Elementary School Cafeteria Goes Vegetarian

[jakem1]

Disclaimer: I hate vegetables as much as Ron Swanson.

Having said that, I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea. First of all, we're only talking about one meal a day here so it's not as if the children are suddenly forced to stop eating meat. Also, school dinners are primarily aimed at poorer students who are more likely to be served cheap, fatty meals at home so this could provide them with their only healthy meal of the day.

Of course, there's a chance that children who aren't used to vegetables will refuse to eat them which would be counter productive. There's also no reason why meat and fish can't be included as a healthy choice to children so it would make more sense to include them as options.

[FloatingFatMan]

Disclaimer: I hate vegetables as much as Ron Swanson.

Having said that, I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea. First of all, we're only talking about one meal a day here so it's not as if the children are suddenly forced to stop eating meat. Also, school dinners are primarily aimed at poorer students who are more likely to be served cheap, fatty meals at home so this could provide them with their only healthy meal of the day.

Of course, there's a chance that children who aren't used to vegetables will refuse to eat them which would be counter productive. There's also no reason why meat and fish can't be included as a healthy choice to children so it would make more sense to include them as options.

Indeed, but one extreme is just as bad as the other. If they want the kids to have a healthy diet, they need to give them balance.

[Hum]

^ Schools should just get out of the lunch business.

Provide a place for children to sit, but let parents decide what their kids will eat.

[Original Poster]

Don't blame lifestyles on religion. Our diets have historically developed based on the region we live in. For example, Indian food is usually hot/spicy because of the warmer climate compared to say USA.

Did you even read my post? GTFO and come back when you learn to read. also yes other regions do have a better food source for living a vegetarian life style, but before you post next time you post please do these things:

1, Learn to read.

2, consider the situation that is being discussed.

3, before you post your dribble, at-least tell me your scientific background so I can potentially view you as creditable in some way.

Omnivores need a mixed diet, we are not herbivores nor are we carnivores we are omnivores and require the diet to match. while nuts, eggs and other things are a good source of protein, nuts are required in extreme amounts and eggs are high in cholesterol. the skin on a fruit is also a good source of protien but would require high amounts, but with this comes high natural sugars and most people cannot process all this fruit and will often suffer from excess deification as well as if consumption was plenty and often on a daily bases diabetes can occur...

should I move on to iron and anemia now ? ....yes I understand people can live long lives, but it does not mean they are overly healthy.... they could be unfit, get colds and small non-life threatening bugs which just bring down the overall quality of life. whats the point of a long life if its annoying?

most people in the western world do not know how to eat correctly and will often be lazy, it is common that vegetarians gain weight due to the foods available to their over indulged palettes and will normally eat things such as pasta.

[redfish]

And poorer families usually can't afford fruit and veg because they are usually expensive. That is a point in favour of increasing fruit and veg in school cafeterias.

What are you talking about? Fruit and vegetables are much cheaper than meat.

[compl3x]

Did you even read my post? GTFO and come back when you learn to read. also yes other regions do have a better food source for living a vegetarian life style, but before you post next time you post please do these things:

1, Learn to read.

2, consider the situation that is being discussed.

3, before you post your dribble, at-least tell me your scientific background so I can potentially view you as creditable in some way.

Omnivores need a mixed diet, we are not herbivores nor are we carnivores we are omnivores and require the diet to match. while nuts, eggs and other things are a good source of protein, nuts are required in extreme amounts and eggs are high in cholesterol. the skin on a fruit is also a good source of protien but would require high amounts, but with this comes high natural sugars and most people cannot process all this fruit and will often suffer from excess deification as well as if consumption was plenty and often on a daily bases diabetes can occur...

should I move on to iron and anemia now ? ....yes I understand people can live long lives, but it does not mean they are overly healthy.... they could be unfit, get colds and small non-life threatening bugs which just bring down the overall quality of life. whats the point of a long life if its annoying?

most people in the western world do not know how to eat correctly and will often be lazy, it is common that vegetarians gain weight due to the foods available to their over indulged palettes and will normally eat things such as pasta.

Perhaps you'd like to post your scientific background so we can view you little rant here as credible? There are plenty of problems with you post.

Protein is easy to get on a vegetarian diet. Beans, lentils, legume, nuts, and seeds provide plenty of protein. The idea you need to eat tonnes of them to get your required amount is false.

Fruit skins are a good source of dietry fiber, something the average person doesn't get enough of. Protein in fruit peels is fairly low compared to that you can get from the things I mentioned above.

Unless you were eating inhuman amounts of fruit everyday for years on end it is doubtful you'd get diabetes (plus the link between sugar intake and developing diabetes doesn't seem to be clear cut - Myth #3). In fact, there are plenty of fruits that are recommended to diabetes suffers.

The iron issue isn't entirely invalid, but largely overstated. With vegetarians, it isn't so much the amount of iron consumed, but how well it is absorbed. Iron from animal product is absorbed more easily, but that hardly mean vegetarians can't absorb their iron requirements from their vegetarian diet. The things I mentioned above which contain protein also offer iron.

What are you talking about? Fruit and vegetables are much cheaper than meat.

Perhaps your cheapest, and usually least healthy, cuts of meat, but quality cuts are expensive. With quality cuts use can use less other ingredients such as fats, oils and salts to mask the fact the meat are cheap cuts. Fresh fish is expensive and highly perishable, and so are fresh fruits and vegetables. The only vegetables and fruits which are cheap are things like corn and soy because they're so heavily subsidised and fast food restaurants use them in creating their junk.

[redfish]

Perhaps your cheapest, and usually least healthy, cuts of meat, but quality cuts are expensive. With quality cuts use can use less other ingredients such as fats, oils and salts to mask the fact the meat are cheap cuts. Fresh fish is expensive and highly perishable, and so are fresh fruits and vegetables. The only vegetables and fruits which are cheap are things like corn and soy because they're so heavily subsidised and fast food restaurants use them in creating their junk.

No, where I live, fruits and vegetables are relatively cheap, especially so compare to meat. You can buy 5 heads of cabbage for $1, lettuce as low as 3 heads for $1, tomatoes for 33 cents a pound, apples 50 cents a pound, bananas as low as 20 cents a pound. Even the cheapest meat is around $1.50/lb, although it typically runs a lot higher than that, and the average around $2.50/lb. Fruit and vegetables are cheaper than meat by any measure.

To get the best prices, of course, you find local markets that cater to immigrant populations and not expensive chain stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

[compl3x]

You'd be in the minority, then.

Many people, usually poorer people, eat so much junk because it is much cheaper than buying fresh and cooking at home.

[redfish]

You'd be in the minority, then.

Many people, usually poorer people, eat so much junk because it is much cheaper than buying fresh and cooking at home.

Is that why they eat junk? Processed meals, even for fast food, have their prices marked up; they typically cost more than what it would take for you to make the meals from scratch.

You can make about 20 1/4lb hamburger patties from 5 pounds of ground beef. Ground beef at many places will cost at most about $3/lb. Then add in tomatoes and lettuce, which you can also get at a good price and which will be good for many meals, and buns. The total cost per burger is pretty low. Of course, you have to add in electrical costs, too, but buying a burger at a fast food place will either amount to about the same price or be more expensive, with worse quality food.

The costs aren't why people eat junk food.

[Original Poster]

Perhaps you'd like to post your scientific background so we can view you little rant here as credible? There are plenty of problems with you post.

ok,

I studied Animal science for 3 years coming out with an over all B (grades are different country to country so its easier to say its a B) the main modules were, biology, nutrition, husbandry, physiology and psychology ...

I have also worked on a lot of farms and animal collections where my main job was normally insuring the animals got the required food and that they did not eat anything bad (because these animals were for meat)... so nutrition is something I have a lot of experience in, while I do not claim to be anywhere close to being an expert I can argue points like this one.

The problem that may be with my post is the context which people seem to be taking it, i am simply providing extreme arguments and I did state eggs and nuts while i did not list beans it is true they are a good source of protein, and also on top of this you missed the final point of my whole "rant".

I create vegetarian dishes for those who choose to be vegetarian (cooking is a hobby of mine, and often have dinner parties. no qualification in cooking.) and I can create a balanced meal for them, though once again IN THE WESTERN WORLD, this is psychology now keep up. the general western has been spoilt and persuaded into what foods are desirable, then they find it difficult to enjoy anything else, this is very common in dogs as well as humans when you spoil a dog with scraps from the table, it will ignore its own food.

this is a personal observation, I had one dog from near pup and it was treated like a member of the family not a pet it could have scraps and treats and never had a problem eating what it wanted, this dog ended up suffering from being over weight and in turn lazy and demanding... the dog would end up deciding when its walk was over and trying to walk back to the car. seeing as it got to eat our food and sleep in our beds it determined its self as equal ruler of the "pack" (irrelevant information but interesting none the less)

this was later cured by removing all treats and scraps from the dog and using negative reinforcement, up until her death she disliked her dog food and always tried to steal our food when we wernt looking. she lived a long life for a dog 14 years old. RIP.

The second dog which came at the ages of 3 to the family (a couple of years before the first dogs death) came from a rescue center where its previous owner had locked it in a room for the whole of its life until it was rescued with around 25-30 other dogs, he was skinny and under fed the food available was fought for. even to this day he is petrified of when his next meal will be and will eat anything he can as long as something big is not standing in the way of it.

my point is the first dog was in this situation an over fed westerner and the second another demographic who appreciates that a meal is a meal and if he enjoys the food, well thats just a benefit.

the point I made in my first post is about how westerns palettes are spoilt and they will not eat anything like what you suggested. maybe i should have pointed out in detail the psychological point of my argument more then I did.

also then the is also the costs, but lets not go into that. :) the general diet that they can and will serve in the school and the majority of vegetarian options for those who are not overly taught in the culinary ways are limited and worse. When i cook I eat fresh meat, pasta, potatoes, bread, cheese. its very rare I will eat processed food any more if i am cooking (though i do eat fast food more then a probably should)

THOUGH, I do stick to my premmis, a balanced diet for a omnivore, is meat and veg... (or insects) .... it is better.... simple

[BajiRav]

Did you even read my post? GTFO and come back when you learn to read. also yes other regions do have a better food source for living a vegetarian life style, but before you post next time you post please do these things:

1, Learn to read.

2, consider the situation that is being discussed.

3, before you post your dribble, at-least tell me your scientific background so I can potentially view you as creditable in some way.

Omnivores need a mixed diet, we are not herbivores nor are we carnivores we are omnivores and require the diet to match. while nuts, eggs and other things are a good source of protein, nuts are required in extreme amounts and eggs are high in cholesterol. the skin on a fruit is also a good source of protien but would require high amounts, but with this comes high natural sugars and most people cannot process all this fruit and will often suffer from excess deification as well as if consumption was plenty and often on a daily bases diabetes can occur...

should I move on to iron and anemia now ? ....yes I understand people can live long lives, but it does not mean they are overly healthy.... they could be unfit, get colds and small non-life threatening bugs which just bring down the overall quality of life. whats the point of a long life if its annoying?

most people in the western world do not know how to eat correctly and will often be lazy, it is common that vegetarians gain weight due to the foods available to their over indulged palettes and will normally eat things such as pasta.

Again pure ignorance but this time combined with bad attitude for some reason. You seem to think that vegetarian diet is limited to fruits, nut and potatoes so have fun with that.

[FloatingFatMan]

No, where I live, fruits and vegetables are relatively cheap, especially so compare to meat. You can buy 5 heads of cabbage for $1, lettuce as low as 3 heads for $1, tomatoes for 33 cents a pound, apples 50 cents a pound, bananas as low as 20 cents a pound. Even the cheapest meat is around $1.50/lb, although it typically runs a lot higher than that, and the average around $2.50/lb. Fruit and vegetables are cheaper than meat by any measure.

To get the best prices, of course, you find local markets that cater to immigrant populations and not expensive chain stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

The area you live in != the rest of the world.

[Original Poster]

Again pure ignorance but this time combined with bad attitude for some reason. You seem to think that vegetarian diet is limited to fruits, nut and potatoes so have fun with that.

....you are confusing someone else's ignorance for your own. when did I say they were limited to just those things? you really cant read can you. follow the 3 steps ... and do not post until then. also! F off troll

[redfish]

The area you live in != the rest of the world.

The area I live in isn't atypical of the US, where there are unhealthy eating habits -- and, at any rate, meat has always been more expensive than produce since animals are harder to raise and more expensive to keep. Livestock has to be fed, special crops are often grown to feed the livestock. Meat used to be even more expensive than it is today; hard to afford for the common person. Like I mentioned, it wasn't uncommon to eat meat only once a week, and the thing that has brought down prices is factory farming and industrial slaughterhouses. The cheapest thing hasn't been meat or vegetables, its grain, potatoes, and other carb products.

I was just using the area in which I live as reference for specific prices. Meat is more expensive in poorer countries in fact. From what I've read, its also typically more expensive in Europe than in the US.

[Tigurinn]