Students often joke about the "mystery meat" in their school lunches. Well for kids in New York City, there won't be any mystery at all, at least on Mondays.
That's because all public schools in New York will have "Meatless Mondays" in the 2019-2020 school year. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced the new meal program Monday. Meatless Mondays, which will provide students with all-vegetarian breakfast and lunch offerings, is being expanded citywide from a pilot program that was tried out last spring in 15 schools.
Research consistently shows that plant-based diets are linked with a lower risk of obesity, hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer, said Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian and author of "Plant-Powered for Life." Proponents also said reducing the world's consumption of meat is good for the planet, too.
A study published in October in the journal Nature found that the production of animal products generates the majority of food-related greenhouse-gas emissions -- specifically up to 78% of total agricultural emissions.
"For those who scoff at this notion, I have some simple advice: Look at the science," Staten Island Borough President James Oddo said. "Look at the data. Look at the childhood obesity. Look at pre-diabetes diagnoses. Look at the fact that 65% of American kids age 12 to14 shows signs of early cholesterol disease.
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