Food-borne education

Upper division students learn about ethical choices on what they eat and where it is sourced.

The Ethical Choices Program, an organization dedicated to encouraging high school and college students in the United States, Canada and Australia to make thoughtful and responsible food choices, says that medical research has proven that the typical American diet is linked to high rates of many diseases — including heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and other illnesses. 

ECP also says that, alternatively, a plant-based diet prevents or reduces the incidence and severity of many of these threats to human health and can be a life-saving choice. They cite current research that proves the many connections between health and food choices and confirms the benefits of a plant-based diet.

This was one of the main issues presented today to Patrick Fox’s Current Issues class, which was treated to a presentation by a representative of the Ethical Choices Program in the NDPMA's media center.

Sheena Monnin gave the class full of sophomores, juniors and seniors an interactive presentation about healthful eating, the environment of modern agriculture, factory farming and the ethics of eating.

According to Fox, his class is in the middle of a semester of debates, research and discussions about the most current issues confronting Americans today. He says that where our food comes from and how we think about our agriculture is an important part of the puzzle for food security not only for America but also in the world.

Besides discussing the advantages of a plant-based diet, Monnin also talked about the environmental issues connected with farming, including the fact that contemporary farms often dump all the by-products of raising animals and crops — excrement, fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones — into the environment with few, if any, regulations or controls. She says these practices are polluting the water, the air and the soil, causing damage to human health and also the delicate ecosystems that animals and plants depend upon. Further, animal agriculture depletes the planet of valuable resources (water, fossil fuels, rainforests, etc.) and contributes to global warming.

Monnin challenged the students to identify widespread assumptions about human health, the environment and the use of animals. By providing only current, mainstream research and information about these issues, she and ECP hope to give students legitimate facts that inform their food choices in a non-judgmental, honest and respectful way. She says her goal is for students to learn about and consider food choices that improve their health, benefit the environment and consider animals with compassion.

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Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.

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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.