With 195 countries in the world today, there’s still a large number of dishes we get that are usually eaten in the U.S, but it would stand out to every student if our lunch menus were changed to offer a dish from other countries making it much more diverse.

Manchester High School has about 1,640 students and thanks to USNews.com, Manchester School District consists of 33.2% White, 24.3% Black, 8.4% Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander, 31% Hispanic/Latino, 0.4% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.2% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. In addition, 2.5% of students are two or more races, and 0% have not specified their race or ethnicity. With this information, we should definitely have more culturally diverse lunches.

One way culture is expressed is through the foods we eat and that should include school meals. Offering more diverse and cultural school meals is a great way to connect with students to show them they are understood and to celebrate who they are. According to primeroedge.com, some benefits of diversity include an opportunity to get students talking about different cultures and traditions from around the globe. Also, having a wide range of options will encourage many students to stay in school rather than go eat elsewhere during lunch, and providing an array of diverse meal options will encourage students to embrace the diversity around them.

As most school lunches are fairly unhealthy, more diverse lunches could change that with more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products.