Meatless Monday
Be a flexitarian?
"I think many of us feel helpless in the face of environmental challenges, and it can be hard to know how to sort through the advice about what we can do to make a meaningful contribution to a cleaner, more sustainable, healthier world. Having one designated meat free day a week is actually a meaningful change that everyone can make, that goes to the heart of several important political, environmental and ethical issues all at once."
- Paul McCartney on Meatless Mondays
Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, a movement that seems to be taking granola munching and steak feasting parts of the world by storm.
Meatless Monday’s goal is to help reduce meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet. These so-called ‘flexitarians’ provide the information and recipes you need to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives.
Why Meatless?
According to these 1-day-a-week veggies (and their team of top notch researchers), going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.
Read about these benefits below. But keep in mind that just going meatless is not enough. That’s why they hook you up with the information you need to add healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives to your diet each week.
Health Benefits
- REDUCE RISK OF HEART DISEASE. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds contain little to no saturated fats. Reducing your intake of saturated fats can help keep your cholesterol low and reduce your risk of heart disease.
- MAINTAIN HEALTHY WEIGHT. A plant-based diet is a great source of fiber, which is absent in animal products. Foods rich in fiber make you feel full with fewer calories, resulting in lower calorie intake and less overeating.
- IMPROVE OVERALL QUALITY OF DIET. Consuming dry beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.
Environmental Benefits
- REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide, far more than transportation. And, annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend.
- MINIMISE WATER USAGE. The water needs of livestock are tremendous, far above those of vegetables or grains. An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. Soy tofu on average requires 220 gallons of water per pound.
- HELP REDUCE FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE. On average, about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef. Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of plant-based protein. Moderating meat consumption is a great way to cut fossil fuel demand.
Wanna give it a go?
Here are a few easy substitutions to consider before going meatless:
• Instead of chicken soup ………………….. split pea or navy bean soup.
• Instead of pasta with meat sauce ……… pasta with cannellini beans.
• Instead of a hamburger …………………… a soy or veggie burger.
• Instead of chopped bacon on a salad … chopped nuts or sunflower seeds.
• Instead of a turkey sandwich …………… a peanut butter sandwich.
• Instead of a chicken enchilada …………. a bean burrito.
And if it doesn’t work out, there’s bound to be an emergency take-away near-by. Meatlover’s pizza anyone?
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