Campus Food Fights

 There's bee a growingconcern over what college kids eat on campus. Cafeterias are producing tasty food but the problem is that it's mostly fried. Some are changing their menus to fit diets and religious restrictions >Yet in some schools there's still a battle.

It is easier to conitnue a menu with cheap ingredients. However it's time to rethink the dishes whne students' health could be harmed.If enogh people protest there can be changes Both faculty and the student  body should have some kind of protest along with petitions that everyone can sign. They can even ask for  a school nutritionist that can help in planning healthier meals. He or she can also assist in what ingredients to buy and recipes to make. A nutitionist can also help in teaches classes or giving seminars on proper eating,If the school doesn;t have the money for one , then they can always rely on a professor who teaches the subject. Their input will also be helpful when it comes to planning decent recipes to put  out,

What else can universities and campuses do? One is installing salad bars on the campus. This way both faculty and students can eat fresh veggies and fruits. The cafeteria staff can also include healthy proteins like chicken or turkey. They can also offer good for you  dressing like vinaigrettes flavored with fresh herbs.Forget heavier dressings made with mayo and buttermilk.. They're too rich in calories and fats. Skip the croutons and bacon too. Pepitas and sunflower seeds add just as much crunch and flavor as them. Another suggestion is offering vegan alternatives. Many kids are turning vegetarian these days. Cafeterias can offer burgers made with Beyond Beef  or offer more veggies dishes like ratatouille which can be made for a crowd. Instead of doughnuts and cookies, limit desserts to fresh fruits. They're easy to carry in a backpack too.

School cafeterias don;t have to be good food deserts. They can offer students an faculty nutritious and tasty dishes .They just need to change.

The Food Desert Problem

 Every American has the right to eat healthy and with abundance. Yet in this  day and age that's not necessarily so. Many are in the middle of vast food deserts, struggling to find fresh and nutritious ingredients and foods to stay healthy and alive.

It's important on this Martin Luther King Day to consider this. Dr. King wanted equality for African Americans. He could not have foreseen what has happened to many in both rural and urban areas who cannot get decent or affordable  foodstuffs. It is a major problem affecting milliions of people. The US is notorious for it however it's also a problem in the United Kingdom as well.Nashville leads the country as far as cities while MIssissippi is the worst state for providing its' citizens with food. Many groceries , especially the high end ones like Trader Joe's , seemingly refuse to go to various sections in various cities.Once in a while a store like Shop Rite will establish itself in urban area like Passaic New Jersey., Luckily Shop Rite does have a wide and good variety of produce along with more or less affordable meats, fish and poultry.In nearby Paterson there is is its' subsidiary Price Rite that also offers a vast range of products for those that are financially challenged.Some of the cities do have ethnic enclaves like Paterson's Arab section where shoppers can buy halal meats along with fresh fruits and veggies. These stores should be able to accept SNAP.

Yet there is still so much more that needs to be done.Newark leads this state's in food deserts. Surprisingly there is a Whole Foods in the northern section of the city. What is great about Whole Foods is that it accepts SNAP and its' electronic counterpart EBT and gives  a ten percent discount.(the EBT is not accepted however on the store'ss web site). This gives many home chefs the chance to cook with fresh veggies and offer their kids in season fruits instead of fattening and bad for your snack cakes and cookies. The company  should think about expanding to other challenged cities and possibly working a deal with food pantries and soup kitchens as well. Another idea that may be good for rural areas is have a supermarket on wheels, that is semis filled with choices of different fruits, veggies, meat, dairy and eggs. These can be driven  into rural areas and set up like farmers markets where  locals can come and buy their weekly food needs. Formula and diapers can also be included in this to help out new parents.There should also be pet supplies for those who parent dogs and cats as well.

We're in the third decade of the Twentieth First Century ,not back in the Nineteenth There should not be families starving or struggling to put decent food on their tables. There has to be solutions. All American deserve the right to a healthy diet.