Meatless Mondays aim to promote plant-based meals

Local animal advocacy groups are hoping to encourage people to eat more plant-based meals, even if it's only once a week.

Michiana Meatless Mondays started in September. The initiative is a collaboration between Vegan Michiana and six animal welfare groups.

Their mission is to promote eating vegetarian so people can ease their reliance on animal food products. So, they've been teaming up with area restaurants one Monday each month to add some new options for folks to try.

On Monday, Jan. 7, that place was Chicory Cafe in South Bend, and manager Andrew Schreiber said going out to eat shouldn't be a challenge for someone who wants to remain plant-based.

"These are things that, when you go out to eat, not a lot of options are out there," Schreiber said. "A lot of places will have a single vegan or a couple vegetarian items. They aren't really noted or marked as such, so it can be difficult for people with dietary restrictions or vegetarians or vegans to really go out and enjoy that meal."

The group also said as the campaign progresses, they hope to offer cooking classes to help people learn about all the yummy vegan options.