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It’s not a crime to love meat. After all, it’s a great source of protein, and it really tastes great. But like most things that are fun and enjoyable, it’s best to eat meat in moderation. Diets that rely to heavily on meat increase the participant’s risk of heart disease and cancer. It is also important to note that more of the world’s emissions stem from livestock farming than from transportation. The world’s livestock farms account for 18% of all the greenhouse gas emissions on the planet.
You don’t need to cut meat out of your life altogether though, as the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health just asks that you go meatless on Mondays. One meatless day a week will reduce your saturated fat intake by 15%, subsequently lowering your risk for heart disease. Scientists have found that if Americans were able to reduce their meat consumption by 20%, the amount of greenhouse gases avoided would be equal to a scenario in which every American instantly switched to driving hybrid vehicles.
MeatlessMonday.com offers some great tips on what to do without meat. There are recipes and suggestions on how to fill up your meatless day with hearty pasta dishes, or ethnic foods from cultures that build their recipes around rice or curry.
Using less meat will most often mean using less money as well. So in order to save yourself and the planet, all Meatless Monday asks is that you save some money too. Vegetables are most often less expensive than meat at the market, and items like grains, rice, and pasta are affordable, and can be even more so when bought in bulk.
