Dear Editor:

Lent, the 40-day period preceding Easter when Catholics and other Christians would abstain from meat and dairy products in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fast and prayer before dying on the cross. Most Catholics still observe meatless Fridays during Lent . Today, meatless Lent brings the additional benefits of reducing chronic diseases, environmental degradation, and animal abuse. Those needing additional reinforcement can look forward to the end of March, and the Great American Meatout. Now in its 27th year, Meatout has grown into the world’s largest annual grassroots diet education campaign, with a thousand educational events in all 50 states and 32 countries
Several years ago, a local Meatout information table turned me onto a healthful, nonviolent diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains. Folks who don’t make it to a Meatout event can subscribe to a free colorful weekly "Meatout Mondays" e-newsletter containing a recipe, book or product review, health news, and inspirational story (www.MeatoutMondays.org).