In light of the upcoming Shabbat, I thought it would be a great time to spread the word of the Meatless Monday movement. This was a project started by the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health in order to improve personal health and the health of the planet. Many people, though not traditional vegetarians, are choosing to give up meat products one day a week for green purposes.

Not only is this a way to reduce the environmental impact of your diet, it also naturally decreases the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol. Through choosing vegetarian options over meat once a week, you may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

It doesn’t have to be Monday; it could be any day of the week! And if you don’t think you can give up that chicken, pork, beef, or whatever animal you drool over, even one day of the month makes a difference! In place of meat, just look for protein from beans, legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds instead. Every little bit helps. Join us at the vegetarian, sustainable Shabbat this Friday!

For more information and recipes of the Meatless Monday Movement, check out http://www.meatlessmonday.com/.