Are you jumping on the bandwagon?

I was trying to hunt down an inspiring Meat on Mondays video or article, but apparently there aren't any to be found. Instead, I found tons of Meatless Monday campaign videos.
We have all heard the rumors of Meatless Mondays but the national craze seems to be gaining momentum. Oprah’s Harpo Studios will be offering Meatless Monday meal and Oprah has encouraged her audiences to go meatless… on Mondays. Oprah’s cohort Michael Pollan also supports the movement as a way to cut back meat for personal and planetary health.

“Harpo Productions, which produces The Oprah Winfrey Show, has decided to embrace Meatless Mondays at the Harpo Cafe. ‘You have to decide what’s right for you and for your family,’ says Oprah. ‘Half the battle is just being aware of where your food comes from and how it makes you feel,” states a quote on Mother Nature Network.
I can say that a good Porterhouse steak makes me feel really happy. I know were it comes from and that it was processed in a USDA processing facility. I know that it was raised in a humane way spending his day in the pastures with grass under his feet and sun on his face.
So what is the point of Meatless Mondays anyways, besides participating in the growing trend of hurting producers locally and nationally?
This comes straight from meatlessmondays.com:

Health Benefits

• LIMIT CANCER RISK: Hundreds of studies suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer risk. Both red and processed meat consumption are associated with colon cancer.

There is no need to cut out meat to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat. Why not just have both? I am not saying that cancer is not a serious problem but cutting back on meat is not the answer. The best we can do is eat healthy a healthy diet and exercise regular.

• REDUCE HEART DISEASE: Recent data from a Harvard University study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (for example, meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (for example, vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%

• FIGHT DIABETES: Research suggests that higher consumption of red and processed meat increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• CURB OBESITY: People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. A recent study from Imperial College London also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain.
• LIVE LONGER: Red and processed meat consumption is associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.
• IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat. 

Do people realize that maybe it is the portion size that might be packing on those extra pounds and not the meat itself? Have you ever seen a 3oz. steak at a restaurant? Did you know that a serving of beef is 3.5oz. and not 8, 12, or even 16oz. This about that the next time you order your 12oz. prime rib and realize that you are eating 3 times the serving size.

Environmental Benefits

• REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide . . . far more than transportation. And annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend.
• MINIMIZE WATER USAGE. The water needs of livestock are tremendous, far above those of vegetables or grains. An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. Soy tofu produced in California requires 220 gallons of water per pound.

 Is the solution not to hydrate our cattle? Producers are taking measures to limit their water usage by 7.5 percent. Regardless, I think that in comparison to other water usage levels this number is minimal. Leaking toilets are even more of a culprit. It is estimated a leaking toilet can used as much as 90,000 gallons of water in a month.
Farmers have doubled the food supply on 25% less acreage.
My thoughts...
Eat meat. It gives you lots of good nutrients and protein. Don't jump on the "Meatless Monday" bandwagon without doing the research for yourself and coming to your own conclusion. If you are not eating meat because you are unsure of how the animal was raised or treated, buy local and talk to the farmer that raises the animals. They might even invite you to their farm for you to witness for yourself that the animals are raised in a humane and clean way.