What are Meatless Mondays? Meatless Mondays is a non-profit health initiative, launched in 2003, which encourages people around the world to go meatless once a week. The movement aims to improve people’s health and that of the planet too by reducing our carbon footprint. WHY GO MEATLESS? Going meatless once a week is said to have several positive effects on various ailments, apart from the added benefit of saving the environment by saving resources. PREVENT HEART DISEASE AND STROKE Vegetarians are 36% less likely than meat eaters to suffer from metabolic syndrome – excess belly fat and high blood triglycerides that increase your risk for heart problems. A study indicated that each daily serving of fruits or vegetables was associated with a 4% decline in coronary heart disease and a 5% lower risk of stroke. LIMIT CANCER RISK Consuming more antioxidant-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables results in lower cancer rates. If you also target organically grown produce, you’re likely to decrease your exposure to carcinogenic pesticides too. FIGHT DIABETES Research suggests that plant-based diets, especially those that are low in processed meats can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. It can also decrease your total calorie consumption, which helps you obtain and maintain a healthy weight, a key component to preventing and treating the not-so-sweet disease. REDUCE STRESS A recent study stated that people who adopted a vegetarian diet reduced their stress levels by 39% after just 2 weeks on their new diet. The mood boost is attributed to plant compounds that fight oxidative stress in your body. BATTLES OBESITY People on plant-based, vegetarian diets tend to have a significantly lower Body Mass Index (BMI). This may be in part because plant-based diets are rich in fiber which contribute to fullness, resulting in lower calorie intake and less overeating. LIFESTYLE | well-being Meatless Mondays Explained we’re on a constant quest to improve our health and wellbeing, sometimes finding ourselves giving up whole groups of food all together. for a lot of people, however, it might seem like too much of a challenge to go completely vegetarian. if you’d like to ease your way into a vegetarian diet or probably just cleanse your system once a week, an easy way to start might be meatless mondays! August 2020 www.womanthismonth.com 12 IMPROVE YOUR NUTRITION Going meatless encourages consumption of plant-based sources of protein like beans and peas. Consuming beans and results in a higher intake of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium. In addition, diets high in beans and peas are associated with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.
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