Plant-Curious? 10 Suggestions To Reduce Meat Consumption
When exploring plant-based diets, many can seem intimidating, restrictive, or overall intense. However, eating predominately plant-based is not an all-or-nothing ultimatum, but a way of life that should be customized to your needs. Reducing overall meat consumption can be especially beneficial for those with obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, lipid disorders, and cardiovascular disease. Research shows that prioritizing plant-based foods can be a cost-effective intervention that aids in weight loss, lowering blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and A1C levels.
What Does Plant-Based Really Mean?
Plant-based eating focus on foods that come from plants. This means that your eating choices emphasize fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It is not the same as vegetarian or vegan because you can still choose to eat meat and dairy; the difference is that you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources than animal sources. About 2/3 of each plate of food (or meal) emphasizes plants should be on plants.
10 Suggestions For The Plant-Curious
If you are feeling plant-curious and not exactly sure where to begin, here are 10 simple steps than can set you up for success in reducing your meat consumption:
Be Realistic and Start Small: As stated above, it’s not an all-or-nothing mentality. There may be some foods you just won’t give up, and that’s ok! Know your must-haves and plan from there. And, by starting out picking one or two of the tips below, you’re already making progress.
Prioritize Vegetables: Make a habit to immediately fill half your plate with vegetables at lunch and dinner. The more colorful, the better!
Auto-Buy Your Groceries: Similarly to #2, when you do your grocery shopping, make it a habit to fill your cart with fresh fruits and vegetables (or frozen). It doesn’t have to break the bank. Check out my previous post on 5 budget friendly ways to eat more plant-based foods.
Plan the Meal around the Plant: Instead of starting with what meat you’ll serve and adding foods around it, plan your meal from the opposite approach. What will your dish be? Then, think of meat (if desired) to be more of the “garnish.” Examples include:
Find Quick Swaps: If you automatically buy dairy milk or deli meat, experiment with an alternative. Even if you end up sticking with your old routine, what’s the harm in trying it? There are many new, tasty options out there and you might get hooked! Examples include:
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (My Favorite! Thicker than dairy milk making it a great creamer for just 30 calories a cup)
Low Sodium Vegetable Broth For Cooking
Make A Family Date Night: by cooking a vegetarian meal at least one night a week. You can agree as a family which dish and choose together! I love vegetariantimes.com because of their abundance of options. There’s something for everyone!
Host A “Meatless Meal” Night: Everything is more enjoyable with company! Engage your social network with a meatless meal. Maybe even add game night! This is a great way to encourage others around you to get plant-curious. You can provide dinner or suggest a “potluck” with everyone contributing a meatless dish to try.
Try Going Halfsies: When making a recipe with ground meat, try swapping half of it with chopped mushrooms or beans.
Consider Gradual Elimination: If you’re a fan of all meats and don’t envision meals without some form of them, try cutting out on red meat first. See how things go focusing on chicken and fish.
Establish A Tracking Method: On your phone, on the fridge calendar, in your planner… decide how you will plan and track your progress. For example, if you want to start with one dinner this week meat-free, put that date and dish in your calendar to remind yourself and hold yourself accountable. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of ticking items off of your to-do list!
Any tips to add? Comment Below!
Questions about or interested in discussing your meat consumption? Contact me here to schedule a time to discuss your needs and progress.