Meatless Monday is a movement that focuses on skipping meat in your meals once a week, and it shows a positive change in many people’s diets and lifestyles.  There are so many benefits to not eating meat, whether it’s a healthier lifestyle for yourself, or eating greener for the planet.  Some Prep students have been vegetarians or vegans their entire lives, and some have decided to try something new to become healthier.

Senior Eva Guarda Vazquez has been a vegetarian for as long as she can remember.  Her mom cooks vegetarian and sometimes even vegan meals for the entire family.  She believes that her diet without meat has made her more energetic and has brought her healthy eating habits.  Guarda Vazquez, ’21, has the utmost confidence that eating less meat some way or another is a positive thing for humans and the environment.  Her one piece of advice to meat eaters is: “even going one day without meat helps lessen your carbon footprint, so don’t stress about trying to be 100% meat free at the start!”

Ave Kitiona, ’22, has chosen the vegetarian lifestyle as well and hasn’t looked back.  Deciding to be a vegetarian in eighth grade, she made her choice after hearing about the effects that eating animals had on the environment.  By eating a lot less meat (she eats chicken and fish sometimes, though), her “mood improves and [she] feels a lot better about the things going into [her] body.”

Someone who does eat meat, yet has tried veganism, is Jake Hanley, ’21.  As a swimmer, Hanley tried being vegan for a week to improve his lifestyle and become healthier.  He found that the hardest thing was not eating dairy, rather than meat.  At the beginning of the week, Hanley found himself feeling great, but by the end, he was exhausted and not getting enough calories, so he chose to stop.  Hanley explains, “If I wasn’t swimming, I would do it again, maybe weekdays without meat products, and weekends I could eat whatever I wanted.”

There are obvious benefits to eating a meat-free lifestyle, yet it will bring anyone challenges, no doubt.  Eating less meat, whether it’s once a week, or every day, can make people feel better and live better. This lifestyle may not be for everyone, but it’s worth a try for the health of our bodies, and for the impact on this Earth.