Sid Lerner started the Meatless Monday campaigns in 2003 in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The campaign has inspired millions through the Internet and has now become a popular global movement.
Who is Sid Lerner?
Sid Lerner is one of the original “Mad Men”, starting on Madison Avenue in the late 1950s at Norman, Craig & Kummel and Benton & Bowles as a mail boy, then copywriter and creative director. The 79-year-old started the Meatless Monday campaigns as a cultural revolution by adopting Monday as the day for health.
Why We Should Cut Out Meat on Monday
Although the media vehicles today are different, Lerner says the success of Meatless Monday is still rooted in the same principles that made brands like “squeezably soft” Charmin a big success.
“Meatless Monday, first used in World War I and II, is a simple, memorable idea that resonates with people today. And it’s doable – just one day a week cut out meat,” he says. Now Lerner has set his sights on something even bigger – he actually hopes to make Monday the day “all health breaks loose.”
“The week is a man-made concept. Friday is payday. Saturday is play day. Sunday is pray day. I want Monday to become the day that you pay attention to yourself – a health day.”
Too Much Protein from Meat is Bad for You
According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the average American diet contains meat and dairy products which is often too high in protein, causing deadly illnesses and diseases as a result. The Meatless Monday Campaigns try to address these diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer that are killing nearly 2 million Americans every year.
The American Dietetic Association clearly states, vegans or vegetarians on average have lower body weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure, and lower rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, prostate cancer, and colon cancer.
Meatless Monday and Prevent Obesity
Sid Lerner’s nonprofit Monday Campaigns has now widely promoted in 12 countries, and hundreds of schools, companies, hospitals and communities have adopted the “cut out meat just one day a week” movement to prevent obesity, heart disease, cancer and other deadly chronic conditions.
Social Networking Promotes Healthy Lifestyle
There has been increasing awareness worldwide thanks to the backing of celebrity chefs like Mario Batali, and political leaders and entertainment celebrities like Michael Pollan, Al Gore, Sir Paul McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow. You can check out the Meatless Monday Facebook page and follow on Twitter: @MeatlessMonday.
Miki Garcia - Miki is a freelance writer from San Francisco. After obtaining her master’s degree in journalism from City University London, UK, ...
