MeatlessMonday
If you’ve been following my blog for the last several months you’ve seen I’ve joined the #MeatlessMonday Movement and share a meatless meal weekly. If you know me, then you also know I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, but I still feel this is an important practice in my life and I wanted to share a bit about the origins of Meatless Monday.
So….did you know during World War I President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed one meatless day each week? Some historians state this meal was on Mondays, some state it was Tuesday, but regardless he felt that if we all gave up meat just one day a week and wheat one day a week, it would help win the war effort!
“Yet one wheatless meal a day in every family would mean a saving of 90,000,000 bushels of wheat, which totals 5,400,000,000 lbs. Two meatless days a week would mean a saving of 2,200,000 lbs. of meat per annum. One teaspoonful of sugar per person saved each day would insure a supply ample to take care of our soldiers and our Allies.” Source The History Chef – click here for more details
Why go meatless one day a week? For your health – going meatless just one day a week can help reduce your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes by reducing your intake of saturated fat in your diet. In turn this can help lower your blood pressure and blood sugar. For your pocketbook – Grains and vegetables are generally less expensive than protein based meals. Save some $’s and try a meatless meal! For the planet -Does going meatless help our planet? There’s a lot of discussion regarding that. Here are a couple articles to refer to so you can make up your own mind. Down to Earth – Organic & Natural, and on the flip side, this article from the Huffington Post or this article from the Washington Post.
Bottom line – I’m not trying to talk you into becoming vegan or vegetarian – just presenting options – ideas or recipes that you may have not considered in the past. Me, I definitely need the health benefits as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease risks are high in my family. And I’ve decided I want to live to the ripe old age of 98 like my Grandma did! I can’t control everything, but I can make better decision for me!
For new ideas & recipes for #MeatlessMonday – head on over to their website www.MeatlessMonday.com.
You have a lot of good points to think about. We do eat way to much of everything. Being careful with our diet is a very good place to start. Thank you for your ideas.
I think we all need to make good choices. Thanks Lois for your comment.