie burger on a whole wheat roll. Round those meals out with a cup of soymilk and some vegetables, and they exceed the government’s requirements for protein intake.
Vegetarian proteins are packed with fiber, too, while leaving behind the artery-clogging saturated fat. Giving kids more vegan options can broaden their access to healthy foods and help build better lifelong eating habits. It can start with healthier protein choices in school cafeterias.
Virginia Messina is a dietitian specializing in vegan nutrition. Her new book is Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-based Diet. Learn more about vegan nutrition by reading her blog TheVeganRD, or by following her twitter.
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