More, and healthier, choices needed

November is World Vegan Month, and as such it should be noted that in order to follow any healthy diet, plant-based or otherwise, proper nutrients must be provided. At school, nutritious choices for a vegan, vegetarian or any student trying to eat healthily are limited.

Students at Colony High School can choose between typical concession-stand fare such as pizza or pretzels from an a la carte stand, or anything from the cafeteria such as Mexican fare, salad or the daily hot lunch offering.

While the choices at first seem varied enough, they are not enough. For a vegetarian, meat is out of the question, so the only options for purchase are junk food from the a la carte stand or Mexican. Consisting of only two or three food groups, grains and maybe dairy and legumes, these do not provide enough variation to obtain all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. Even the salads are mainly iceberg lettuce and tomatoes with cheese and meat on top, and if the meat and dairy is left off, there is virtually no nutritional value. For a vegan who does not eat any animal products at all, the cheese-laden Mexican food and pizza are also ruled out, making what poor choices there are even more narrow.

The most obvious solution would be for anyone who wishes to eat well to bring their own meals from home. The new Birchtree Charter School does not offer any food for purchase and requires all students to brown-bag it. For teenagers who must find the time between homework, jobs and extra-curricular activities, putting together a good lunch every single day is not always a possibility. Even for those who do usually come prepared, there is always the off day that it slips their mind and then they are forced to either starve or face the lunch lines. The cafeteria’s options are not all bad, of course. The lunch ladies are quick to point out that there is always fresh fruit on hand, and for those who do partake in dairy products the milk is now locally sourced from Mat-Su Creamery. Besides, most students are not vegetarians, so there is little cause to make over the whole menu just for that lifestyle.

But, whether vegan or not, a healthy diet is apparently not a high priority for the school. The offered meals are high in carbohydrates and low in fruits and vegetables. For teens who should but do not care about eating healthily, school lunches do little to encourage good choices. Birchtree’s policy might be more difficult to institute when there is already an established way to buy lunch at the school, but it might be beneficial to replace some of the worst offenders on the menu with more rounded meals, as well as make sure that there are tasty options for those who do not eat meat.

Eva Colberg is a junior at Colony High School.