What's Meatless Monday?
Meatless Monday is voluntarily not eating meat on Monday. It doesn't necessary have to be Monday but
picking one day of the week to not eat meat reduces your chance of getting chronic conditions (ex: cancer, diabetes, and obesity) , reduces your carbon footprint and saves environmental resources.
There's plenty of alternatives to meat that do not have such a detrimental effect on the environment. Tofu is a great meat alternative and according to meatlessmonday.com ,
"An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. Soy tofu produced in California requires 220 gallons of water per pound."
-meatlessmonday.com
The fact that on average over 2,000 gallons of water goes into raising a single pound of beef is ridiculous. American restaurants are known for their meat products ( McDonald , Applebees and basically any other restaurant!).
There was a study done on the effects of McDonald's hamburgers titled , "Potential Effects of the Next 100 Billion Hamburgers Sold by McDonald's" by Elsa H. Spencer, PhD, Erica Frank, MD, MPH, Nichole F. McIntosh, MD, MPH. The article states that McDonald's has sold over 100 billion burgers which averages out to 100,000,000,000 2.4 ounce patties (let's not even get started with the Big Macs).
Let's do the math:
I converted 2.4 ounces to pounds which equals 0.15 pounds, then multiplied that by 2,000 pounds. Each burger equals 150 pounds of water! The math is shown below:
.15 x 2000 = 300
Now,
100 billion X 300 (ehh do I really want to do the math?)
150 X 100 billion = 3.0 × 10^13 gallons of water
Using google calculator, I calculated that McDonald's 100 billion burgers (though as tasty as they may be) has had a detrimental effect on the environment. Hamburgers are not born hamburgers- they require cows (if you didn't know). The water needed to raise over 100 billion burgers worth of cattle is over 3.0 × 10^13 gallons of water. On the other hand, soy tofu requires only 220 gallons of water per pound which is a big difference!
Of course tofu sounds bland and boring but there are many meatless (tofu) products that wouldn't know was tofu unless you read the ingredients. Morningstar offers great tofu based meatless "meat" alternatives ( man, that's a mouthful). From burgers to meatless meatballs, Morningstar has it all. Boca burgers are also another famous "veggie" burger sold in many restaurants.
But let's not forget about vegetables! Eating raw or cooked vegetables as opposed to meat is the best alternative for Meatless Monday or any other day of the week. Shiitake mushrooms (when cooked correctly) have been said to taste like steak. I for one have never had a Shiitake mushroom but that's only because I am allergic to all fungi. Below is a list of best sellier vegetarian cookbooks,
- Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World
- Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
- The Happy Herbivore Cookbook: Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
Meatless Monday can be fun especially if you get creative but it also helps preserve your body and the environment. Go Mad for Meatless Monday and make a difference!
Taja Allen
tajanallen@gmail.com
sources: Potential Effects of the Next 100 Billion Hamburgers
Sold by McDonald's, meatlessmonday.com ,Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net