Less Meat Monday
Did you know? Meatless Monday was started in 2003 by Sid Lerner, a man in his 70’s looking to help people cut back on saturated fat in their diets. Lerner partnered with Johns Hopkins University to launch Meatless Monday, a campaign in which everyone can take part! Even if not totally eliminating meat, you can still participate in this effort by reducing your meat intake on Mondays. Chefs Wolfgang Puck and Mario Batali, along with artists like Paul McCartney, are helping lead the less-meat movement. You can help, too, by opting for more plant-based protein sources!
A plant-based diet is recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Meat tends to be high in saturated fat and cholesterol, both of which can lead to heart problems. People who eat fewer animal products also have lower rates of obesity, dementia, arthritis, and hypertension, as well as other serious medical conditions. By swapping some meat for vegetables and grains, you can quickly increase your vitamin, mineral, and fiber intake…all while helping the environment! Livestock causes 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, an overuse of farmland, an increase in deforestation, and an increase in erosion. Production of vegetables requires less water, energy, fertilizer, and pesticides, leading to benefits all around. If you are in need of suggestions for plant-based protein sources or recipes, the MBM Meal Manual is a great place to start!
- WHAT: This is a loaded bullet (point)! The MBM "Meal Manual" includes the following:
- Collection of healthy recipes offering suggestions for how to eat a balanced variety of delicious foods.
- Sample daily menus that illustrate how these recipes might fit into your daily dietary intake.
- "Smart Swaps": Lighter alternatives for traditionally less-healthy food favorites.
- "Restaurant Reviews": Reviews of menus from various dining establishments focused on which items are more beneficial to order in terms of nutritional value.
- WHY: Many of us find it easier to have explicit instruction guiding our dietary decisions (sample daily menus), yet appreciate variety in our meals (recipes). It is important not to completely give up some of your less-healthy favorite foods, but rather find a way to enjoy them in a healthier manner ("Smart Swaps"). Finally, life happens- we dine out! And that is a-okay. As long as we order wisely, dining out does not have to be a dietary disaster.
- HOW: Rather than sending out a one-time finished document, I have decided to house this information in a Google drive document to which you will receive a link upon purchase. This will enable you to receive updates to the document as they are added, such as new recipes, new "Restaurant Reviews", new "Smart Swaps", etc. The Google Drive app will allow you to access the google document from your phone from at anytime, allowing you to refer back to recipes while at the grocery store, "Restaurant Recommendations" while deciding on a dinner date, etc.
