High meat consumption negatively impacts human and planetary health.  Specifically, high consumption of animal products, like red and processed meat, is linked to health risks, including obesity,  hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and others.  Eliminating meat one day per week is a possible first step to shifting longstanding dietary habits. Meatless Monday (MM) was established in 2003 in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, which encourages the elimination of dietary meat one day per week.  This presentation will focus on simple meat reduction strategies and how MM has been used in our dining operations with Johns Hopkins University.

Webinar Guest Speaker: Daphene Altema-Johnson, MBA, MPH, RDN, LD

Ms. Altema-Johnson completed her BS in Nutrition and Fitness at Florida State University, followed by an MPH in Health Policy at George Washington University. After working in academia and public service for 15 years, Ms. Altema-Johnson changed her career direction to focus on solutions to diet-related illnesses among vulnerable and low-income populations. As a sustainability proponent, she seeks to answer the question of how we can make better food choices that positively impact health outcomes and the environment. She obtained a second bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado before going on to work in the Food Communities and Public Health Program at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. At the Center, Daphene uses her expertise and experience as a dietitian to support the Meatless Monday campaign. She’s especially interested in reaching young people with wellness messages through school programs and community outreach to effect generational change. “Get them started early,” is one of her guiding principles. In January 2021, she was appointed member of the Maryland Food System Resiliency Council. Additionally, she serves as adjunct faculty in the Department of Nutrition Science at Howard University's College of Nursing and Allied Health.