C.J. Braden • 5 Minute Read
Little Ways To Reduce Your Meat Consumption
There are a lot of reasons to try and eat less meat. The ethical quandaries of meat-eating have been much more widely discussed, hence why we’re seeing more vegans and vegetarians. However, there are also economic and health advantages to not eating quite as much meat.
Vegan Buddha Bowl
But how do you make the transition if meat-eating has been a long-standing tradition in your household? My husband and I have narrowed down our meat consumption at dinner to only about 3 nights a week. On the other nights, I like to use meat substitutes or do vegetarian or easy vegan meals.
It wasn’t something we changed overnight, but it took some time. It’s now an easy part of our meal-planning. I get many of my vegetarian meal ideas from cookbooks, blogs, and I make up a lot of my own.
Read on to learn some more easy ways to reduce your meat consumption.
Vegetarian Sushi
Have one day a week where you cut it out entirely
You might not be able to commit to going vegan seven days a week or even every other day just yet. The craving for meat can be pretty strong in some people, to say the least. However, finding some great meatless dinner recipes like a vegan broccoli casserole or vegetarian sushi to make sure that you’re eating filling, hearty delicious meals can make it easier to cut it out for at least one day.
Mashed Potatoes are an easy vegetarian dish! Watch my short 2 1/2 minute video on how to easily make them in an Instant Pot!
Vegetarian Meal Prep Idea
Don’t make the meat the main event
How do you plate your dinners? Meat-eaters tend to put meat front and center and make it the main part of the dish. If you’re making meals that are half-meat, try to instead make them a third-meat or even a quarter-meat, finding vegetables or lower calorie staples, like brown rice, to serve as the bulk of the meal. Leafy greens, such as spinach, are great replacements for overly relying on meat when setting out portion sizes.
Vegan Broccoli Soup
Go meatless for lunches
We all need a little lunch to help refuel us until dinner time. However, how often are you eating meat products for lunch and how often do you really need to? There are plenty of traditional meatless lunches like a nice vegan broccoli soup that can fill that spot before dinner. You can handle the meat cravings for a few extra hours a day and still enjoy a filling, healthy lunch in the meantime.
Vegetable Tempura
Get better at cooking vegetables
Simply put, a lot of us aren’t great at adding flavor to vegetables. It’s not necessarily our fault, many of us are raised and taught to cook in households and environments where meat is the main part of the dish.
Just look at some of the inventive ways to cook cauliflower, for instance, instead of simply boiling it. Season it, roast it, air fry it, make it with different herbs that change the flavor and you can become glad to make veggies play a much bigger role on your plate.
Vegan burger
Stop being afraid of meat substitutes
Trying making “fake” meat burgers, using replacement sausages, or a mushroom mince. There are plenty of great tasty meat substitutes that go really well into things like hot pots, bolognese dishes, and much more. Try them out once in a while. They will never have a one-to-one taste comparison, but you will quickly find they are delicious and filling in their own right.
I love making my meatless Shepherd’s Pie recipe. And my meat-loving family and friends LOVE it too.
Beet-based veggie burger
The reality is that cutting down your meat consumption is not as much of a challenge as it’s often made out to be. Once you find the meat-free meals that you enjoy, combating those cravings becomes a lot easier.
C.J. Braden is a regular contributor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Little Ways to Get Back To You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.
This is a sponsored article. All opinions and ideas expressed in this post, however, are based on my personal point of view.