Should school have vegan lunch options?
August 31, 2017
Veganism.
It holds many negative and positive connotations to its name; while some people are strongly supportive of the ideology others find great despise towards it.
As most people know, Palatine High School serves vegetarian lunch options daily for the students who follow the diet. Personally, I’ve only heard supportive opinions towards the vegetarian options but another question further constructs; should there be vegan lunch options in the cafeteria?
Although many can and will disagree, providing vegan food during lunch will only further assist everyone in school by providing healthy foods not made by processed meat or dairy products.
For students who are already vegan, or considering transforming their diets to those of a vegan, having to bring lunch daily just because the school doesn’t consist of their diet can be of burden.
“There are many students who are vegan and [the school] already has a variety of options so why not?”
— Carolina Fragoso
If vegan options were added into the daily lunch menu, people can have easier access to being able to eat during the school day instead of not eat or having to bring a lunch to school daily just because they choose not to eat any animal related products.
Some people resort to trying to bringing a lunch everyday while others try to make the best of out the options already offered. Students who have free/reduced lunch are the ones to suffer the most because of the lack of their dietary lifestyle.
“There are many students who are vegan and [the school] already has a variety of options so why not?” senior Carolina Fragoso, who has been vegan for a year and two months, said.
Why not indeed, the school has always tried to enforce more healthier food options for the students by having items like baked chips, whole wheat Pop Tarts, and even a more healthier Domino’s pizza.
Adding items that follow the vegan diet won’t do any harm to the students but will open a window for students to choose a more body beneficial choice.
Fragoso also mentioned that students will be more likely to desire trying a new food option and ultimately realize that the taste isn’t at all as bad as expected.
“[They’ll] realize that the taste of vegan food isn’t horrible,” Fragoso said.
Ultimately, nothing but positive outcomes can come from this decision. The school will be expressing great acceptance and support for those that follow the diet and will be promoting such improvement.
