On more than 100 college campuses in several countries, dining halls have taken meat off the menu.

Well, at least for one day of the week.

All the dining halls at the University of Minnesota offer vegan and vegetarian dishes, but the Meatless Monday movement is a new step forward. I propose that University Dining Services should accept Meatless Mondays in some, if not all, of its dining halls.

Decreasing the amount of meat in your diet not only reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke and obesity, but it also reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from cattle.

We can replace high protein in meats with beans and peas, which are also higher in nutrients like fiber, magnesium and iron than most meat entrees.

When I ate in the dining halls, I had several friends who did not eat meat. I remember they had a hard time finding a variety of nutritious meat-free entrees. They regularly substituted meat dishes with tofu, veggie burgers and meatless pastas.

I’ve never been a vegetarian, a vegan or any other type of person who has tried to limit the meat intake in their diet. I love chicken, turkey, beef, veal and whatever hot dogs are made from.

I don’t plan to change that.

However, I do recognize that excessive meat consumption has detrimental effects on my health and the planet. Is one day without meat really that great of a sacrifice? Perhaps the University could bring in outside consultants to design veggie dishes that appeal even to the devout meat eater’s palate.