Traditionally, Meatless Monday focuses its initiative on Mondays for multiple reasons. Monday is typically the beginning of the work week, the day when individuals settle back into their weekly routine. Unhealthy habits that prevailed over the weekend can be forgotten and replaced by positive choices on Monday. A weekly reminder to restart healthy habits also encourages success. But making a choice to eat healthier, or meatless, any one day of the week is a good choice.
Today, I’m thinking about going meatless one day each week so that I can lose a little weight, live a healthier life, save money, and reduce our environmental impact.
According to scientific studies, the health benefits of choosing a meat-free day include: limiting cancer risks, reducing heart disease, fighting diabetes, and curbing obesity. Hundreds of studies suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables may reduce some cancer risks; for example, both red and processed meat consumption are associated with colon cancer. Data from a Harvard University study suggests that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (for example, meat and full-fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (for example, vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%. Diabetes research suggests that higher consumption of red and processed meat increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices; a study in London also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain. Reducing your red meat and processed meat consumption is associated with modest increases in longevity. And, in general, consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat, which are good for your overall health.
Meat is expensive. Period. Money is tight. Period. Eating less meat, and using more beans, grains, and vegetables in its place will save you money. Period.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions—by comparison, all the world’s cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. Much of livestock’s contribution to global warming comes from deforestation, as the growing demand for meat results in trees being cut down to make space for pasture or farmland to grow animal feed. Livestock takes up a lot of space—nearly one-third of the earth’s entire landmass. Lost forest cover heats the planet, because trees absorb CO2 while they’re alive—and when they’re burned or cut down, the greenhouse gas is released back into the atmosphere. Then the manure generates nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that has 296× the warming effect of CO2. And of course, there is cow flatulence: as cattle digest grass or grain, they produce methane gas, of which they expel up to 200 L a day. Given that there are 100 million cattle in the US alone, and that methane has 23× the warming impact of CO2, the gas adds up. According to Al Gore, our global climate can be improved by reducing the amount of meat we eat; animal agriculture pollutes our environment, while consuming huge amounts of water, grain, petroleum, pesticides, and drugs. According to the Envoronmental Working Group (EWG), if everyone in the US chose vegetarian foods over meat or cheese for just one day a week, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road per year.
When I offer Crockpot Tuesdays, I always offer a meat-free option, or an option that can be easily adapted to be meat-free. This week, why not try Creamy Broccoli-White Bean Soup? The steamed broccoli florets with olive oil, pine nuts, white beans, and garlic cloves makes a complete hearty meat-free meal. If you like, add salad and bread, but it’s great, and filling, all on its own.
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