The History of Meatless Monday

Over the past year or so, I decided to reduce my intake of meat products in an attempt to reduce my caloric and fat intake but also to increase my fruit and veggie consumption, reduce my meal costs and my ecological foot print. "Meatless Monday" was a term that I had seen trending on many food and lifestyle blogs. What was interesting to me, was to learn that Meatless Monday's had been around for a long time.

Photo Credit: Meatless Monday

 Meatless Mondays first came into the scene, as American notion related to the First World War efforts. This initiative was founded by then head of Food Administration, Herbert Hoover and was supported by the U.S Food Administration.  It was marketed using the slogan "Food Will Win The War"  and recipes were distributed in newspapers and magazines across the nation. 

This campaign was carried over into World War II by Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman through rationing food staples to help supply war-ravaged Europe with food. During this campaign Americans were encouraged to reduce and eliminate any food waste, as well as eat less wheat, sugar and fats to help provide aid to Europe. 

In 2003, Meatless Mondays resurfaced was a health initiative reintroduced by health advocate Sid Lerner as a way for people to reduce their consumption of saturated fats. He has gained support from world-renowned chefs Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali and former Beatle, Paul McCartney. 

Meatless Monday is now a global health initiative aimed at improving health and well being. Reasons to participate in Meatless Monday include great health benefits such as reducing risks of cancers, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and general diet improvement. These benefits are seen through increase fruit and vegetable intake, protein substitutes such as beans have high fiber and protein with low fat levels and weight loss associated with lower caloric and fat intake. 

Meatless Monday is a fun way to experiment with vegetarian options and find a different spin on healthy eating. With a wide war time history, it is intriguing to see how Meatless Monday has evolved with changing world issues. 

Here are a couple Meatless Monday Recipes:

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Chickpea and Mango Lunchbowl

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Vegetarian Vietnamese Pancakes