During both World War I and II, our government introduced a new concept to the American people: Meatless Monday and Wheatless Wednesday. These initiatives were primarily focused on rationing food here in the states in order to give more to our soldiers off at war.
Herbert Hoover, then head of the U.S. Food Administration, boldly proclaimed, “Food will win the war,” and as we all know, those wars were eventually won and the extra rations for our soldiers probably did help.
Yet here we are after several decades, and the Meatless Monday motto is starting to pick up steam once again, except this time it’s to improve our health and environment. Even media mogul Oprah Winfrey has jumped on board, announcing a Meatless Monday option at Harpo Studios, and she has encouraged her vast audience to give the campaign a try.
One person who has embraced the lifestyle change is Melissa Luke, Midtown resident and bartender Midtown’s own Paesanos. Luke, 25, had this change of heart well into her 20s, after being a meat-eater all her life. It wasn’t an Oprah special that changed her mind, but rather a documentary titled “The Cove.”
This film looks into the dolphin-hunting practices of Japanese fishermen and the threat of mercury poisoning that occurs as a result of high levels of mercury in the dolphins.
“It changed me after seeing that,” Luke said. “It got me more involved. It was around that time I stopped eating meat.”
For all of those who have no affinity for dolphins or are just too ingrained in the carnivore lifestyle, there are other reasons to adopt a meatless diet as well. According to the Meatless Monday website, both red and processed-meat consumption are associated with colon cancer. A diet rich in polyunsaturated fat foods, such as vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, reduces the risk of heart disease by 19 percent. Those who prescribe to a vegetarian diet have significantly lower body weight and body fat indices as well as longer life expectancies.
On the environmental front, take into consideration that an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. Ask anyone in Las Vegas with a dwindling water supply if they would rather have some filet mignon or fresh drinking water, and hopefully their response would include H2O.
Luke hopes that the rest of the world can take notice of these issues and follow suit in her meatless quest, but she is willing to settle for getting Midtown involved first.
“I thought it would be a good idea for Midtown because Mondays can be kind of slow for business and because there already is a pretty large vegan/vegetarian demographic in the Sacramento area, too,” she said.
Ideally, Luke wants all the restaurants in the Midtown area to get involved, either offering a special Meatless Monday dish or price for those who want to indulge in vegetarian fare and watch their bank account at the same time. While many restaurants already offer a vegetarian selection, Luke wants the movement to be at the forefront of people’s minds when they hit the town on Mondays.
Luke realizes that not everyone is going to be open to the idea of ditching meat, whether for one meal or forever, but her immediate goal is simple: “It’s really just about trying to get everyone to leave meat off their plate one day a week,” Luke said.
For those who are interested in getting involved with Meatless Monday the first step is simple, check out meatlessmonday.com and say goodbye to meat.
Matt Rascher is a writer for the Midtown Business Association
After reading this article I am now considering meatless Mondays!