Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative with a goal to reduce meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.  They encourage folks to "go meatless" just one day out of the week to help them reach this goal.

According to their website, they chose Monday because "on Monday we move from the freedom of the weekend back to the structure of work or school. We set our intentions for the next six days. We plan ahead and evaluate progress. From an early age we internalize this rhythm. And studies suggest we are more likely to maintain behaviors begun on Monday throughout the week. That makes Monday the perfect day to make a change for your health and the health of our planet."

(the following is taken from the Meatless Monday website)
"During World War I, the U.S. Food Administration urged families to reduce consumption of key staples to aid the war effort. “Food Will Win the War,” the government proclaimed, and “Meatless Monday” and “Wheatless Wednesday” were introduced to encourage Americans to do their part.

The effect was overwhelming. Some 10 million families, 7,000 hotels and nearly 425,000 food dealers pledged to observe national meatless days. In November 1917, New York City hotels saved some 116 tons of meat over the course of just one week. According to a 1929 Saturday Evening Post article, “Americans began to look seriously into the question of what and how much they were eating. Lots of people discovered for the first time that they could eat less and feel no worse – frequently for the better”. The campaign returned during World War II and beyond, when Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman used rationing to help feed war-ravaged Europe.

In 2003 Meatless Monday was recreated as public health awareness program in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future. The campaign was endorsed by over 20 schools of public health. Its goal was to help Americans reduce their risk of preventable disease by cutting back saturated fat."

For me, going meatless on Mondays is easy - I'm a vegetarian 7 days out of the week!  And on top of that, I choose to stay away from eggs, cheese, and milk products more often than not.  When I went veg over 6 years ago, I was completely stunned with the increased amount of energy I felt & the ability to think more clearly.

So, will you join the movement?

From this week forward, check back on Mondays for a meatless recipe courtesy of yours truly!  Although I already post a vegan recipe weekly on Indyvegans.com, expect this one to be unique (and not always vegan).