Meatless Monday
─Helen Yeh
Americans eat on average 225 grams of meat per day—that's 45 percent more than the amount recommended by health specialists. Eating too much meat increases the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. Besides its negative effects on human health, meat consumption also affects the environment. A pound of beef requires much more fuel to produce than a pound of vegetables. Meat production also emits huge amounts of greenhouse gases.
To promote the benefits of a diet that's lower in meat, a nonprofit movement known as Meatless Monday was created in the United States. Its goal is to motivate people to avoid meat on Mondays so that they can reduce their meat consumption by 15 percent. Monday was chosen so that people can start their weeks in a healthy way.
Meatless Monday began in 2003 as a health and environmental movement, and it soon gained worldwide popularity. Today, it exists in 36 countries, including Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. In Taiwan, the movement is known as Meat-Free Monday. It's active in many cities, with the support of local celebrities.
A vegetarian diet may not be for everyone, but avoiding meat one day a week isn't hard. Why not do yourself and the environment a favor by trying it out? 無肉星期一 美國人平均一天吃二百二十五公克的肉，比健康專家建議的量多了百分之四十五。吃太多肉會增加心臟疾病和某些癌症的風險。除了對人體健康的負面影響外，食用肉類也會影響環境。生產一磅牛肉所需的燃料比一磅蔬菜還要多很多。肉類生產也會釋放大量的溫室氣體。
為了提倡少肉飲食的益處，在美國發起了一個稱為「無肉星期一」的非營利運動。其目標是激勵民眾星期一不吃肉，這樣他們就可以減少百分之十五的食肉量。選擇星期一是為了讓人們可以用健康的方式展開一週。
「無肉星期一」在二○○三年以一個健康又環保的活動展開，不久就在世界各地受到歡迎。現今，它在三十六個國家都有，包括台灣、日本和南韓。在台灣，這個運動稱為「週一無肉日」。這項活動在許多城市都很活躍，也得到本地名人的支持。
不是每個人都接受素食飲食，但每週一天不吃肉並不難。何不試試看，幫你自己和環境一個忙？ |
