Meatless Monday: Join the Revolution

                                     Make My Mondays Meatless!

One day a week join in on cutting out the meat! This Presidential initiative revived by The Monday Campaigns in association with Johns Hopkins, rolled out this program to the Baltimore public schools, then San Francisco went meatless and now celebrity chef extraordinaire Mario Batali and his fleet of fabulous restaurants said I'll play too! Now you too can help fuel this fire!

Meatless Monday is a non profit initiative whose aim is to encourage Americans to make healthier decisions at the beginning of every week. By taking the meat out of Monday not only are you improving your own health but the health of the environment. Lets check out the facts.

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. (info via AHA)

Also 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, compared to a pound of soy, which requires only 220 gallons. By switching to soy on Mondays each individual could save about 890 gallons of water a week.

From one meat lover to my fabulous life loving Organic Community join me in taking a meatless baby step in your Monday  that will help make a giant step in the health of our society and environment. 

Already had lunch? Going meatless doesn't only have to happen on a Monday, try it tomorrow!

Happy Eating!