The one day of the week to steer clear of meat

IT'S Meat Free Monday - why not get behind this global health campaign and kick your week off with something other than those bangers on the barbie.

Meat Free

IT'S Meat Free Monday - why not join the global push to eat less meat and kick your week off with something other than those boring bangers on the barbie.

Today, Aussies are being urged to get behind this environmental and health campaign by taking one day a week off meat.

The new Australian Meat Free Mondays campaign is being fronted by nutritionist Rosemary Stanton, TV chef Janella Purcell and environmentalist Jon Dee and launched by the Do Something! charity and Fry's Family Foundation.

The aim is to improve participant’s health by educating Aussies about the endless health and environmental benefits of cutting down on meat.

"The amount of meat we consume now is unsustainable in the long term", Emily Burgess (Accredited Practising Dietician) tells news.com.au.

It's no secret that Aussies love their meat, but a recent National Nutritional survey indicates that many Australians consume almost double the daily recommended 90g of meat, with men eating 200g and women eating 116g a day on average.

Further, a recent study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed that less than 1 in 10 Australians aged 12 and over eat a sufficient amount of vegies on a regular basis.

Cutting down on the amount of red meat in your diet will lower your risk of obesity, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Plant-based dishes are also rich in disease-fighting nutrients and beneficial fibres protecting us from illness.

And if that isn’t enough to deter you from firing up the BBQ and slapping that sirloin on, then try this one on for size:

"The water needs of livestock are far higher than those of vegetables or grains," Do Something! founder Jon Dee explains.

"People are not aware that producing 1kg of beef can take thousands of litres of water. By reducing our meat consumption we can reduce our environmental impact", he adds.

The push for Aussies to go meat free isn't about encouraging everyone to become vegetarian or vegan, but rather about raising awareness of Australia's meat intake.

On a global scale, Meat Free Mondays currently runs in over 20 countries, including America, England, South Africa, Canada, Japan, Brazil, France and Spain. Los Angeles is the latest city to get behind the pro-vego plan, with the council announcing that they would support the campaign to make all future Mondays meat free.

A number of celebs have thrown their support behind the project, including Oprah Winfrey, Chris Martin and Sir Richard Branson.

Need some inspiration for all-vege meals? Try these.