Funny how when you say Monday, what comes to mind for many people is music. There's those fine ladies with the big earrings, and the post-Joy boys, and Sir Bob's mordant musings, and a song so nice they named it twice. But when it comes to meatless, why Monday?
For one, it has snappy alliteration. Meatless Monday just sounds right. It rolls off the tongue. But also it has an interesting historical precedent. During World War I, the newly formed U.S Food Administration encouraged rationing in support of the troops by declaring "Food will win the war!" American families back then voluntarily participated in Wheatless Wednesdays and Meatless Mondays. But there's something else.
It can be summed up in a simple phrase: "Monday is the January of the week." These are the oft-quoted words of Sid Lerner, chairman and founder of The Monday Campaigns. It's all about a weekly new beginning. Framing Monday as the chance to start the week right. To hit the reboot button after a potentially indulgent weekend.
The idea might seems intuitive, and in fact Johns Hopkins has done research to show that people are already using Monday. By a factor of 5, people are more likely to go to the gym, to start a diet, to try to quit smoking, on Monday versus other days. Indeed, 74% of people say that a Monday start will help them stick to their weekly health regimen. And 70% are open to weekly reminders to help them uphold healthy intentions.
So what, you may be asking, is at the behavioral root of this power of Monday? It comes down to our shared cultural experience. As we move through our daily lives, we tend to think in terms of weeks. Our calendar reflects this. The week is critical in shaping human lives, and for a great majority of us, because of work or school, the week begins on Monday.
As the start of the week, Monday is a natural time to start something new. Particularly if it's, say, trying to overcome an ingrained problematic behavior. Monday provides 52 chances a year to begin or reset healthy intentions. It's all about incremental change, slow and steady, one week at a time. Plus, there's always another Monday around the corner if you've fallen off the wagon.
Further, as a shared notion, Monday provides a social context for change. Seeing other people start their week right or reset their healthy intentions, we're more likely to join in and do the hard work ourselves. More likely to see the comraderie and fun in working together.
There's no question that, historically, negative associations have been linked with Monday, evidenced by the songs at the top. But one of the central notions of the Monday Campaigns is that together we can overcome those associations. Together we can help turn Monday into an empowering spur -- "the day all health breaks loose," according to Lerner.
Which brings us back to Meatless Monday. One day a week, cut out meat. It's not Meatless Lifetime, nor Meatless Year, nor even Meatless Month -- it's just one day a week. Using the power of Monday to encourage people to improve their health and the health of the planet. And if you miss one Monday, or five Mondays in a row, it's cool -- there's always another one on the calendar somewhere.
It's more about sharing delicious recipes, healthy experiences and new ways to think a little more about the food we eat and how it affects our bodies and our environment. Because, ultimately, we all need a little kick-in-the-pants now and then so that it's not just another ______ Monday?
Follow Chris Elam on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MeatlessMonday
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Cooking -- The Next Stage of Evolution
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Ingredients -- More Than Food For Thought
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Steak Chefs Go Meatless for Culinary Clash
I do plenty of meatless days as it is just because of the variety of things I eat, but I'll be damned if I'm going to do this Meatless Monday nonsense. Nope, I'm going to do 100% Grassfed Beef Monday instead. I'm convinced that's better for the environment in the long run, too, and it supports farmers/ranchers who are producing meat the way I think it SHOULD be produced. NOT eating meat doesn't do anything to encourage such producers, and it doesn't actually do a thing to DIScourage "factory farms," either.
Great graphic in the article by the way!
People don't do sacrifice anymore? I'm sure if you ask nicely, you can get someone to sacrifice a goat for you.
Its also one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself and the planet.
Give me a big pot of vegetarian chili with cornbread any day of the week. Delicious!
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cancer/the-china-study-vs-the-china-study/
My favorite meatless dinner is my "hippie chili." it's easy, quick, makes a ton, and keeps in the fridge/freezes well. Prep some quinoa while sauteeing crushed tomatoes, beans of your choice (i use black beans with no sodium added) and fresh sweet corn (or frozen. works just as well) Mix with some chili seasoning and top with greek yogurt and avocados. YUM.
Try a stir fry of vegetables that you like over rice. If you like tofu or tempeh, add that. If not, sprinkle cashews over the top. Soy sauce makes it more interesting.
Here's a sort-of vegetarian fettucine alfredo that's super-easy: smash some white beans. Saute carrots, onions, optional celery. Add the white beans. Hot pepper flakes and black pepper add flavor. Stir in something green at the end. Parsley is really good. Serve over pasta.
Make something like what you'd get at Chipotle. Put rice on to cook. Roast sliced peppers and onions with olive oil in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Heat a can of chili beans. Slice avocado, and get out some salsa and optional cheese. Jalapenos if you want to get fancy. Put rice first in bowl or on plate, then roasted peppers and onions, chili beans. Add cheese, salsa, and avocado. Nobody in their right mind would care that there's no meat in this.
Here's an article that describes a recent meta-study that found no relationship between saturated fats and heart disease. (Nor is this the only study that challenges commonly held misconceptions about meat, dairy and eggs.)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=carbs-against-cardio
These articles debunk the claims the livestock contributes more to climate change than transportation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8583308.stm
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-07-debunking-meat-climate-change-myth/
Also, most of the plants consumed by livestock are watered with rainfall and not irrigation. And animals return most of the water they drink back to the soil via urination.
Even Andrew Weil has now publicly conceded, "Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease or any other chronic disease of civilization."
As a matter or fact, plant agriculture uses an astronomical amount of water, but even worse, it causes an insane amount of water runoff, depleting the water tables and leading to soil erosion and desertification. The water runoff of a plowed field is not much better than a parking lot. Conversely, sustainable pasturing massively increases water retention by increasing soil vitality and creating deep root systems for perennial grasses. Organizations such as Operation Hope are successfully using sustainable pasturing to reverse desertification in grasslands and savannas, and bodies of water are literally springing up in what was once desert.
As a matter of fact, virtually all of the world's most renowned sustainable ag experts recognize the absolutely essential role of animals in any truly sustainable system of agriculture. And what the heck were you thinking citing Food Inc as some sort of argument against meat?!? Joel Salatin is a meat farmer!!!