Iron Chef competitor, founder of Chefs for Humanity and a celebrity chef who’s publicly acknowledged the value of incorporating more vegetarian meals in a healthier diet, Cat Cora, is one of several celebrities praising Congress and Obama for putting the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act into law.

“From the First Lady’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative to the President’s Childhood Nutrition bill, the Obama Administration has instigated a much-needed attitude change towards proper nutrition. As a chef and as a mother of four, I understand the importance of providing my own children with wholesome meals and firmly believe that all of our nation’s children should be afforded the same opportunity to grow up healthy which is why this legislation is so important.”

A sample of what school menus looked like before and what they may offer now that the law has been signed is available online.

Two percent milk may be replaced with skim milk and items made with white flour, such as pizza or rolls would most likely be made in the whole wheat version.

Absent, however, are the options of non-dairy beverages, such as soy, rice or almond. While some schools are able to offer these, either as part of the lunch package or for an additional cost, it’s hopeful that more will be able to include these as regular choices without worrying about reimbursement.

Offering nutrient rich versions of favorites like sweet potato fries in place of french fries is a plus, but on a sample menu of Monday-Friday offerings, cheese pizza is the only vegetarian item and there are no vegan items as main dishes.

One way to improve this lack of veg options is to offer everything without meat or dairy, then give students a chance to add. Whole wheat spaghetti should be made separate without meat sauce. Beans can be a regular alternative to the grilled chicken in the chef salad.

View the proposed examples of menu changes.

Photo: PR Photos

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