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Practical Implications

Jaime Melnick
Arizona State University
PPE310 Signature Assignment
Practical Implications
November 26, 2016
Dr. Hesse

Practical Implications
Introduction
In todays day and age, we live in a fast paced society, that doesnt take the time to do

even the simplest human tasks, such as consume and/or prepare food. Therefore, over the years
fast food, chain restaurants, overly processed food, and caffeinated drinks have taken over our
lives. Because of this, degenerative diseases are at an all time high, and not just in adults, in
children as well. Our environment is suffering as well, we are over burning, over using, over
processing our lands, animals, and resources. Because of this, our environment is now facing
degenerative diseases as well. If something is not done about this sooner rather than later things
will only get worse.
Therefore, Jaime Melnick a current student at Arizona State University, is proposing a
nutrition program to be implemented in all Arizona Schools, that will tackle proper nutrition
education. This nutrition program will be based on an organic, GMO free, plant-based diet. The
program Mrs. Melnick is proposing will not only cover textbook work on plant-based nutrition, it
will also cover hands on experiences, that allows students, parents, and staff to fully understand
the processes food, food and the connection to the environment, and all its importance. This
program will not only change the way people consume, it will change the way people consume
blindly and reverse the degenerative disease epidemic.
Literature Review
Since the 1990s childhood obesity, type two diabetes, and many other degenerative
diseases have increased greatly. This partially has to do with the lack of nutritional education in
schools, the increase of processed food, along with the increased consumption of animal
products. According to the USDA, a typical school lunch far exceeds the recommended 500
milligrams of sodium; some districts, in fact, serve lunches with more than 1,000 milligrams.

Practical Implications

The USDA also reports that less than 1/3 of schools stay below the recommended standard for fat
content in their meals. Last year 21 million students relied on free and reduced lunch as their
primary meal of the day. Up to 65 percent of their daily calorie intake comes from school
provided meals. Unbalanced nutrition leads to decreased performance in school, obesity,
diabetes, and a whole slew of other health problems. (Perle, 2013)
Another issue that greatly effects not only the health of many, but the environment as
well is the animal product industry. According to the Meat production is projected to double by
2020 due to increase per capita global consumption of meat and population growth. Most of this
increase in production will come through industrialized animal production systems. These trends
will have major consequences on the global environment. The meat industry also has a
significant impact on global warming. Livestock production accounts for 18 percent of global
greenhouse gas emissions, including 9 percent of carbon dioxide and 37 percent of methane gas
emissions worldwide, according to the Livestock, Environment and Development (LEAD)
Initiative, an international consortium of government and private agencies based at FAO
headquarters in Rome. More than two-thirds of all agricultural land is devoted to growing feed
for livestock, while only 8 percent is used to grow food for direct human consumption, LEAD
reported. If the entire world population were to consume as much meat as the Western world
does-176 pounds of meat per capita per year- the global land required would be two-thirds more
than what is presently used, according to Vaclav Smil, professor of environment and geography
at the University of Manitoba and participant in the EVP study. LEAD researchers also found
that the global livestock industry uses dwindling supplies of freshwater, destroys forests and
grasslands, and causes soil erosion, while pollution and the runoff of fertilizer and animal waste
create dead zones in coastal areas and smother coral reefs. (Brooks, 2011)

Practical Implications

Mrs. Melnick believes, the combination of these two large issues in the world,
environmental destruction and the degenerative diseases endemic, can easily be solved by
converting to a plant-based diet. There have been several studies that have been conducted on the
positive impacts of a plant based diet, and if properly followed we can re-gain the physical health
of Arizonas youth, as well as the overall environmental health of Arizona.
According to Frank B Hu, from American Society for Clinical Nutrition if a plant-based
diet is followed properly it can play a great role in preventing chronic diseases. In conclusion,
substantial evidence indicates that plant-based diets including whole grains as the main form of
carbohydrate, unsaturated fats as the predominate form of dietary fat, an abundance of fruit and
vegetables, and adequate n3 fatty acids can play an important role in preventing CVD. Such diets
which have other health benefits, including the prevention of other chronic diseases deserve
more emphasis in dietary recommendations. (Hu, 2003)
Lastly, if the world were to adopt variations on three common diets, health would be
greatly increased at the same time global greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by an amount
equal to the current greenhouse gas emissions of all cars, trucks, planes, trains and ships. In
addition, this dietary shift would prevent the destruction of an area of tropical forests and
savannahs as large as half of the United States. (Smith, 2014) Therefore, Mrs. Melnick believes
that by implementing a proper nutrition program, based on the plant-based diet, at a young age,
will help guide the youth to healthier, brighter futures physically and environmentally.

Practical Implications
Synthesis of Information
In the first article, The Sad State of School Lunch In The U.S., they discussed the poor nutrition
that is seen in schools across the United States. The school lunches exceed sodium and are well
below fat intake recommendations. On top of it they discuss how many students rely on these
meals for their food intake for the day, therefore the calories well exceed the amount of calories
needed in one day for each meal. Lastly they talk about how unbalanced nutrition leads to

decreased performance in school and degenerative disease. (Perle, 2013) While the article Plantbased foods and prevention of cardiovascular disease, goes over the foods that are regularly
consumed, which are high in fat and grains, thus meeting the standards of fat and calories
consumed in a given meal. They also discussed how each of these foods can prevent many
degenerative diseases. Considering the state of current school meals and that in which this
program implementation has a great potential to meet every nutritional recommendation and
calorie intake, while limiting degenerative disease that are increasingly affecting many children
throughout America. (Hu, 2003)
The second article, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, discusses the sever
impact the meat industry is making on the environment. They discuss how we are not only
depleting out resources to support this industry, but we are also destroying our environment. The
meat industry is a large contributor to global warming, dwindling supplies of freshwater, forests
and grasslands destruction, and causes soil erosion. While the pollution and the runoff of
fertilizer and animal waste create dead zones in coastal areas and smother coral reefs. (Brooks,
2011) While the article, New Research Says Plant-based Diet Best for Planet and People - Our
World, discuss the environmental destruction can be solved by adopting a plant-based diet. If
people were to reside to a more plant-based diet pollution would go down, global warming

Practical Implications

issues, forest and grassland destruction, soil erosion, and costal areas and coral reefs could regain
their health.
In conclusion the implementation of this program would allow everyone to see the
destruction caused by animal based diets and that a plant-based diet has the means to solve many
of the issues our society and environment face. Within the program the education factor on the
connection of our food, environment, and human life are extremely important. Without our
environment at optimal health we as humans can not survive. Therefore, its important for us to
give back to our environment while we can, by simply switching to a more ecofriendly diet, that
still tastes great and will remain giving us proper daily nutrition, and allowing generations to
come to enjoy clean air, a beautiful environment, and with a plentiful amount of life.

Practical Implications
Marketing
Weekly newsletters will be sent out to all students and staff providing tips and
information on plant-based diets. They will also contain recipes and coupons for local food

stores. This newsletter will begin to help create a community amongst student, staff, and parents.
There will be two volunteer teachers after school to lead the newsletter team, then we will
allow students to sign up to be apart of the newsletter as well. This will help those who are
interested, learn more about the program and conduct their own research on plant-based diets. As
well as allowing them to express and perfect their writing skills.
Funding
There will be funding proposals created to send out to the superintendent, local farmers,
The Botanical Gardens, Non-Profit Organizations, Health Clinics, and Local Food Stores to gain
support and become stakeholders.
Also the local farm has agreed to reach out to the outside community and bring
everyone together, by hosting a dinner called Farm to Table. At this event there will be a
presentation on our work, all we are doing, and where we want to go. Then allowing donations
with all proceeds going to funding the program. This is one of events that will be created with
local business and people to bring this program where it needs to be.

Committee
The wellness committee will include Local Farmers, Local Food Stores, Botanical
Gardens, and State Parks. The local farmers will play a large role in the educational factor, there
will be deals made where we buy large amounts of organic food from them in exchange for
discounts and field trips. Next deals will be made for outside and inside school aspects, that

Practical Implications
cover large organic purchases for school consumption, for coupons and discounts for staff and
parents. Next the botanical gardens will be a great way to educate the students on plants and
their importance, as well as the animals that inhabit such plants. Lastly, state parks will be apart
of committee as well to again educate the students on the importance of preservation and the
process of the ecosystem.
Educational Components
There will be a nutritional program that will be implemented in unison with physical
education, that will discuss in length the importance of nutrition and how to achieve optimal
health. In this class the students will also learn to garden, join in on cooking, as well as taking
educational field trips to learn the connection of the ecosystem and nutrition. There will also be
after school programs that staff and parents can attend to learn how to implement these
nutritional guidelines at home.
Students will be split into a series of groups and while half of the groups will be in

nutrition class on Tuesdays the other half will be in P.E., and vise versus. Appendix D will give a
more detailed example of how the course will coexist.
Implementing this program will not only allow staff, students, and parents to follow a
healthier life styles, it also allows the environment to obtain its optimal health.
Scheduling
In the weekly newsletter a schedule will be provided for after-school programs for
parents and staff to learn more about a plant-based diet. As well as field trips that will be taken to
gain a better understand of the ecosystem and why everything is able to function

Practical Implications
Conclusion
For the sake of our environment and overall health of our students, parents and staff it is

important this program is implemented to put a stop to degenerative diseases and environmental
destruction. To achieve this, we must educate our students, parents, staff and community about
the dangers of current eating habits to not only our bodies, but to the overall environment of
Arizona.
In the first year of our plant-based diet program at Learning to Love Elementary we will
be learning and assessing what is working and what is not, to ensure the programs best quality. In
the following three years we will be expanding our community and gaining the support and
following of other schools and stakeholders. At this point we will consistently re-evaluate the
program to ensure maximum achievement for all. After eight years of success in the program we
will have branched out to all Arizona Schools with consistent success all around.
We will then have a research study conducted on the improvements of the environment
and overall health in the general area of each school. After the research comes back with positive
outcomes, we will then continue to expand our program into colleges, companys, until all of
Arizona has at least adopted a organic mostly plant-based diet.
Everything begins with education, children are our future and have the ability to establish
a healthier lifestyle for generations to come. This program will guide the students of Arizona in
the right direction to obtaining a healthier, happier planet.

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Practical Implications
References

Brooks, C. (2011, July 25). Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Retrieved November
16, 2016, from https://woods.stanford.edu/news-events/news/meats-environmentalimpact
Hu, F. B. (2003, September). Plant-based foods and prevention of cardiovascular disease: An
overview. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78(3). Retrieved November 30,
2016, from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/544S.full
Jo. (n.d.). Falafel & Hummus wrap. Retrieved from http://www.veganeasy.org/1-L
Perle, E. (2013, September 18). The Sad State Of School Lunch In The U.S. (PHOTOS).
Retrieved November 16, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/the-sadstate-of-school-lunch-in-the-us-_n_3944016.html
Quessenberry, S. (2006). Winter Lentil Soup. Retrieved November 16, 2016, from
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/winter-lentil-soup
Smith, C. (2014, November 15). New Research Says Plant-based Diet Best for Planet and People
- Our World. Retrieved November 30, 2016, from https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/newresearch-says-plant-based-diet-best-for-planet-and-people

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