Meatless Monday
Cutting meat out of your diet, even if it’s only one day a week, can have substantial health benefits. Excess meat consumption (or ANY meat consumption according to a recent study from Harvard School of Public Health) increases mortality rate… not to mention, increases rate of chronic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, etccccc.
Then there’s the global impact… and I’ll try not to preach but there are some pretty mind-boggling facts.
- The FAO concluded that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions — by comparison, all the world’s cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Then there’s manure — all that animal waste generates nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that has 296 times the warming effect of CO2.
- Much of livestock’s contribution to global warming come from deforestation
- Lost forest cover heats the planet, because trees absorb CO2 while they’re alive — and when they’re burned or cut down, the greenhouse gas is released back into the atmosphere.
Celebrities are flocking to get involved. Some of the tastemakers (literally) include Sir Paul McCartney (who helped to launch Meat Free Mondays in the UK), Gwyneth Paltrow (dedicated a GOOP blog to the cause), Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi, director James Cameron (who encouraged all to go MM at an Earth Day screening of Avatar), Simon Cowell, Biggest Loser’s trainer Bob Harper, and even Oprah (who announced that Harpo Studios will offer Meatless Monday options)… just to name a few :)
Hope you have a beautiful (and Meatless) Monday ♥
