If going vegetarian sounds appealing, but you’re not ready to quit meat cold turkey, we have the perfect solution: Meatless Monday—the national campaign that encourages people to kick off the week sans meat.
The non-profit campaign, started in 2003 by the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, was designed to improve participant’s health and help save the planet.
Some big cities are jumping on board, too. Los Angeles, the largest city to join the movement so far, recently announced that all future Mondays in the City of Angels would be meat-free.
Not sure Meatless Monday is for you? Consider this: Limiting animal-fare has major health benefits. It can reduce the likelihood of heart disease, the leading cause of death among women, and a number of cancers too. To reap the most health-promoting benefits, swap meat for fruits, veggies and whole grains, says Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, owner of Manhattan-based dietetic practice Your New York Dietitian. Plant-based fare, rich in disease-fighting nutrients and belly-filling fiber, not only wards off illness, but decreases appetite too, helping you maintain a healthy weight.
Omitting meat, even once a week, can also lower your carbon footprint. Raising beef produces more greenhouse gas then all the cars currently on the road, and the livestock industry pollutes our water more than any other industry. Eating just one plant-based meal saves 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 133 gallons of water, and 24 square feet of land.
Not sure what to eat in-lieu of your mid-day turkey sandwich? Check out our favorite meatless meals.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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Vegetarian-Eating FAQs
Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Weight-Loss Foods
5 Vegetarian Myths
