Students at
East Greenbush Central School
District need
balanced
menus - now
Sign the Petition!
Join the coalition of parents, students, and community members in asking that EGCSD serve healthier, balanced meals to all their students by signing the petition below.
It's simple:
Our children deserve to be served the healthiest possible meals at school.
And we know that EGCSD can do better.
Our children are eating too much meat and eggs, too many over-processed products, and not enough fruits and vegetables. This kind of imbalanced diet contributes to 678,000 deaths in the US annually and causes 1 in 3 Americans to live with a preventable chronic illness.
And because food environment is the primary influence of food choice - especially in schools where the options are pre-decided for students, for up to 2 meals a day - EGCSD schools have a responsibility to create the healthiest possible menus for our children.
Nutrition science is clear. EGCSD menus can and must make these common sense changes.
That's why our coalition of concerned parents, students, and community members is asking EGCSD leadership to commit to reducing the amount of disease-promoting foods on their menus and replace them with the things we know make kids grow strong and healthy: fresh fruits and vegetables, lean plant proteins, and whole grains.
Only 27% of adults in Rensselaer County eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables every day
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Heart disease rates in Rensselaer County are higher than the national average, and stroke rates are higher than NY state
30% of Rensselaer County adults have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, and 33% have high cholesterol
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Rensselaer County has the highest diabetes prevalence, mortality rate, and hospitalization rate in the Capitol region
Rensselaer County is already suffering the consequences of imbalanced menus.
The problem: EGCSD menus don't reflect a balanced diet.
The leading causes of preventable disease, chronic illness, and premature death in the United States are all related to diet and poor nutrition—diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and even some cancers. Children born today have a shorter predicted life expectancy than their parents as a result of skyrocketing diet-related diseases. We must do better for our children—but the time to act is now.
Too many products high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and sodium like meats, eggs, and full fat dairy products
1
Too many ultra-processed foods made with disease-promoting refined grains and processed meats
2
Too few health-promoting fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes
3
Imbalanced menus make it harder for students to get the nutrients they need to learn, grow, and excel.
Independent public health organization Balanced reviewed the healthfulness of EGCSD menus and gave it an "F"—a failing grade, with huge consequences for our children's health. In their analysis, Balanced found that the EGCSD served:
Eliminate processed meats like hot dogs, pepperoni pizza, sausage and egg sandwiches, and ultra-processed foods like chicken nuggets and fish sticks
Reduce the amount of disease-promoting foods high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and sodium like meat, egg, dairy, and other processed products
Replace unhealthy menu items with foods rich in nutrients and high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, diverse plant proteins, and whole grains
SUPPORTERS
Meet some of the people behind this effort for our childrens' health.
Muriel Miller
Grandmother of 2 EGCSD Students
I am a grandparent of two beautiful school-aged children, both of whom have suffered severe health challenges at tender ages. Due to my own health challenges, I have learned of the importance of good, nutritious and balanced meals. I was surprised to see so many unhealthy ingredients in the school lunches. Without healthy meals, our children will not thrive and will not overcome illness. Unhealthy processed foods are so very harmful for our bodies, and our kids deserve better!
