Increasingly, people have become interested in eating less meat or even going vegetarian. There are many great reasons to start to reduce and even remove meat from your diet entirely. Not only is reducing your meat consumption good for your health, but it's actually good for the planet as well. Producing livestock for the amount of meat that the planet currently consumes is one of the most destructive, non-eco friendly practices in existence today. However, reducing or giving up meat can be challenging. Here are five tips to make it easier!
Start Small
Don't try to give up all meat at once! Phase yourself into it. Start by just practicing Meatless Monday to get used to a day without meat as well as to start to learn to cook without meat. Like anything else, if you try to give up something entirely at first, you'll be challenged to be successful.
Select Easy Vegetarian Recipes
Don't begin by trying to cook the most complicated vegetarian recipes possible. Eating vegetarian can be challenging, so invest in a book of simple vegetarian recipes. There are a number of great cookbooks that featured fully, hot vegetarian meals that can be cooked in thirty minutes or less.
Don't Eat Only Salads
Much like eating meat doesn't mean that you should eat only hamburgers each day, eating vegetarian doesn't mean that you should eat only salad every day. You don't just want to be a vegetarian, you want to be a healthy vegetarian. That means a diversity of diet that extends beyond lettuce and tomatoes.
Research Protein Sources
Without a doubt, the biggest challenge when you give up meat is finding alternative sources of proteins. As we said above, you don't just want to be a vegetarian, you want to be a healthy vegetarian. If you're only giving up meat, consider eggs as a great source of protein. You may also want to consider continuing to eat fish. Alternatively, do the research about the best nuts, soy and other products to supplement your protein.
Find a Message Board and Ask Other Vegetarians
The best advice on going vegetarian can be gained from other vegetarians. Find a good message board or online community and talk to other vegetarians about the best way to go meat free, stay meat free and be healthier (and kinder to the planet).
Even if you don't want to go vegetarian, reducing how much meat you have in your diet will pay off for both your personal health and the health of the planet. Start today by having just one meat-free meal and go from there!
Jocelyn Saurini became a vegetarian because of her desire to go green with her life. Now she not only writes about green living tips, she also writes about how to go vegetarian. She eats meat-free and lives waste-free as much as she can, and she hopes she'll be able to help you do the same.
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