Meatout - For Food Editors

Also
in This Section:
Recipes
(Plant-based Diets Defined, Ingredients and Substitutes Explained, Meatout Menu, Sample Recipes, and Recipe Links)
Resources
(Links for detailed information on Nutrition, Books, Animal Protection, and more!)
Recent
times have seen some startling
developments in national
dietary trends:
- Obesity is surpassing smoking as top a national health threat.
- The popular Atkins diet craze has been discredited by consumer watchdogs.
- Mad Cow disease has resurfaced in America, devastating the beef industry.
- The vegan food market
has been growing dramatically.
- A survey found that 20% of
teens think vegetarianism is "cool," and 1 in 4 college students wants vegan meals on campus.
- Fast food establishments
are offering veggie burgers
and leaner, healthier options.
- Major food manufacturers
have been marketing more alternatives
to meat and dairy.
- Major supermarkets offer
more alternatives to meat and
dairy.
- Several states have been
recommending meat-free school
lunch options.
- The U.S. had the first ever
vegan presidential candidate
(Dennis Kucinich).
Launched
in the "dietary
dark ages" of the 1980s,
Meatout, observed
on March 20th, has become the
world's largest grassroots diet
education campaign. It has served
as a model for the multimillion-dollar 5
A Day and
other mainstream campaigns advocating
increased consumption of vegetables
and fruits.
Every March,
caring folks in a thousand communities
in all 50 states and two dozen
other countries are welcoming
spring by asking their friends
and neighbors to "kick the
meat habit and explore a wholesome,
nonviolent diet of vegetables,
legumes, fruits, and grains." They
are holding colorful educational
events ranging from information
tables
and exhibits to lectures, public
dinners, cooking demonstrations,
homeless feedings, and elaborate
festivals.
The explosive
growth of Meatout has been due
largely to the support of consumer
advocates, health authorities,
and the mass media. Governors
and large city mayors are issuing Meatout
proclamations. Celebrity
entertainers like Casey Kasem,
Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Jennie
Garth, Bill Maher, Rue McClanahan,
and James Cromwell support
the observance. Hundreds of bus
ads and billboards in major
metropolitan areas carry the
Meatout message. Food editors
are carrying stories on the national
shift to plant-based eating,
providing vegan recipes, and
covering local Meatout events.
For
more information, please contact
us:
info@meatout.org at
1-800-MEATOUT(632-8688)