{"id":2704,"date":"2020-01-10T03:00:21","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T08:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/momlifehappylife.com\/?p=2704"},"modified":"2020-01-10T13:46:43","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T18:46:43","slug":"can-meatless-monday-really-make-us-healthier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momlifehappylife.com\/can-meatless-monday-really-make-us-healthier\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Meatless Monday Really Make Us Healthier?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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<\/span>What is Meatless Monday?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Meatless Mondays is a global campaign to help us lower the consumption of meat, for our health and the environment. It is now active in over 40 countries worldwide and continues to grow! I grew up in a family of eight kids, and we were grateful for the meals provided to us. We always had meat at our meals. The only time my mother had us \u201cabstain\u201d from eating meat was all the Fridays of Lent before Easter. I grew up in a catholic household and this was instilled in us through our religion. Not eating meat was not much of a sacrifice for me, but we did it anyway. Now, if I had to abstain from dessert, THAT would be another story!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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<\/span>Meatless Monday History<\/span><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Meatless Mondays dates back to World War 1. Americans were asked to limit their meat consumption. \u00a0It was originally Tuesdays, not Mondays. They also had Wheatless Wednesdays and asked the US citizens to cut back on fat and sugar as well. This greatly helped nourish US soldiers overseas and care for struggling Allies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It was brought back again in WWII for the same reasons. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Meatless Monday\u00a0was founded\u00a0in 2003 by Sid Lerner in association with the\u00a0Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health<\/a>. The newer version of the campaign supports health, nutrition, the environment, and animal welfare. They chose Monday as it\u2019s the start of a new week, and a good time to start new diets or give up bad habits. They switched it to Monday as the two M\u2019s in Meatless Monday make a catchy slogan.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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<\/span>Unbelievable facts on how going meatless affects your health<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Wartime history provides us with important information regarding the correlation between animal-based diets and mortality rates. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. explains how deaths from coronary artery disease plummeted during World War II, from 1939-1945. The Germans confiscated all of the livestock and farm animals from the Norwegian countries to supply food for their own troops. As a result, the Norwegians were forced to eat mainly plant-based foods, such as whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Almost immediately, death from heart attacks and strokes in Norway plummeted. In 1945 animal products became available (meat and dairy) again. Notice an alarming increase to the pre-war levels of deaths from these illnesses. It is a powerful lesson in public health that we should all take to heart! (pun intended)<\/p>\r\n

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<\/span>Why Meatless Monday is important<\/span><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Going one day a week without meat can help you reverse chronic disease in your body. It\u2019s healthy to give your body a break as animal proteins are harder for your system to break down than plant proteins. Meat can be hard on your digestive tracts. This can also give you a chance to try new recipes, add variety to your diet and get nutrients that you might otherwise be lacking.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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<\/span>Meatless Monday Environmental Impact<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How does going meatless reduce your carbon footprint? Cutting back on meat can be good for both your wallet and the environment. Swapping meat for plant proteins, like beans, for example, can reduce the amount you spend on groceries on a weekly basis. Beans are very affordable! It also reduces your carbon footprint, water usage, and fuel dependence. It\u2019s a simple act that saves us money and helps our community by acting responsibly towards lowering our carbon footprint.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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<\/span>Meatless Monday \u2013 what a difference a day makes!<\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Here are the benefits of not eating meat for one day a week, which is just 15% less per week.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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  1. It Protects Our Soil \u2013 Raising livestock leads to deforestation, which consequently weakens and erodes our soil. <\/strong>The world loses roughly the size of Panama\u00a0each year to deforestation<\/a>, which also accelerates climate change (trees store carbon).<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n