Meatless Monday provides an effective strategy for transitioning to a more plant-focused diet and protecting our health.
The nutrition and health impacts of our food choices
- Legumes are an inexpensive, healthy source of protein, fiber, and micronutrients. Explore the pros and cons of producing and consuming legumes in this paper and its summary brief.
- Learn about the nutrition implications of choosing plant-based milks over dairy milks. This report provides more information: Dairy and Plant-Based Milks: Implications for Nutrition and Planetary Health.
- Learn the nutritional or chronic disease benefits of replacing farmed meats with plant-based substitutes. Read this report: Considering plant-based meat for a public health and food systems perspective.
Understanding what and how much we eat:
- The amount of meat consumed in the United States is a subject of inquiry. Read these results from a national survey for more details. Trends in types of protein in US adults: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2010.
- The US dietary guidelines recommend higher legume consumption, although they currently comprise a minor part of the US diet. Learn more about Americans’ diets in this paper: Patterns of Legume purchases.
- A look into how much meat Americans eat from various data sources: A critical examination of the available data sources for estimating meat and protein consumption in the USA.
