New York City is raising the bar when it comes to fostering healthy communities. In the last two years alone, the nation’s largest metropolis has introduced a range of initiatives designed to address the chronic diseases that affect 60% of all Americans. These public health efforts are driven in large part by Mayor Eric Adams, who reversed his own Type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2016 after adopting a plant-based diet. From vegan school lunches to lifestyle-medicine training for health care professionals, here are seven of the most impactful strides the city is taking to help all New Yorkers thrive.
1. Serving free vegan lunches to students
In public school cafeterias across New York, Fridays mean roasted adobo chickpeas with sofrito rice, black bean and plantain power bowls, tomatoey sweet potato gumbo with kale, and other produce-packed vegan lunches. Since launching in 2022, Plant…