Introduction
By now if you follow me on instagram you have seen my “Meatless Monday” posts and might be wondering “what does that even mean?” Meatless Monday is a global movement that encourages people to reduce meat in their diets at least once a week for their health and the health of the planet. The recent surge in Meatless Monday posting online began in 2003 with a campaign by Sid Lerner, the founder of the Monday Campaigns. The Monday Campaigns has partnered with John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future on this particular endeavor.
History
While Sid revived the effort, the idea of Meatless Monday dates back to World War I as a way to reduce consumption to help the war efforts. It all started with Herbert Hoover prior to his presidency and it was originally Tuesdays, not Mondays, when Americans were asked to limit their meat consumption. By the time the United States had entered World War I, citizens of allied countries like France and Belgium, were left starving. A great deal of the farmlands in Western Europe were actually turned into the battleground fields to fight the war. In an effort to support our allies overseas as well as nourish U.S. soldiers overseas, Hoover developed the “Food will win the war” slogan. In lieu of rationing, one of the first asks of the campaign was to cut back on meat, fat, sugar and wheat by participating in Meatless Tuesdays and Wheatless Wednesdays. And just like that, in one week in November 1917, New York City hotels managed to save 96.75 tons of meat.
Human Health
There are various ways that participating in Meatless Monday can positively affect your health. Eating less red and processed meats can offer the following benefits:
Improve heart-health and lower the risk of heart disease
Skipping even a half serving of meat every day and replacing it with plant protein can decrease risk of of getting type 2 diabetes
Help maintain a healthy weight
Promotes kidney-health
Lessens chances of colorectal cancer
Not only does Meatless Monday benefit your personal health but it also helps the planet.
For the Planet
Reducing the consumption of meat can help contain the production of greenhouse gases that impact climate change and energy. Specific examples of the effect that meat consumption has on the planet include:
Livestock production creates more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation sector - all the cars, trucks, planes and trains in the world
Livestock production uses 75% of the earth’s agricultural land
Producing ONE quarter-pound beef burger uses 425 gallons of water - enough to fill 10 bathtubs
Producing ONE quarter-pound beef burger uses up enough energy to power an iPhone for 6 months
Skipping one serving of beef every Monday for a year saves the equivalent emissions to driving 348 miles in a car
If every American stopped eating meat for just one day a week for a year, the effects on the environment would be substantial. First, it would lower the emission of greenhouse gases by the equivalent of ten billion charged smartphones, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). By skipping meat one day a week, Americans could also save an estimated 100 billion gallons of water each year. Going meatless one day a week is just one of the tiny everyday changes you can make to help our environment.
Resources and Conclusion
Eating less meat and more healthy plant-based foods can help reduce the incidence of chronic preventable diseases, preserve precious land and water resources, and combat climate change. The Meatless Monday message to “skip meat once a week” has worked because it provides a regular cue to take action on Monday , which research shows is the day people are most open to making positive changes.The website for the campaign offers free resources, how-to-guides, and recipes to support people in practicing Meatless Monday at home and implementing it into different settings. You can also find several vegetarian recipes right here on www.livelifewrightla.com.
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