Fruit and Vegetable Intake Improves Mental Well-Being Among Children

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Higher fruit and vegetable intake is linked to better mental health among schoolchildren, according to a new study published online in BMJ Nutrition Prevention and Health. Researchers compared mental well-being scores with dietary intake data for over 8,000 students from the Norfolk Children and Young People Health and Well-being Survey. Students who consumed higher intakes of fruits and vegetables improved their mental health scores more than those who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables. The authors noted similar improvements in students who ate breakfast and lunch when compared to those who did not eat breakfast or lunch or consumed only energy drinks. These results support including nutrition as an important modifiable factor in public health strategies to improve mental well-being among children.

Encourage Your School to Serve Vegan Lunches.

 

More and more students want vegan school lunches because they are concerned about the environment, their health, and animals. And schools are starting to listen: Approximately 14% of school districts across the U.S. offered vegan options in 2017—up from 11.5% in 2016.

That’s good news for students, many of whom may already have elevated cholesterol levels and are not getting enough fruits and vegetables. 
Research shows that half of U.S. children and adolescents do not have ideal cholesterol levels, and 25% are in the clinically high range, a risk factor for developing heart disease later in life. A healthy diet focused on fruits and vegetables reduces cardiovascular risk factors in children, according to a recent study. But only 7.1% of U.S. adolescents eat the federally recommended servings of fruit per day, and only 2% consume the daily recommended servings of vegetables per day.

 

Vegan school lunches aren’t just good for students; they are good for the environment, too. A report from Friends of Earth found that if all school districts in California swapped out a beef burger for a black bean burger just one day per month, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as taking 22,000 cars off the road for one year!

Research shows that healthy, protein-rich plant-based foods like lentils and beans are 26 to 34 times less carbon-intensive than beef,” according to the Friends of the Earth. “If every California public school switched from a beef burger to a plant-based burger just once a month, it would save 300 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually.”

Share these five vegan school lunch resources with your local schools:

BOOKLET: Vegan Quantity Recipes for Schools

 

Involving students in the process of adding more meat-free options to school cafeteria options can be fun, educational, and help generate a sense of responsibility. With strong leadership, valuable partners, and other support, “foodservice leaders are showing that changing school food to improve kids’ health and protect the environment is not only feasible, but can actually help boost student participation and community appreciation of school food,” according to Scaling Up Healthy Climate-Friendly School Food from Friends of the Earth.

Other tips and ideas:

  • When writing menu items, focus on the flavorful food, not the nutritional value or the “vegan” label. Students may think food with a “vegan” label is only for vegan, and many youngsters aren’t particularly interested if food is healthy. They want to know it’s delicious.  
  • Encourage students to participate in selecting menu items. Organize tasting events, and let students vote on their favorite foods. “Everyone gets excited about our taste-testing. It’s new, exciting, and they get a say in it, so they get to participate in the decision-making."
  • Some schools ask students to submit their own plant-based recipes, and the winning dishes are served on the lunch menu — and named after the student. 
  • Offer plant-based items in enticing formats, such as salad bars, food trucks, pop-up restaurants, and grab-and-go options.
  • Some schools are including farmers in their programs. A farmer talks to the kids about the produce he grows, and then that particular fruit or vegetable is featured on the menu.
  • Some schools hire professional chefs to create new recipes with beautiful presentation.

References

- Hayhoe R, Rechel B, Clark AB, Gummerson C, Louise Smith SJ, Welch AA. Cross-sectional associations of schoolchildren’s fruit and vegetable consumption, and meal choices, with their mental well-being: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Nutr Prev Health. 2021;e000205:1-16. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000205
- https://p.widencdn.net/xiqlop/Vegan-Quantity-Recipes-Booklet
- https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2019/09/30/vegan-school-lunches-expand-despite-opposition-from-meat-industry
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/847418
- https://www.pcrm.org/news/health-nutrition/fruits-and-vegetables-reduce-cardiovascular-risk-factors-overweight-children
- https://www.pcrm.org/news/news-releases/vegan-school-lunches-have-three-times-more-fiber-meat-based-entrees-according

 

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2 comments

  • I very strongly believe in plant based nutrition and take it seriously. And my 15 yr old daughter has announced that she does not believe it is Ok to use animal products any more and from now on will not be eating/wearing/using anything made from animals or produced by animals. I’m all for her finding her own way in life. I believe that vegan kids get adequate amounts of all the vitamins and minerals they need to grow, they also avoid consuming cholesterol, large amounts of saturated fats, and harmful contaminants—including bacteria, arsenic, dioxins, and mercury—which can be found in meat, eggs, and dairy.

    Paula C.
  • OMG that’s a no brainer!!! but of course in today’s society brainwashed to eat boxed
    food and mcdonald it may not be that obvious..

    Anna M.

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