An online survey carried out by FGI Research in the US asked people what effect joining MFM’s sister campaign, Meatless Monday, had on their dietary habits.
Of 1,005 people polled in July, 73 per cent said they ate more vegetables since going meat-free on a Monday, 64 per cent ate more fruit, 47 per cent ate more whole grains and 42 per cent ate more beans.
Fifty per cent of people said they experiment with new vegetarian recipes at home and 42 per cent were more adventurous in terms of trying veggie meals at restaurants.
Sid Lerner, chairman and founder of The Monday Campaigns – the US movement that dedicates the first day of every week to health, including Meatless Monday – said “the simple goal of cutting back on meat and saturated fat” had along the way morphed into a way to encourage people to eat healthier meat-free meals.
The findings will be presented at the forthcoming Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food & Nutrition Conference in Philadelphia.