Simple tips to help you eat less meat

We all know that eating less meat is good for our health and the planet, but I understand that not everyone has the time or family support to go fully vegan. 

If you are willing to try to eat less meat but don’t know where to start, I have prepared straightforward tips on reducing meat consumption without much effort. 

Reducing meat consumption is building a new healthy habit that compounds over time. 

The strategy that helped me the most was thinking about not what I eat less but what I need to eat more. Eating less meat is not about depriving ourselves of the best-tasting comfort food. It is more about experimenting with plant-based food and gradually adding more fibre to our diet. If you eat more vegetables, fruit, berries, legumes, nuts and seeds, you will have less space in your belly for meat. 

I broke down the strategy into five components to help you reduce meat consumption day to day: 

1. Buy less meat:

• Buy plant protein sources first and shop for meat last. 
• Pick a new plant-based ingredient you have never cooked with each week. It can be a new vegetable, legume pasta, tofu, seitan, miso paste, etc. 
• Choose quality rather than quantity, shop at the butchers rather than the supermarket, and allocate the same budget as usual for meat, but opt for a smaller amount of good-quality meat rather than a big amount of low-quality meat. 
• Swap beef gravy for onion gravy and beef or chicken stock for vegetable stock. 
• Introduce new plant-based protein sources each week ( tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, lentils, chickpeas) 

You can find some tips on eating plants based on a budget here. 

2. Cook less meat:

• Add plant protein to your animal protein. Start gradually, reach a 50/50 ratio, and eventually replace the meat with plant protein. 
  • Add lentils to your bolognese souse or burgers. 
  • Add more beans than meat to your chilli con carne 
  • Mix in soja chunks with your meat mice or stew
  • Add chickpeas to your chicken curry.
• Make one day of the week a meatless day. Extend this to more days as you get used to cooking more plant-based foods. 
• Marinate plant proteins like tofu the same way you prepare the meat. 
• Mushrooms have a meaty texture, especially when fried; experiment with different kinds of mushrooms, from Portobello and Shiitake to Lions Maine.
• Make vegetables your main star and the meat a side dish. 

3. When eating out 

• Order a vegetable starter if you are still waiting for a vegan main dish.
• Instead of going for pepperoni pizza, order a pizza that contains meat and vegetables.
• Indian restaurants have many great vegan options, from lentil dall to chickpea curries, which are so delicious. 
• Try going to vegan restaurants or coffee shops to discover new vegan, tasty foods.  
• If you are with a partner, order one meat and one vegan dish and share both. This way, you both will get some meat and try something new.  

4. Snack less meat:  

• Choose gummies without gelatin, as they are made from animal bones, cartilage, and skin. So choose a Percy Pig without a pig in it. Gelatin is also used for jellies and marshmallows, so look out for a vegan symbol. 
• Choose crisps in natural flavours: just salt and oil, salt and vinegar. You will not only avoid meat but also synthetic flavourings. 
• Stock up on nutritious vegan snacks like nuts and hummus. 

5. Find inspiration and stay motivated 

• Spend more time with animals and in nature. The more you spend time with animals, the less you want to eat them. 
• Watch plant-based documentaries; here are some recommendations 
• Follow cool plant-based influencers on social media for recipe inspiration
• Speak to your plant-based friends or colleagues
• Educate yourself about the health benefits of Plant-based food. 
• Join plant-based communities online.

When trying to eat less meat, I recommend avoiding plant-based meat substitutes like meatless burgers and sausages unless you eat them occasionally and read the labels. Most of them contain additives like stabilisers, sugars, and colourings. 

These tips can help you reduce meat consumption and start living a healthier life. The key is to remember that it is not about all or nothing but trying to do your best. Enjoying tasting new foods, experimenting with new flavours, feeling health benefits of eating more  plant based. 

Want to reduce your dairy and egg consumption? You can read: SIMPLE TIPS TO HELP YOU EAT LESS DAIRY AND EGGS

Need some tips on how to eat more healthily? Read 50 EASY FOOD SWAP IDEAS FOR HEALTHIER EATING.