Good and Good for You: Meatless Mondays

Traveling this week so since I am away from the kitchen, I thought I would tell you a bit about this little initiative that's making big waves. 

MEATLESS MONDAY

Meatless Monday is an international (non-profit) initiative that was established as a means of encouraging people to eat healthier and more sustainably...one step at a time. By eating meat-free even just one day a week, the benefits for your body and for the environment are quite remarkable.

Going meatless can help save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel. Reducing meat consumption is one of the easiest and most significant ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. Going meatless once a week also has added health benefits (see below).

Now I am a meat-n-potatoes gal myself, but I like the concept behind this movement and thought I would share it with you. At work, our Green Team (of which I am a co-founder) will be hosting a Meatless Monday Potluck Lunch once a month as a way to encourage community, health and green practices at our school. There is a also a Triangle Meatless Monday movement in which local restaurants are invited to participate by offering meat-free options for people dining out on Mondays.  You should check it out.

Good for You

• LIMIT CANCER RISK. Hundreds of studies suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer risk. Both red and processed meat consumption are associated with colon cancer.

• REDUCE HEART DISEASE. Data from a recent study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (e.g, meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (e.g., vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%.

• FIGHT DIABETES. Research suggests that higher consumption of red and processed meat increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

• CURB OBESITY. People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. A recent study also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain.

• LIVE LONGER. Red and processed meat consumption is associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.

• IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.

Good for the Environment 

• REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide, far more so than transportation does. As annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow, reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend.

• MINIMIZE 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 produced in California requires only 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 in the U.S. 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.

So over the next couple of posts, I'm going to try to find you some new and exciting vegetarian dishes to try.  Always a challenge, but a fun one!  If you have any meat-free dishes you particularly like and want to share, please drop me a line at theculinarycreative@gmail.com, I'm always open to suggestions!

Happy Eating!