FAQ

Meatless Monday was founded by Sid Lerner in 2003 in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Meatless Monday’s goal is to encourage people to reduce meat in their diets for their health and the health of the planet. For more information, visit the About page.

No, Meatless Monday is not focused on veganism. The campaign encourages people of any dietary lifestyle to cut out meat in their diets one day a week.  

Meatless Monday can be practiced any day of the week, since the campaign's goal is to reduce meat consumption and encourage people to try healthy plant-based options. Choose what day works best for you or your organization.

Starting a Meatless Monday program is easy. See our Start a Program page for information on how to start a Meatless Monday program in schools, universities, hospitals, communities, and worksites.   

It’s easy, delicious, and fun to start Meatless Monday with your family and friends. See our Get Started with Meatless Monday series and video to learn more. 

Many healthy meatless dishes require very little preparation ahead of time. It may just require planning with your foodservice provider or operator. Visit our Foodservice page for more information.  

Working with your local city officials is a great way to start a Meatless Monday program. See our Cities and Communities page for everything you need to contact your local city officials.  

The Meatless Monday Resource Center is a comprehensive website housed within the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that contains a multitude of information, from starting a Meatless Monday program to evidence-based research on why decreasing meat consumption is good for your health and the planet. As with the past Meatless Monday site, our goal is to provide everything needed to explain the benefits of consuming less meat, as well as how to start, support, and maintain a Meatless Monday program.   

Please email us to learn more about contributing your content to the Meatless Monday Resource Center. 

We are working on developing various translated materials. Please email us to request materials in your language. 

Yes, there are many fresh, flavorful ways to meet your recommended daily intake of protein. Plant-based foods can provide adequate protein, nutrients, and many additional health benefits when we consume them from various sources. Beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains are especially high in protein and other important vitamins and minerals. See our [Plant Protein Asset] for more information.

We recommend abstaining from meat and limiting dairy and eggs on Meatless Monday, although the campaign is flexible and meant to suit individual needs. The key is to enjoy healthy plant-based meals.

Yes, choosing healthy, plant-based options one day a week instead of meat benefits kids’ health and is part of a balanced diet. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, carefully planned vegetarian and vegan diets for children are healthful and nutritionally adequate and may help prevent certain diseases later in life. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, other than soy milk, plant-based milks are not nutritionally comparable to cow’s milk for children 12 months to 5 years old and may be lacking in important nutrients such as protein, vitamin D, and calcium. See our [research summary on dairy and plant-based milks] here. 

No, not necessarily. Cutting out meat doesn’t automatically make your diet healthier. Meatless diets should include whole foods like vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, and nuts, and limit intake of foods that are high in sugar or refined flour, or heavily processed. 

Yes, soy is safe to consume and an excellent source of plant-based protein. Soy is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids your body needs. Studies suggest soy intake may reduce the risk of breast cancer, especially when consumed regularly earlier in childhood. Studies have shown that soy does not cause breast cancer and that soy protein does not impact reproductive hormones in men. 

No, both animal and plant sources provide quality protein, though there are differences in their “packaging.” They have different combinations of vitamins and minerals, plus various types of fat, and plant proteins contain fiber, while animal proteins do not. Animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids required by our bodies, while plant proteins may lack one or two amino acids or have a limited amount of them. However, eating different types of plant foods throughout the day can give us the full complement of proteins. 

There are certainly many benefits to cutting out meat, but it is a personal choice. Meatless Monday can help you start by trying a meat-free day once a week. This might encourage you to add more meat-free days over time.   

Yes, Meatless Monday has been used by hospitals, cities, schools, organizations, and communities as part of their sustainability measures. See these Success Stories to learn how people have adapted it to meet individual and institutional goals.  

Nearly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from producing meat, dairy, and eggs. Additionally, livestock production uses 75% of the Earth’s agricultural land, mostly for beef and dairy cattle grazing. Eating a more plant-based diet can decrease agricultural water use by 50%. For more information, see our Environmental page. 

Yes, small changes over time lead to bigger changes and collectively have a significant impact. See our research here [Meatless Monday over the years]