There has been a new craze sweeping
over the world for the past few years. Dubbed, “Meatless Mondays”,
the concept is simple. Replace one day a week, Monday or any other,
with meals where meat is substituted or removed from the menu. This
seemingly miniscule change has far reaching effects from helping the
plight of animals in factory farming conditions, to improving your
personal health, all the way to saving the devastating effects that
the meat industry has on the environment. It's not everyday that you
wake up and think, “I'm going to make the world a better place
today!”, and it doesn't have to be everyday. Give meatless Mondays
a try and do your part for just one day a week.
The critical crux where those who
promote veganism or vegetarianism go astray is in their all or
nothing approach. Change in almost every situation is not immediate,
and a meatless diet is no different. It takes a gradual progression
and steady improvement upon one situation to realize flaws and make a
lasting change possible. Removing the meat from the table and the
kitchen for just one day a week has so many more effects than you
could even begin to imagine.
For the Animals:
Over 150 million animals are killed
each day for food consumption. That is a staggering number. Over
3,000 animals a second are slaughtered so that we can eat them. No
matter who you are, what you, and what you believe in those numbers
are hard to swallow. Animals are our pets, our friends, and our
companions. There was recently a huge deal about horse meat being
found in what was supposed to be beef products. This just shows how
all “meat” is basically the same. It is the body of a once
living, breathing animal, that if given the choice, would still be
alive. It is not our place to enslave the natural world for our
greed. A meatless day of the week can spare the lives of millions of
animals over time.
For the Planet:
If you take into consideration the
amount of water, grain and land that 150 million animals each day
need to have used, or taken up at one point, you can quickly realize
how big of an impact animal farming has on every single aspect of our
lives, on our planet, and for our sustainability. Imagine how heavy
those big two gallon jugs of water are when you see them in the
store. Now realize that it takes about 2,000 gallons of water for a
single pound of beef to be produced. A quarter pound hamburger? In
beef alone that meat took over 500 gallons of water to produce.
Removing meat from your diet for a single day a week can help reduce
your carbon footprint, help conserve resources, and turn back the
hands of destruction that we take so much for granted on our planet.
For Your Health:
Saving the planet and helping little
animals is all well and good but what's in it for you? Most of us
were raised on meat and the taste is not only a comfort, but a
standard of food in our minds. The fact of the matter is that in
nature, meat would not have nearly the presence that it does in a
modern person's diet. In fact, acquired disease is rampant largely in
part due to the overconsumption of large amounts of animal proteins.
There has been a plethora of research not only linking red meat
consumption directly to colon cancer, but that diets high in fruits
and vegetable significantly lower cancer risks. It doesn't end at
cancer. Diets with large amounts of meat and high fat dairy and other
animal products are linked directly to type 2 diabetes, obesity and
heart disease. The link between meat and preventable illness is no
longer up for debate. Choosing to opt of of eating meat for simply
one day a week will not only help the planet and the animals, but it
will give you a better quality of life, a better conscience and a
longer life as well.
For Your Lifestyle:
Choosing a meat free day of the week
can open up your world to an entirely new side of discovery. You'll
end up trying new foods, whether meat substitutes or ethnic cuisines
that you may have never even heard of before. Many asian cuisines and
middle eastern dishes are meat free by chance and will allow you to
explore exotic and tasty dishes that might even become your new
favorites. With the growing acceptance and exploration of vegan foods
and meat free alternatives you don't have to substitute taste for
compassion, or blandness for bacon. There are entire sections of the
grocery store that can help you find meat free alternatives that
taste amazing.
Meatless Mondays may be a catchy
phrase, but at the end of the day it really is just a term to
describe bettering ourselves and our planet. There are tons of famous
people, who are meat eaters and always will be, who have adopted this
one day a week exclusion of meat. Famous, world class chefs such as
Curtis Stone, Mario Batalli, and Giada De Laurentiis have all taken
the pledge to go meat free for one day a week. If people who know
exactly how good meat can be can make this decision you can too. Join
up with all of us who have pledged at least one day a week meat free!
