Meatless Monday campaign hits New Orleans


meatless mondays new orleans.JPGIn a city where meat dominates dishes more and more New Orleanians are trying to put more veggies on their plate.
With our long tradition of red beans and rice on Mondays, all we have to do is skip the sausage to jump on the bandwagon.

The Meatless Monday campaign started in 2003, with the mission of reducing meat consumption by 15 percent, which organizers say will improve not only personal health, but the health of planet Earth.

The movement, which is associated with the Johns Hopkins Blumberg School of Public Health, was bolstered when the United Nations reported that the meat industry is responsible for nearly 20 percent of man-made greenhouse emissions, and is also the world's largest source of water pollution. Giden Eshel, professor of physics at Bard College, says that if we all curbed our meat consumption by just 20 percent, it would have the same impact as if we all switched from driving a sedan to a hybrid.

San Francisco approved a Meatless Monday resolution in April that encourages restaurants, grocery stores and schools to offer more vegetable-based options, and Mondays at Baltimore public schools have been meatless since last fall. Just a few weeks ago, chef Mario Batali joined in by announcing that all of his restaurants in New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas will offer at least two vegetarian dishes every Monday.

Having at least one meatless day -- or even just one meatless meal -- each week has been touted on talk shows, such as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show, " while Paul McCartney is promoting Meat Free Monday in the United Kingdom.

Here's how to join in: Pick one day a week to go meat-free (it can be any day, by the way; Monday is simply a good reminder to start the week on a healthful note).

Skip the meat, poultry, and even seafood. Instead, get your protein from foods like legumes, beans, nuts and seeds, as well as eggs and Greek yogurt. (Eggs and yogurt are derived from animals, but they make the cut for recipes on the Meatless Monday website at

I'm not a proponent of vegetarianism across the board; we don't need to avoid meat in order to be healthy. Lean meat, poultry, and seafood absolutely fit into a nutritious balanced diet.

But I do see Meatless Mondays as a fabulous opportunity to increase our intake of nutrient-dense vegetables and whole grains, and a good excuse to experiment with more plant-based protein options.

Just because a meal is meatless, though, doesn't necessarily mean it's better. This isn't a license to eat unlimited pasta, or potatoes the size of melons. Same goes for cookies, fries and chips: They may be meat-free, but they're certainly not improving your diet -- or the environment.

Meatless doesn't always mean lower-calorie, either. A cup of black beans, for example, has 220 calories, compared to 140 calories in a 3-ounce chicken breast.

If you're intrigued and want to give it a shot, start by incorporating a protein-rich plant-based entrée like red beans and (brown) rice, split pea or lentil soup, vegetarian chili, lentil salad or a veggie burger.

But don't just skip the meat and load up on starchy side dishes -- be sure to include plenty of vegetables in your Meatless Monday.

Take the opportunity to explore other cuisines, such as Thai or Indian food, where many of the dishes are vegetarian. If you're craving Tex-Mex, vegetable fajitas with a side of black beans can fit the bill. And tofu stir-fry or lettuce wraps can make your Chinese takeout easy and meat-free.

Even drive-thru junkies can get in on the action with Taco Bell's Fresco Bean Burrito or Burger King's BK Veggie Burger.

Reach for breakfasts and snacks that include protein-rich foods, such as Greek yogurt, Kashi Go Lean Cereal, Nature's Path Organic Optimum Slim cereal, soy nuts, edamame, wasabi peas, soy crisps, and snap pea crisps. Make a protein-rich smoothie with rice or soy protein, or try Garden of Life's Raw Protein powder, in the spirit of your all-natural, plant-based day.

If you decide to use Meatless Monday as an opportunity to make food choices that are nutritious and environmentally friendly, you'll likely find that you spend a little more time planning your meals at first. It can be fun to experiment with ingredients, though, and find new favorites. And think of it as just one small way that you can do something for our planet, with the added bonus of benefiting your body.