Meaty Mondays

   The phrase “Meatless Monday” is spreading through social and news media lately, and rather than remaining a personal preference is creeping into legislation.  Recently, the San Diego Unified School District Board voted to bring Meatless Mondays to its elementary school lunchrooms.  One board trustee reportedly said the board’s job “is to improve our students’ prospects for a healthy, happy and successful life.  …Learning how to make good food choices is an essential component” (CBS 8, 2013).  However, whether children experiencing at least one meat-free school lunch will establish and enforce healthy ideas about food and nutrition remains uncertain.  And is this fear-mongering about meat actually inspired by hard evidence that meat is “bad” for human health?  Let’s take a closer look at the value of meat in a well-balanced diet.

   In the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, Americans are encouraged to embrace three major ideas concerning their health: 

1)      Balance calories with physical activity to manage weight. 

2)      Consume more of certain foods and nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood. 

3)      Consume fewer foods with sodium (salt), saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and refined grains. (USDA and USDHHS, 2010)

   Nowhere within the Guidelines is “Meatless Monday” found, and, in fact, “seafood, lean meats and poultry” are mentioned among the nutrient-dense foods Americans are encouraged to eat.  Protein sources are suggested to be varied, and may come in the form of “seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds” (USDA and USDHHS, 2010).  However, protein sources vary in the nutrients they contain.  While some may be high in protein, they might also be high in fat, sugar, or sodium.  The following table presents the nutrient data of several entrees that may be served for lunch at elementary schools.  All data are from the “What’s In the Foods You Eat Search Tool” powered by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA, 2013).  All entrees highlighted yellow may be served for Meatless Mondays as long as fish and eggs are not considered “meat.”

Food	Calories	Protein (g)	Total Fat (g)	Carbohydrate (g)	Sugars (g)	Iron (mg)	Sodium (mg)
3.5 oz hamburger patty	180	14	13.32	0	0	1.48	47
3 oz. skinless chicken breast, roasted, broiled, or baked	119	22.35	2.83	0	0	0.36	466
4 chicken nuggets	189	9.56	12	11	0.57	0.56	383
1 cup beef stew with potatoes and vegetables, tomato-based sauce	207	16.68	5.85	21.5	2.49	2.49	554
Low-fat beef hot dog, no bun	134	7.28	11.22	0.97	0	0.7	600
Vegetarian burger/patty; no bun	124	11	4.41	10	0.75	1.69	398
Grilled cheese sandwich	282	9.45	14.64	28.04	4.31	2.12	669
2.5" x 4" slice meatless lasagna	334	17.62	10	43.56	6.74	2.72	804
Fish sandwich, on bun, with spread	360	13.16	13.48	45.54	6	2.73	675
1 cup black bean soup	114	6	1.63	19.04	3.06	1.85	1203
1 cup red beans and rice	284	7.8	11.16	38.57	3	2.26	645
1 enchilada with beans and cheese	231	9.05	11.53	24.44	2.58	1.53	379
2 scrambled eggs	159	13.65	10.16	2.22	1.94	1.77	313
Tuna salad sandwich	290	19.67	7.06	36.52	8.57	3.01	686
Peanut butter sandwich	337	12.95	16.14	37.4	5.88	2.86	447

   
   From these comparisons, we see that protein sources contribute different levels of fat, protein, carbohydrate, iron, and other nutrients to the human diet.  Despite its negative reputation as a processed meat, the low-fat beef hot dog contains half the amount of sodium as a cup of black bean soup.  Beef stew trumps a bean and cheese enchilada for protein and iron levels.  And the classic hamburger patty has fewer calories, more protein, and less fat than a grilled cheese sandwich.  Granted, the nutrient data presented here may be improved by using whole grain bread for sandwiches and including vegetables in the scrambled eggs, but the point is to show how a lack of meat does not necessarily make a food the better choice for human health. 

   Children are impressionable.  Hearing the phrase “Meatless Monday” may prompt them to see meat as something to be avoided instead of incorporated into a well-balanced diet.  Why not teach children, and adults, more about meat composition rather than generalize meat as “a bad thing”?  Meats come from many animals, are cut or processed in a multitude of ways, and can be cooked and prepared through limitless means.  Perhaps instead of unjustly blaming meat as the root for so many health concerns, we can concentrate on what really affects health: overloads of saturated fats and sodium, and deficiencies of vitamins and fiber, for examples. “High Fiber Friday” may not have the same ring as “Meatless Monday,” but the focus on nutrients is more beneficial than the exclusion of an entire food group.

References

CBS 8.  (2013, June 5).  San Diego school board approves “Meatless Monday” lunches.  Retrieved from http://www.cbs8.com/story/22504828/san-diego-school-board-approves-meatless-monday-lunches.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  (2010, December).  Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, 7^th Edition.  Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.  (2013, May).  What’s in the Foods You Eat Search Tool, 5.0.  Retrieved from http://reedir.arsnet.usda.gov/codesearchwebapp/(nypr1cqxfmt1zf45anr2sm55)/codesearch.aspx.