Whether or not you are involved about your carbon footprint, your well being or rising meals prices, there are many causes to eat much less meat. However going full-time vegetarian (or vegan) can appear inconceivable to those that benefit from the occasional meaty meal.
It isn’t only a love of meat which make it troublesome. Different components, corresponding to cooking for members of the family, considerations about diet (getting sufficient protein, for instance) and an absence of inspiration in the case of cooking veggie, could make it troublesome to vary the consuming habits of a lifetime.
The excellent news is that chopping down your meat consumption, moderately than chopping it out utterly, can nonetheless make a giant distinction to your well being and the setting. Now, many extra individuals are following a flexitarian or ‘informal vegetarian’ food regimen, which focuses on upping the quantity of plant-based meals you eat – and lowering the quantity of meat.
Under, you may discover useful recommendations on easy methods to eat much less meat and a complete vary of scrumptious recipes to attempt. Wish to dig deeper? Learn our information to a balanced vegetarian food regimen, our record of 20 high-protein meals and the well being advantages of of being vegetarian.
Why do you have to take into account consuming much less meat?
Chopping down the quantity of meat you eat has numerous well being advantages. It minimises the quantity of saturated fats you eat, which reduces your danger of coronary heart illness, hypertension and a few cancers. Swapping the meat or rooster in your meals with legumes and greens may additionally prevent cash by slashing the price of your weekly meals store. And it reduces your carbon footprint – so not solely is consuming much less meat higher to your well being, it is higher for the planet too.
Learn how to eat much less meat
1) Discover veggie recipes
Gone are the times when a meal wasn’t full with out meat. Now, veggies, pulses, beans and grains are the star of the present in numerous scrumptious dishes. Whether or not you are completely new to the veggie approach of consuming, otherwise you’ve been chopping again on meat for some time, be impressed by our prime veggie recipes. Fill tacos with spicy, smoky black beans, guacamole and vibrant pomegranate salsa. Make a zesty, lighter model of carbonara with mushrooms and courgettes. Simmer squash in a aromatic coconut curry sauce with lentils and spinach.
Try our fast vegetarian recipes for busy weeknights, budget-friendly vegetarian recipes and wholesome veggie concepts. You may even develop your repertoire with some new vegetarian cookbooks, these are a few of our favourites.
2) Stretch the recipe
Make your meat go additional by including rice, lentils, pasta, beans, grains or root greens to a recipe. Bulk out beef chilli with black beans, stretch a pack of sausages to feed the entire household in a cannelloni bake, and switch lamb mince right into a tacky, Greek-style dish that is full of aubergine and macaroni.
3) Use meat as a flavour enhancer
Who says meat needs to be the principle occasion? Use small quantities of ham, bacon, chorizo and different strongly flavoured meats to carry out the flavours of your dish – whereas permitting the opposite elements to shine. Fry slices of salty prosciutto till crisp to prime pea and mint soup. Wrap croutons with pancetta and dunk into creamy carrot soup. Use a small quantity of chorizo so as to add spicy heat to our summery sweetcorn and orzo stew.
4) Create a meal plan for the week
By planning what you may eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner all through the week, you may have extra likelihood of success and be extra prone to follow a flexitarian food regimen, even while you’re busy or hungry. Take into account maintaining the identical days or meals meat-free each week. Pay attention to sell-by dates; by utilizing your meal plan you can also make positive not one of the meat you purchase goes to waste.
Should you want some steerage on easy methods to do it, try our simple 7-day household meal plan and our Wholesome Food regimen Plan – we have now vegetarian and vegan choices obtainable.
5) Be versatile along with your cooking
Select recipes that may be tailored relying on whether or not you’ve got deliberate for a meat-eating day or meal, or a veggie one. Our simple katsu curry might be made with rooster or agency tofu. Grasp the scrumptious, aromatic sauce and you’ll whip this up with both protein any evening of the week. Or attempt our baked eggs with spinach, ricotta, basil and elective chorizo.
6) Select higher high quality meat
In case your finances permits it, purchase higher high quality meat and plan to make use of all of it throughout two or three recipes. Should you’re forking out on an natural rooster, for instance, break it down into thighs, breasts and wings earlier than cooking, then use the bones and carcass to make a unbelievable gravy or inventory. We love easy dishes like this one-pan piri piri rooster dinner with potatoes, peppers and tomatoes. Or roast a complete rooster and profit from each morsel, utilizing the meat in pies, curries, noodle dishes, stews, and salads.
7) Go for eggs
Like meat, eggs are a wealthy supply of protein – in addition to many different essential nutritional vitamins and minerals. Give your self a nutritious enhance by making eggs the main target, they work notably properly in our creamy egg curry, saag paneer kedgeree and veg-packed noodle and egg bowl.
8) Use meat alternate options
From tofu, tempeh and soya to wholegrains, nuts and pulses, the choices for meat alternate options are countless. Grocery store cabinets are lined with scrumptious choices, all at various prices. All it’s good to do is work out which of them you take pleasure in cooking with and consuming. Strive our healthful vegan lentil shepherd’s pie, meat-free bolognese made with veggie mince and scrumptious vegan smoked tofu and cashew nut burger.
9) Get snug with vegan cooking
There’s a complete world of vegan meals so that you can take pleasure in. Why not set your self the problem of going meat and dairy-free a few times every week? The important thing to deliciousness is utilizing intelligent elements, like miso, and daring spices to ramp up the flavour – like we do in our simple vegan ramen.
10) Use greens with a ‘meaty’ high quality
Mushrooms and aubergines can have an identical style and texture to meat. Shiitake mushrooms present a ‘meatiness’ in our wholesome vegetarian stir-fry and Portabello mushrooms do the identical in these Japanese-style noodles. In the meantime, aubergine replaces mince on this spicy veggie bake stuffed with olives, lentils and goat’s cheese.
Hungry for extra? Strive…
Learn our balanced food regimen guides
21 intelligent methods to economize
Low-cost cuts: easy methods to get probably the most from meat
How a lot meat is fit for human consumption?
Wholesome meal prep concepts
Do you’ve got one other tip for consuming much less meat? Inform us within the feedback beneath…
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