20 ways to eat less meat

There’s every reason to reduce the amount of meat we consume—it’s better for the environment, for the animals themselves, and also for our own health and finances. However, it’s not always easy to change our habits, particularly those that are firmly ingrained in our culture and our lifestyle. Here are some tips to help you cut down on the amount of meat in your diet.




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Go gradually

If you eat meat every single day, it would be a challenge to transform from carnivore to vegan overnight. Make it easier for yourself by gradually reducing the amount of meat you consume.




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Watch your wallet

If the environmental or animal-welfare arguments aren’t really convincing you to reduce your meat consumption, think about the more selfish advantages to be gained from changing your eating habits. For example, the prices of vegetable sources of protein are often much lower than that of meat.




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Replace one meal a week

Why not start with Meatless Mondays? By getting on board with this global movement, you’ll start discovering new veggie recipes without feeling too much like you’re depriving yourself.




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Stop buying meat

Many of us don’t want to go totally veggie for fear it might make us awkward houseguests, or because we don’t want to find our options limited when eating in restaurants. No longer eating meat at home is a good start if you want to cut down. If you stop buying meat when you shop, you’ll stop cooking with it—but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat it from time to time, at friends’ houses or when eating out.




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Make sure you’re getting your protein

You’ll only set yourself up for failure if you fail to ensure that you get your protein elsewhere, as it’s protein that keeps you feeling full until your next meal. Protein is present in foods like eggs, cheese, nuts, pulses, tofu and whole grains such as rice, quinoa or pasta.




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Unlock the power of pulses

Pulses are a real superfood, containing fibre and protein. They feature, in one form or another, in almost all of the world’s cultures—if you don’t like chickpeas, why not try broad beans, lentils or edamame?




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Learn to love tofu

The first thing you’ll be told when you admit that you don’t really like tofu is that you’re not cooking it properly. It’s true that tofu can be made tasty by marinating it for hours in soy sauce or other condiments, although it’s probably best if we all accept the hard truth that tofu tastes like nothing. But that’s no big deal! There are heaps of bland foods that have held special places in our hearts for centuries—mozzarella, cucumber and oats to name but a few. Even meat, if not properly seasoned, doesn’t really taste of all that much…




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Discover General Tso tofu

This might be the best way of eating tofu ever invented. It’s not much healthier than the chicken dish of the same name, but it will make you see tofu in a whole new light. So crispy!




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Broaden your horizons

To enjoy a vegetarian diet, you need to force yourself out of your comfort zone. There’s a world of options to explore if only you open yourself up to it. You must be bored of steak and potatoes by now, surely?




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Eat in a vegetarian restaurant

To find inspiration, why not visit a local vegetarian restaurant where you can discover how to be creative with vegetables and veggie proteins?




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Find recipes online

Meat-free cooking is a skill that has to be learnt, but luckily there is a wealth of online resources to help you on your way. You’ll learn new recipes for exciting dishes to add to your weekly repertoire, but also a whole new way of life.




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Take inspiration from other cultures

Many cultures have traditionally relied on a plant-based diet. Think Mexican cuisine, for example, which uses a lot of beans, whether kidney, pinto or black, or Indian cookery which uses a lot of lentils, and Asian food and its use of tofu.




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Find what works for you

You’re bound to try lots of recipes that just don’t suit you, but through this experimentation you’ll find out what works for you—what you like and what you don’t. After a while, you’ll adopt the recipes that pass your test, and these will become part of your regular menu.




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The sacred Bolognese

There are some classics that you can keep almost as they are. Spaghetti Bolognese, for example, can be turned into a veggie classic simply by switching minced beef for meat-free mince that can be bought from most good supermarkets. Your taste buds won’t know the difference!




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Sign up for an organic veg box delivery

Organic vegetable boxes are an excellent way of supporting local producers, but are also a great way for you to discover new recipes using vegetables that you wouldn’t typically buy. Meal kits are also a good option as they often offer several vegetarian options that might help you discover new dishes, although watch out for excessive packaging.




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Adopt an old religious tradition

It is a widespread Christian tradition to eat fish on Friday in memory of the crucifixion of Jesus. This tradition of “fish Fridays” has landed fish a bad reputation, making eating fish feel like a sacrifice. However, there’s nothing to stop you adopting this religious tradition of eating fish at least once a week—no need for it to be Friday—simply because fish tastes great and it’s one fewer meal containing meat.




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Quality over quantity

Supermarkets often have enticing deals on large packets of poor-quality meat, encouraging you to focus on quantity over quality. If you put quality first and buy less, you might even be able to afford to buy organic.




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Keep it simple

The internet is a minefield of complicated vegetarian recipes, using obscure ingredients prepared in excessively complex ways, which runs the risk of putting you off meat-free cooking for life. But it is possible to keep things simple. For example, rather than creating complex veggie burgers with 10 different types of nut and grain, fry or grill a slice of tofu and then put it in a bun with all of your usual condiments—it should still be pretty tasty.




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Make positive changes

It might simply not be possible for you to totally cut meat out of your diet, but you could at least eat meat in the healthiest way possible. When cooking with meat, use lean meats such as turkey and avoid red meat such as beef. Also limit your consumption of cold cuts that contain high levels of preservatives and salt.




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Don’t overthink it

You’re probably already regularly eating veggie meals without even thinking about it—pasta with pesto, macaroni and cheese, nachos, a bean burrito, a pizza Margarita. Don’t be put off by the term ‘vegetarian’—it’s something you do naturally anyway. It’s the overthinking of it that makes it complicated!




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