Childhood obesity are two words that should never find one describing the other, and yet this epidemic afflicts our nation. There are many contributing factors, but one thing is for sure: children are eating too much food that’s high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

It’s time to make changes in our children’s diets and take action against the preventable diseases that are associated with obesity. There’s no better time to highlight plant-based meals to improve children’s health.

Since most school age kids have at least one meal at school every weekday, it’s difficult to overstate the impact of school lunches on our children’s health. Meatless Monday in school cafeterias is an easy way to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol intake, and expose children to a new world of eating. Feeding students a lunch packed with plant-protein and vital nutrients starts by adopting a new cafeteria menu. Connecticut school districts in West Hartford, Berlin, Tolland and Old Saybrook have each committed to Meatless Mondays, an initiative to take a weekly holiday from meat.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “In 2012, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.” If that’s not shocking enough, an obese three-year-old in Houston was recently diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, thought to be the earliest known development of the debilitating disease. And it’s happening in our own backyard, too. Another study the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 12 percent of Connecticut high school students were obese.

The steady increase in high-saturated fat and high-cholesterol foods we’ve been feeding children contributes to the obesity epidemic in our country. The Department of Agriculture reports that a 100 years ago, a serving of chicken contained 16 calories from fat. Now, it has more than 200 calories from fat. That means a serving of chicken has the same fat content as a scoop of ice cream. Thanks to selective breeding programs, fat content went from less than two grams in 1896 to 23 grams in 2004.

Going meat-free even one day each week may reduce saturated fat intake and thus lower the risk of these chronic diseases. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states, “a plant-based diet seems to be a sensible approach for the prevention of obesity in children.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that children and adolescents still aren’t eating as much fruit and vegetables as is recommended.

Studies show that children and adolescents who are obese are likely to grow up to be obese adults. This cycle also introduces a host of health problems such as heart disease, certain types of cancers and diabetes.

Another benefit of reducing our meat consumption is that it reduces the number of animals subjected to inhumane factory farm practices. Consider the millions of animals suffering on factory farms right now, hens confined in cages so small they cannot spread their wings or pigs spending the majority of their lives in gestation crates, not even able to turn around.

Meatless Monday is a great way to tackle childhood obesity. A healthier generation of students is counting on us. We can’t let them down.

Katie Scott is the food policy coordinator for New England at The Humane Society of the United States.