whats wrong with meat?

I think this is very cool. No problem with meat, but there's no problem with having one vegetarian day either.

Unless you're like my aunt who claims to be allergic to every single fruit and vegetable. Sure you are Aunt Ginger.

You don't have to be against meat to support encouraging kids to eat more vegetables.

There are health issues linked to too much meat so cutting back can be a good thing - showing kids they can cut back without sacrificing happy appetites or taste is therefore a good thing.

The increased demand for meat worldwide is linked to global warming, overexploited natural resources, deforestation, water and air pollution.

My mother also claims to be on a special diet that I don't believe her doctor put her one. She's just picky and wants to fuss about certain foods and she uses him as an excuse to complain about what foods people offer her.

I think offering more vegetables to kids is a good thing. There are so many new fruits and veggies out there to offer kids. And there are so many creative ways to offer it to the smaller children so that it looks fun to eat more healthy.

I think it's a great idea since eating meat everyday is unnecessary. If it were up to me they'ed only get it twice a week.

That is awesome!

CG, meat can certainly be part of a healthy diet but cutting down on meat and increasing your produce consumption is good for your your health, good for the environment, and good for reducing the demand for factory farmed animal food.

I just hope Meatless Mondays mean the school lunch includes more produce and legumes and doesn't just mean cheese pizza.

I think Meatless Mondays are a wonderful idea. Though I wish it were Meatless "5 Days A Week"; or at least rid of the red meat/pork and only serve a healthier white meat. In my opinion, the less meat, the better.

I am concerned (as TS mentioned) over whether they are being fed a meal that is completely healthy, not just a "meatless" pizza. Sort of hard to figure which road they will take. Hopefully the veggies are steamed, do not contain heavy butter or dressing and are not placed beside bleached & enriched bread. The children need to get the most nutrients possible; done correctly maybe this could help kick start a realization that fresh produce is not a last resort, that there are delicious fruits and veggies for them to discover.

I don't get why they can't just do a let serve more vegetables and a little less meat I would be one pissed off kid on Mondays.

i wouldn't even notice.

I wouldn't notice either. Most of my meals don't include meat.

Kids probably wouldn't notice if you didn't tell them.

Probably what they are getting in school lunches is the lowest grade, cheapest meat anyway. I remember grade school Shepard's pie.

Doesn't the lowest bid always get the contract (unless the school board president has a relative in the business). Anyway, I fix my kid's lunch - she hates cafeteria food.

It was gross, Steph. The beef was an ugly gray and the chicken was always rubbery or full of gristle. Unappetizing.

Kids are in school to be educated - if you just want them to be happy, take them to a restaurant. There are plenty of important lessons that can be taught through lunch menus.

I have to admit in high school, I bought lunch out of a machine: chef boyrdee canned spaghetti. Lord knows what I was actually eating, but that and a bottled coke were all I wanted.

I'm not sure how old every one is around here but when I was in grammar school back in the 70's and if they went all veggie back then it would have been GROSS!!! However today with all of the innovative recipes and products that make meatless dishes taste just as good if not better than meat dishes there isn't going to be a problem at all when it comes to taste.

I think you're right Hypno.

What a crock of shiite. How is this not indoctrination? "Don't eat meat, it's bad for you. See we have all these nice vegatables."

So I guess every other school in the country (and this school four out of five days a week) is "indoctrinating" its students, "Eat as much meat as you want! It's totally good for you."

What exactly are they indoctrinating? That a diet full of vegetables and other non-meat options are part of a healthy lifestyle? I don't see that as a bad thing.

Can we strike the word indoctrination from the English dictionary please? OVER IT.

Yes, giving children a meal of nutritious produce, ridding the known cancer & disease trigger - meat - overall bettering the children's health, is indoctrination.

Indoctrination to what? Eat a healthy diet?
Teaching kids to cross at the light must be really hardcore radicalism.

I think UnDave needs to go to WalMart and buy a family pack of pork chops, lol.

Steph! WE ARE NO LONGER USING THAT WORD! It has been stricken. I DECREED it!

In theory, I like this idea. I hope as others have mentioned that other sources of protein are incorporated. I also hope that fresh vegetables can be introduced (as opposed to canned fruits/vegetables that, while cheaper, often have high levels of sodium and other ingredients that lower the nutritional content).

I refused to eat school lunch when I was younger. The meat was always questionable. I remember kids finding blue plastic things in their hamburgers on numerous occasions. The chicken was always fried. ... just low quality food in general that I think kids can live without for one day a week.

Why must this be a partisan issue? To me, that just seems so silly!

sorry Harm, my bad.

I hope every one had a great Halloween. I ate lots of meatless candy.

"They’ve also introduced Great Kids Farm, a 33-acre teaching farm, home to chickens, goats and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Educators on the farm teach kids and adults how to produce home-grown fresh food, even in an urban setting. BCPS is also in the process of developing gardens for each of the system’s 200 schools."

It seems they are trying to do much more than just remove meat from lunch for one day, which is great.

My problem with this is that meat is an important source of nutrition in a child's daily diet. To eliminate it from the schools sends a message that it isn't necessary.

Meat isn't important, protein and other vitamins such as iron are. These can be found in many other food sources besides meat.

Has meat been removed from the food pyramid? Is it no longer on eof the 4 food groups?

Children will not suffer because they do not have meat as a part of their diet for lunch one day a week. Eggs, fish, legumes, green leafy vegetables, can all make up for what you can get from meat.

The schools are cutting back on meat ONE day a week and emphasizing fruits and vegetables, which are way more important on the food pyramid.

it's one day. if your child can't eat one meatless meal one day a week, pack them a steak for lunch. sheesh.

UnDave, mypyramid.gov (the food pyramid's website and the source for Federal dietary reccomendations) classifies meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts all in the same "meat and beans" category. It recommends getting six ounces from this food group per day. I'm sure it's possible to reach six ounces while going meatless for one meal, especially if that meal contains beans or eggs or nuts.

It also says, "Most meat and poultry choices should be lean or low-fat. Fish, nuts, and seeds contain healthy oils, so choose these foods frequently instead of meat or poultry."

http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/meat.html

Snarky, it's not even one day. The school is cutting meat out of one meal!

And just because I'm feeling nyah, my meat-free breakfast this morning gave me 27 grams of protein and 18% of my daily recommended iron.

"My problem with this is that meat is an important source of nutrition in a child's daily diet."

Then I suggest you feed your child some meat. No human man women or child needs three servings of meat per day. Nor does three servings of meat per day serve longevity and over all health in a positive way. The whole purpose of introducing this dietary concept is because it is in the best interest of human health and environment. If you don't want to serve the best interest of health and environment in your child then make sure they get plenty of bacon, ham or sausage for breakfast and a nice juicy steak or pork chop for dinner every night that is your choice and that should counter any evil indoctrination of a healthier life that the government is trying to impose on your child.

Yeah........you can cut meat from one meal and still get the six ounces recommended in the food pyramid.

I don't see the big deal. And if parents want their child to eat meat on Monday's then they should simply pack them a meaty lunch.