A new California bill that would encourage K-12 public schools to offer healthier and climate-friendly plant-based meals recently passed the Assembly.

The Child Nutrition Act of 2022 (AB 558), cosponsored by The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, opens the doors for better school lunch options that can help instill better eating habits. The meals are also supposed to be better for the environment, making a big difference as hundreds of meals are needed every school day.

Maggie Neola, RD, a dietitian with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine., said, “As the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that California’s students have access to healthy plant-based meals that promote overall wellness and help Support their immunity is a more urgent need than ever.”

With research also showing that poor diets result in worse cases of Covid, it is more important than ever to push healthier eating in schools. These kinds of meals can help children better understand nutrition and the effect that their food can have on the environment.

The bill will be moved to the California State Senate for further consideration before being officially enacted. There is a very strong chance of the bill being instituted across California, especially with the present health concerns.

Children are the future, which is why it is so important to put them on the path of better nutrition at an early age.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer, and has many side effects. 

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

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