meatless mondays

i know... i know... some of you will jump all over me about this... but - really - this is not a animal-hugging concept... actually, meatless monday is a national health campaign that's working to help americans prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer -- four of the leading causes of preventable death in this country.

in association with johns hopkins school of public health, meatless monday's goal is to help americans reduce consumption of saturated fat 15% by 2010, which works out to elimnating saturated fat from the diet once a week. this is consistent with recommendations from the US dept. of health and human services, the US dept. of agriculture, and the american heart association.

really, it's not as tough as most people have convinced themselves it is... and, to top it off, the website also has some pretty tasty-looking recipes and menu suggestions -- making it even easier to take better care of yourself!

of course, an nationwide reduction in the amount of meat raised and transported also has a great effect on our environment, too... so everybody wins!

seriously, it's only one day a week... try it for a month, and let me know how it goes for you!