Meatless Mondays

Meatless Mondays is a non-profit initiative that is part of an international campaign to encourage people to cut out meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet. Although I'm not vegetarian anymore I love what this campaign supports and am excited to join the cause.

Reducing meat consumption by 15% (the equivalent of one day a week) not only lessens the risk of chronic preventable illness but also helps slow climate change. On average Americans consume 8 ounces of meat per day, 45% more than the USDA recommends. Meat typically contains higher levels of saturated fat than plant based foods. Saturated fat intake has been linked to multiple preventable illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and various cancers. by removing meat once a week, the average American reduces saturated fat intake by 15%, diminishing the risk of these diseases. Chronic preventable illnesses -- including those associated with excessive saturated fat intake—cause 70% of all deaths in the United States. In 2007 alone Americans spent 1.7 trillion dollars on health care related to preventable illnesses.

Internationally, Meatless Monday/Meat Free Monday is currently represented in seven countries (USA, Britain, Brazil, Holland, Canada, Finland, Taiwan) with wide reach and support from campaigners such as Sir Paul McCartney, Stella McCartney, Ricky Gervais, Moby, Yoko Ono, Bryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Michael Pollan, just to name a few.

By having at least one Meatless Day a week we can make a real difference in the world. The more people who join in, the bigger the impact we can have on the planet.

Environmental Benefits

According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization the meat industry generates nearly one fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change. Geophysicists at the Bard Center and the University of Chicago estimate that curbing meat consumption by 20% (which could be achieved through Meatless Mondays) would lower greenhouse gas emissions as dramatically as every American switching to an ultra-efficient hybrid vehicle.

The U.N. also found that current meat production methods cause nearly half of all stream and river pollution. Meat also requires a great deal of fresh water to manufacture. The production of a pound of beef takes approximately 2,500 gallons of water.

As of 2006, forty calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of U.S. feed lot beef (manufacture, transport and storage included). By comparison, a calorie of plant-based protein only requires 2.2 calories of fossil fuel. If the population of the United States went meatless every Monday for a year, 12 billion gallons of gasoline would be saved.

Philosophy

Meatless Monday focuses its initiative on Mondays for multiple reasons. Monday is typically the beginning of the work week, the day when individuals settle back into their weekly routine. Unhealthy habits that prevailed over the weekend can be forgotten and replaced by positive choices. Its kind of why many of us prefer to workout in the morning, its a good start to our day. If Monday doesn’t work then choose a day that works for you. If everybody in America did Meatless Monday, that would be equivalent of taking 20 million mid-size sedans off the road.

Going meatless just once a week (it doesn’t have to be Monday) is a very easy way to improve your health and support the health of the environment. Please send me your favourite recipe for Meatless Monday that you would like to share with others.