Maybe you’ve heard the term tossed around, maybe you’re already an active participant… Meatless Monday is something we should all be talking about. Omitting animal meats from your diet just a single day per week can be ultra beneficial for your physical health, your mental wellbeing, your budget, and my personal favorite reason: your environmental impact.

For the Planet

Going meatless just one day a week can:

• reduce the carbon emissions equal to driving ~350 miles
• save enough energy to power an iPhone for six months
• avoid the usage of 425 gallons of water, enough supply 1,700 people’s daily water needs

Let’s also acknowledge that meat consumption is super inefficient. It takes just as much grain to feed a single cow each day as it would to feed ten people on a vegetarian diet. We talk about “solving” the global food crisis, but actually, we have plenty of food. It’s just not distributed properly. Animal agriculture demands water and carbon-rich resources, like land, that we don’t really need to waste in order to sustain our societies. Links to reputable environmental studies on Meatless Mondays can be found here. 

For Us

Decreased risk of chronic diseases, like coronary heart disease and diabetes, are huge personal benefits to Meatless Mondays. While I’m definitely not a medical professional, it totally sucks to think that a cardio workout is offset by a meaty meal. Studies show that opting for protein sources like beans or nuts are correlated to increased focus and  healthier body weights. Links to lots of reputable health-related studies on Meatless Mondays can be found here. 

Let’s Be Honest

I’m not a true meat-free girlie 100% of the time. And you don’t have to be either. Vegetarianism and veganism is awesome and admirable, but we don’t need to commit our lifestyles if it’s not reasonable. Going meatless one day a week is an easy way to transition; start with one day, then two, and then keep adding to see how you feel. Also, humans are animals. We evolved with our specific teeth because humans are historically designed to eat other animals. There are some things, like B12, that we can’t get from a purely vegan diet. However, for all the environmental and health reasons discussed here, it makes totally sense to go meatless for most of my meals. Veganism at home really works for me. Meatless Mondays really work for a lot of other people. Do what works for you!

If you’re looking for more inspo on a sustainable diet, check out episode 17 of ECO CHIC with Megan of The Well Essentials. She talks about both the planetary and social impacts of our food systems, plus acknowledges that you don’t have to be totally meat free to be a good environmentalist.