It’s Monday…MOOOOVE over meat!

Did you know that “Meatless Monday” is actually an international campaign to help improve our health and our environment? It’s true, and there are decades of history in the United States.

History

During World War I, a marketing strategy was initiated for all American households, hotels and restaurants to observe “Meatless Tuesdays” and “Wheatless Wednesdays”. Home economists published recipes and gave ideas on how to replace meats with other nutrient-rich foods for family meals. The effort was part of a plan to conserve our resources in order to prevent food rationing. Butter, milk and sugar were rationed. The efforts worked, there was a 15% reduction in home food consumption during a 12-month period between 1918-1919. To read more, visit this link.

Current Campaigns- since 2003

Meatless Monday is a public health promotion launched in 2003 by The Monday Campaigns, a nonprofit organization associated with Johns Hopkins, Columbia and Syracuse universities. Monday Campaigns Founder and Chairman Sid Lerner revived Meatless Monday from WWI and WWII days when meat was rationed. Lerner turned Meatless Monday into a global movement, which encourages people to cut out meat one day a week for their health and the health of our planet. The campaign is linked to Monday because research shows that’s the day people are receptive to health messages and act on them.

-https://www.lexiconoffood.com/food-action/meatless-mondays

In May, 2009, Ghent, Belgium, became the first non-U.S. city to go meatless. Shortly thereafter, Paul McCartney introduced the U.K. to Meat-Free Mondays.

Meatless Monday is now active in 44 countries and continues to grow. Representatives from different nations are finding innovative ways to make meatless and vegetarian dishes part of their everyday culture, customs and cuisine

-www.meatlessmonday.com/the-global-movement/

American health & diet

Last year, the World Health organization published a report with findings of carcinogens in meats, specifically red meat and processed meats. Eating less meat will reduce our calorie and cholesterol intake, resulting in a healthier diet. If we look at our diets improving as a country, we hope to have a reduction in coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, some cancers and mortality rate.

The environment

The environmental concerns are related to the global climate issues from the greenhouse effect”.

Food production accounts for one-quarter to one-third of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and the brunt of responsibility for those numbers falls to the livestock industry. Despite this, how our dietary choices affect climate change is often underestimated. In the US, for example, an average family of four emits more greenhouse gases because of the meat they eat than from driving two cars – but it is cars, not steaks, that regularly come up in discussions about global warming.

-http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160926-what-would-happen-if-the-world-suddenly-went-vegetarian

Here is an article that focuses at a more in-depth level the consumption of beef, and the world’s meat supply vs. the forests and how it affects our environment.

So now what?

Make an intentional decision for you and your family, by taking the “Meatless Monday Pledge”. For one day per week, find other sources of protein to replace meat for meals. You can visit the multitude of websites for ideas. Some websites offer to send you a meatless meal idea each Friday, so that you can prepare it on Monday.

Personal Experience

I have incorporated this into my meal planning for my family and it has been very successful. I have been encouraged by not planning each meal with the “meat” as the focus. Right now, Central Pennsylvania is in the harvest season for wonderful produce. The Meatless Monday campaign is a great way to showcase our abundance of meatless options. Here are some resources listed for you to browse recipes. Have fun!

Recipes