Alice Lam (6)

This meatless Monday campaign has been an eye-opener and has been very fun for me. Looking back I remember the challenge and struggle I had during my first week of meatless Monday. My daily diet contains meat, so it was hard getting use to not eating meat for a whole day. It was hard seeing my friends and other students eating meat. It would also be easier if the family did not eat meat. My sisters and I would sometimes take pictures of the meal we cooked or had and they would contain meat. What made the challenge difficult as well are that there is many food stores on campus that sell food with meat? I don’t think UB has enough vegetarian food and we should do something about it. UB should also have more vending machines that contain healthy food, like fruits. I remember in class, someone mentioned that these healthy vending machines were just hidden where no one will find it.

     I learned a lot for the past few weeks of meatless Monday. In class and through the campaign I learned that eating meat like chicken, pigs, cows, and fish are harmful to our environment. I learned through some of the meatless Monday that consuming meat causes about 18% of global emission (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) from livestock. To deal with climate changes that we witness now, we need to start thinking about the way we eat, that is shifting toward a vegan diet or going meatless Monday.   I also learned that meatless Monday could help save a lot of money because meat tends to be more expensive. I also felt very healthy doing this campaign. This campaign also encouraged me to increase my diet of plant-based food.

     During my meatless Monday, I have tried and learned about different types of food and ways to prepare/cook it. I know some of the students made some wonderful dishes in their blog. One of the dishes I never tried was couscous (ate this during our field trip) and I began looking up recipes for it. I made couscous with garlic, onion, tomatoes, and tofu. I made some for my friend who also never had couscous before and he loved it. Another food that was new to me was bulgur wheat on Daniel’s blog. I was so interested that I did a lot of research on the health benefits of it and some recipes. Found out that bulgur wheat is 100 percent whole wheat, which makes it faster to cook. It is a good source of fiber, protein, and iron. This meatless Monday is a great way to learn so many healthy recipes and food.

     Overall, I think everyone should participate in the meatless Monday campaign for a couple of weeks. I know its hard, but there are many benefits to it. A tip I would give to future classes applying this meatless Monday public health campaign is to plan your meal before your start. When you plan your meal you know what to eat ahead of time. Meal planning is a great way to help give you more time, save money, and makes cooking easier because you know what your cooking, Another tip is to just stay motivate about it because that is what keeps you to continue your goal. I enjoy this campaign very much and plan on eating less meat.