The research is clear, a diet that includes large amounts of meat is damaging for your health and the planet. This doesn’t mean everyone needs to turn vegetarian overnight but it does mean we should all make a conscious decision to reduce the level of meat in our diets. If you’re not quite sure where to begin then try taking on our five simple approaches to reducing your meat and dairy consumption…
- Load up on fruit and veg
Lots of people consider meat the main event of any meal but challenge this by aiming to have meat as the side dish on your plate or a treat which you only have occasionally. Check out our ‘Greek Pasta Chicken Salad’ as an example of this ratio.
2. Enjoy the meals you love
While beans and lentils may have an incredibly low environmental impact, it doesn’t mean you have to eat them if you don’t like them! Try recreating your all-time favourite meals just as we have done with our ‘Seitan Katsu Curry’. This way you’ll be less likely to miss your old diet.
3.Start Small
Any habits are hard to break and your diet isn’t any different! Start by setting yourself a goal to try one new vegetarian recipe each week. Alternatively, you could try swapping half the meat in recipes with lentils, grains and vegetables.
4. Plan Ahead
Due to the way we live in the UK, it is convenient to consume animal products on a daily basis. Planning your meals will ensure you don’t reach for impulse meat and dairy products and it will save you money too! If you don’t have time to do this then let us meal prep for you by ordering a meal pack of our vegetarian meals.
5. Be realistic
In an ideal world, we would all eat a plate full of fresh fruit and vegetables every mealtime but this just isn’t always realistic. Acai bowls are great but a slice of toast is perfectly okay too!
Overall, it is clear you don’t have to take an all-or-nothing approach to changing your diet. If everyone reduced their meat consumption then we would see major positive impacts on the environment and our health.
Good luck and let us know how you get on via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!