Group Wants to Help Nation's Second-Fattest State Fight the Childhood Obesity Epidemic by Ditching Meat
For Immediate Release:
March 16, 2011
Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382
Montgomery, Ala. -- Today, PETA sent a letter to Barbara Thompson, superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools, with an offer that the group hopes she won't refuse: Allow PETA to place pro-vegan stickers on the new stability balls that are replacing some of the district's classroom chairs, and PETA will host a delicious all-vegan lunch for students and faculty at participating schools. The ad features the image of a pudgy-faced kid who is about to scarf down a hamburger and reads, "Rolling Toward Obesity? Go Vegan." The stability balls purportedly improve posture, muscle tone, and concentration and are part of the district's efforts to fight childhood obesity and improve students' overall health—Alabama has the country's second-highest rate of overweight and obesity. In the letter, PETA cites nutritional studies concluding that a meat- and dairy-free diet is appropriate for children of all ages and protects them from obesity and other life-threatening conditions.
"The potential for damage caused by a meat- and dairy-heavy diet is like a ticking time bomb in kids," says PETA's Executive Vice President—and a mother herself—Tracy Reiman. "Stability balls are a great start, but 'eat your veggies' has become more than just off-the-cuff parental advice—it can mean the difference between a healthy, happy kid and one who's overweight and sick."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's letter to the superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools follows.
March 16, 2011
Barbara Thompson
Superintendent
Montgomery Public Schools
Dear Ms. Thompson,
On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world's largest animal rights organization, I'm writing to commend your school district's efforts to combat childhood obesity by replacing some classroom chairs with stability balls. We'd like to help pump up your efforts by sending you stickers to place on the balls that read "Rolling toward obesity? Go vegan. PETA." These stickers would encourage faculty and students to enjoy healthful vegan meals consisting of nourishing fruit, vegetables, beans, and grains instead of fatty, cholesterol-laden meat and dairy products. In return for placing our stickers on the balls, we will provide a healthy vegan lunch for every student and faculty member at participating schools.
As you know, obesity and its associated health problems have reached a crisis level among our nation's youth. As a parent of an elementary school child, I recognize the importance of good nutrition in combating obesity. I feed my child a vegan diet because vegans tend to be significantly healthier than people who consume meat and dairy products. The American Dietetic Association and the Dieticians of Canada conducted perhaps the largest review of all studies on vegetarian diets and concluded that meat-free diets are "appropriate for all stages" of life, including childhood, and "provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."
Vegan children get all the protein, vitamins, and fiber that they need without the artery-clogging cholesterol and saturated fat found in meat and dairy products. In fact, the late Dr. Benjamin Spock wrote, "Children who grow up getting their nutrition from plant foods rather than meats have a tremendous health advantage. They are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer."
In addition to these major health benefits, by switching to a vegan diet, each student would save more than 100 animals per year from the horrors of intensive farming, in which chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while still conscious, piglets have their tails and testicles cut off without any painkillers, fish are suffocated or cut open while still alive on the decks of fishing boats, and calves are torn away from their mothers so that the milk intended for them can be consumed by humans instead.
I hope that you will accept our offer to help balance students' health, as well as the school system's budget, by treating students and staff to a delicious, healthy vegan meal of grilled faux-chicken sandwiches and veggie dogs topped with chili and vegan cheddar cheese. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President