The Congressional Vegetarian Staff Association is providing no-meat Super Bowl snacks in the Capitol on Friday.  

The Veggie Touchdown is the group’s 2016 kickoff event, which was rescheduled due to the blizzard. No RSVP is required and the event starts at noon in the Capitol Visitor Center, Room 268.  

The event is co-hosted by the Physicians Committee, a group of medical professionals dedicated to healthy eating, and Barnard Medical Center in Friendship Heights. Barnard’s medical director, James Loomis, will make a presentation on the health benefits of choosing “colorful” food and will share his recipe for salsa. Dietitians from Bernard will also share recipes such as sweet potato skins and jalapeno poppers.  

House food service vendor Sodexo’s protocol and community relations officer, Francisco Fimbres, will also attend.  

Getting more diverse food options has been a point of contention for staff from both sides of the aisle. The association works on promoting healthy eating in the Capitol, not only abstaining from eating meat.  

Initially, the association was planning on having a coffee and cookies event as their first get-together of 2016. They mainly wanted a space for staffers and press to discuss food options. But, with the Super Bowl on Sunday, they thought it would be a good time to showcase health eating.

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