Hello! How was your day? Did you check in with your Pile on the Miles weekly goal yet? do it do it.
Today I met Skinny Runner during lunch for a walk. Well, she suggested a walk, I suggested eating $5 pizzas since I’m retired now and I figure ‘the hell with it!”. 
She vetoed so we walked, but at least let me take a picture with the Little Cesar Pizza guy. 
I snagged these super sale Mustard Greens and knew they had to be made tonight or they would be trash. I wasn’t sure how to cook them but I know that fancy bloggers cook greens with bacon and maple syrup so I did the same. 
Turns out I was breaking the law by eating bacon since today is Meatless Monday in Los Angeles!! 
Luckily, I am safe and sound behind the “orange curtain” and I think they grant asylum.
Anyway.
The LA City Council voted to endorse Meatless Mondays last week. It’s completely voluntary but they are trying to encourage eating less meat for health and sustainability reasons. I’ve been slacking on my Meatless Mondays lately, but I thought this was interesting.
On one hand – I DO NOT want anyone to tell me what to or not to eat. You’re not the boss of me!
On the other hand – I appreciate that the council made a definitive statement on something that might not make everyone happy. I don’t want the government to tell me what to eat or drink, but I like that they are trying to encourage healthier habits.
I’m just not sure this is the way to go about it? I mean, we also need to educate people that swapping out a burger for a grilled cheese isn’t doing too much for their health, right?
I was vegan for half a year in college and vegetarian for years and years after that. I look back on the foods I chose before that and think my tastes were naturally kinda vegetarian even as a child. So, it’s not hard for me to avoid meat (sugar is another story!). I am down with a meatless day (or two) but I want to do it when/where I choose.
What do you think?
PS – I really like this Natalie Dee cartoon titled “I Don’t Care what you eat tell me again and I’ll eat you” but it has bad words so check it out at your own risk if you’re a sissy la la.
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting! I haven’t heard of a city doing that before. I think it’s a step in the right direction, but hope information behind the movement is provided as well.
That is one great comic! Sharing it
I’ve been a vegan for 4.5 years now; it was a conscious decision on my end to switch diets.
I’m so for it- “Meatless Monday” has a nice ring to it, rather than “Meatless on Whatever Day You Choose,” I think. With the way out society works people will always bend the rules, anyway, so the idea has been planted at least. I think government pushing health initiatives is important; smoking, sugary sodas, calories on menus, etc… People are so poorly informed when it comes to their health and so lazy about acquiring the information they need to be more proactive. But, then again, I’m a Democrat, so I’m cool with the government being involved
I’m antsy–did you announce the winner of the Santa to the Sea entry yet?
Wow! I’ve never heard of something like this being done by a city before!
I don’t generally eat much meat any way, so it wouldn’t be too difficult for me.
Cute pics with the pizza guy!
That cartoon is pretty funny!
Sissy la la. Haven’t been called that in a while. But the joke’s on you cuz I checked out that site. So who’s the Sissy la la NOW? Boom.
I don’t think meat should be banned or anything, but a completely voluntary endorsement of Meatless Mondays isn’t a big deal! It’s a good (and harmless) thing, I think.
haha…check u out one bad meat-eating mother! jk. i’m sort of torn, i think there definitely should be awareness about instituting healthier habits, the US needs that like none other! BUT, i HATE feeling like people are telling me wat to eat; this is prolly egotistical of me, but i’m a runner, i live rather healthfully so i feel like i am ‘entitled’ to eat meat if i want to. now, i’m not a huge meat eater, but just feeling like i can freely eat it at my will is nice, u kno? so i guess my thing is i’d rather have LA tell the slothful to get moving rather than just curtail their eating??
I live close to SF, which also has meatless monday. it’s preaching to the choir since the only people who even know about it are people who care about sustainability issues. I don’t think meatless monday’s is any more big brother than ‘my plate’ or the ‘let’s move’ campaign.
I think it is great that the city is trying to endorse something healthy like this but I definitely hope they provide information on how to not eat meat in a healthy way or even just trying to push for people to eat more fruit and veggies. I can’t believe how many people I know that don’t eat fruits and veggies on a regular basis.
I don’t know, it’s a grey area. The government technically has the right to moderate how we live (i.e., where we smoke, what kind of gas we use in our cars, the source of our electricity) if it affects either our health or the global community (climate change). And eating meat is terrible for the environment, so I can see that argument. It’s also pretty unhealthy for our long term health. But at the same time, some people really love it, so I don’t know.
I’ve been a vegetarian for a few years and fully endorse Meatless Mondays BUT if you make it into a law or even a rule then that’s a really good way to make people eat extra meat. What I like about Meatless Monday is that it’s non-threatening and a relatively small and easy change to make.
I am on the fence as well. While I do think it’s great that LA is taking a conscious effort to instill healthy eating practices, I also can see where this will be entirely attacked for infringing on people’s rights. Ugh, food and government will NEVER be a peaceful thing.
I like the Meatless Monday idea and anything that is done to promote a healthier lifestyle is good by me! I think I will try to incorporate that every week. There are so many other protein sources besides meat!
i love what LA is doing! Coming from living in colorado and nevada before here i feel like it is so forward thinking
I’m 100% against the government telling me what I can or cannot put in my body. (And I’m a democrat, so I don’t think it’s a left or right issue). I’m very anti-nanny state. But I’m very pro education. You’re absolutely right that it’s obviously not healthier for someone to replace a hamburger with a grilled cheese. But most people are going to do just that. I rarely eat meat more than once or twice a week just based on laziness and cheapness, but I know my diet suffers because it’s carb heavy.
I’m in NYC and I’m totally against the large soda ban. I don’t think it’s going to hinder the people who really want 32oz of soda- because there’s no rule that prevents refills. And there shouldn’t be. I’m a fan of the calorie postings because it let’s people make an informed decision. I know I’ve made countless smarter choices because I saw the calorie content on the menu.
I only got 10 of my 20 miles in last week. But I did update the spreadsheet. I will do better this week.
We blew meatless Monday by eating steak. Oh well.
The Kidless Kronicles
This is awesome!! I think it’s great that the government is trying to instill good eating habits, without making them mandatory. I feel the government has brainwashed the population into thinking meat is good and necessary for survival. I have have been making the transition to vegan-ism for the last 4 months after almost 8 years as a vegetarian. I have done it more for ethical reasons, but have already seen the health benefits pay off. I think a resolution like this would help people think more about their food choices— for health, ethical, and environmental reasons. I would love to see more cities implement a movement like this.
Haha! That linked cartoon is hysterical. I legit laughed out loud while sitting at my desk (not that I ever check blogs at work. Ever.).
I think it’s a step in the right direction! I think eating less meat or any animals products will really help the planet! And America’s waistline! Well, as long as they don’t just eat grilled cheese all the time….
I think it’s awesome that some cities are starting to put forth an effort to keep their people healthy, but I totally agree with you that it also needs to come with a little education about what’s healthy vs what is not.
And I’d totally be a vegetarian if it wasn’t for my boyfriend. He swears he can’t survive without meat in his diet, but we have found a compromise in that we try to eat vegetarian 2-3 days a week.
I’m not a fan of government being involved in my life, but at least this is voluntary!! The funny thing is I could easily be vegetarian, but I am anemic. So in my case, red meat is something I need to make a better effort to eat. I think protein is very important, too. I think my husband would be furious if I told him we had meatless Mondays now, hahaha.
Manager Specials are the best….I get soooo excited when I find a good one:)
If the government really wants to do some good for our country they should stop subsidizing corn and putting HFCS in everything. They should prevent companies from advertizing their fat free/sugar free crap as healthy when it’s really just filled with a bunch of crap people can’t even pronounce. Ugh, it makes me really sad when I start thinking about the politics involved.
http://www.policymic.com/articles/9223/obesity-is-caused-by-government-intervention-not-big-gulps
I think it’s good that they’re making an attempt to encourage healthy choices/eating. I’m not sure that this is the right way to do it though. You’re right about just swapping one bad food for another. Hopefully it will lead to more discussion about healthy eating.
If you choose the right meat to eat (lean cuts, etc.), meat is not always bad for you. I’m all for healthy initiatives but not ones that say that a food product is bad. People need protein, and meat can be a great part of a healthy diet.
Actually, I’d argue that it is healthier to swap a hamburger for a grilled cheese.
Hamburger bun (150 calories) + quarter pound beef (240 calories) + mayo (100 calories) = 490 calories and maybe 20 grams of fat… and that’s being conservative.
Sliced bread (200 calories) + 2 slices American cheese (160 calories) = 360 calories and maybe 15 grams of fat.
PLUS, no one had to die.
I cook my grilled cheeses with butter though, so I figured it was close enough? Maybe I use too much butta!
But you got me on the death thing
(even though I think using dairy can be a grey area when it comes to farming)
Oh I forgot that most people use butter!
Grilled cheese is one of my favorite foods, I like to think it’s not as bad as a cheeseburger. Just giving you a hard time anyway
Like you said, education is really more important. I use whole wheat bread, fresh tomato, very little cheese and cooking spray to make mine less un-healthy, but not everyone knows those things.
I’m one of those people that is fine with doing something…until someone tells me I “have” to or I’m “supposed” to. Then I want to do the exact opposite (even though I hate meat). I like the concept though! It’s fun to experiment with new recipes.
So now that you have retired from full marys, what do you think is next on the docket? (sorry sorry, you probably have gotten this a million +1 times already) Obviously there are PLENTY of things to be involved with in the running world, but I was just curious!
I am not a fan of government telling me what I should and should not eat. If they want to do a better job educating citizens on nutrition, though, I’m all for that. Overall, government has gotten out of control with trying to control every aspect of people’s lives.
I think it’s interesting and sort of neat that the city council is supporting Meatless Monday, but I am with many others that I don’t want the government telling me what to eat. I also don’t want the government to portray that eating meat is wrong. This is a tough issue because I can really see both sides to the argument.
I haven’t eaten red meat since 1983 (the year I graduated from high school – which is probably longer than you & some of your readers have been alive. YIKES!). It was a conscious decision I made since heart disease “runs deep” on both my Dad’s & Mom’s side of the family. I know you can get lean cuts but now it would probably just do a number on my digestive system. And I can’t remember the last time I had pork; never really cared for the taste of any of it. But I eat chicken, fish & turkey.
I honestly think that this is great. It’s completely voluntary and it’s a great way to PROMOTE. I think getting people thinking about the issue is the first step and that’s what LA is doing.
I have a product you SHOULD try: Thomas’s cranberry English muffins. They are delicious. I had one this morning for breakfast part one with butter on one half and light cream cheese on the other.
Oops, I posted this comment on the wrong post. Sorry!
I almost bought those the other day because Ben loves cranberries!!! Noted