5-Step Guide to Eating Less Meat and Revolutionize Your Health!

1. Focus on Filling Veggies

First, go for really meaty veggies. This isn’t a joke; I promise they exist. Mushrooms, artichokes, and even roasted broccoli and cauliflower add bulk to your meals and provide protein, fiber, and 100 percent satisfaction. Make pizzas with them, roast them put them on salads, and use them anywhere you use meat. Sweet potatoes and winter squash are also perfect salad toppers in place of chicken and when cubed and roasted, they can be added anywhere you’d use meat to bulk up your plate and fill you up.

This will also keep you from filling up on processed (technically vegan) foods like granola bars, Oreos and other snacks that don’t offer the same filling or nutritious benefits veggies and greens do.

2. Try Beans and Legumes Next

Beans and legumes are a turn-off to some people, but they’re tasty when prepared the right way and are important to include in your yummy meatless plan. Add some lentils, chickpeas, green beans, edamame, and any other bean you enjoy to your meals. Get creative with them and use them in fun ways. A chickpea curry, lentil or black bean-based veggie burger, Mexican Black Bean Soup, vegan chili, and chickpea ‘tuna’ salad are all ways to enjoy them that really do satisfy the palate.

You also won’t believe how full you can be off these foods without one bit of meat at all. White beans and black beans make fantastic burrito stuffers, and adzuki beans come to the rescue for those of you who find beans hard to digest. Even if you get desperate and actually start missing Burger King, we’ve got you covered!

Here are some suggested vegan protein products:

• Vegan Protein Shake by LyfeFuel
• Tru-Nut Peanut Butter Powder – Made with Natural Ingredients – Vegan, Low Carb, Gluten Free, Non GMO
• DEAL SUPPLEMENT Unflavored Pea Protein Powder
• Organic Non-Fortified Nutritional Yeast Flakes, Organic Non-Fortified Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• Júce Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder
• Else Nutrition Plant-based Kids Protein Shake Powder for Ages 2-12

3. Eat a Variety of Meat-Free Dishes

Don’t limit yourself to veggie burgers and salads alone. You’ll get bored pretty quickly and also be missing out on nutrition and dietary bliss. Try new dishes and ways to use new flavors. Remember that you can add flavor to any vegetable or even tofu for that matter, the same way you used to add flavor to chicken and fish (or beef if you eat it). You don’t need meat for flavor, you just need versatile dishes that can be enjoyed in replacement to meat instead. For instance, you can still enjoy Sloppy Joes, just make them vegan instead (no fake meat included). Rotate different meals and write down the ones you enjoy.

Make notes of changes you’d like to make next time and motivators for why you’re going meat-free. Look through Cookbooks and recipe sites for a variety of meat-free dishes. Try our 13 Meatless Monday Meals that even newbie plant-based eaters can prepare with ease and enjoyment.

4. Remember Many Of Your Favorites Are Already Meat-Free

It can be so intimidating when you’re first eliminating meat, but give yourself a break and remember that many of your favorite foods are actually already vegan. A hot bowl of creamy oatmeal with nut butter and berries, a fruit and green smoothie, a banana and peanut butter sandwich, waffles, peanut butter and jelly, trail mix, baked potatoes, veggie soup, and stuffed sweet potatoes are all naturally vegan.

If your favorite meal isn’t meatless, such as a typical southern dish, try replacements like chickpea flour to make a smashing omelet, tempeh to make a savory meaty entree, or even tofu to make a vegan scramble.

5. Stock Up on Essentials

Creamy non-dairy milk and yogurt products, crazy delicious vegan cheeses (if you’re addicted to cheese), fruits, veggies, leafy greens, whole grains like oats or quinoa and brown or wild rice, beans, legumes, raw nuts and seeds, and even whole food vegan protein powders are essentials that will make all meatless kitchens a success. Think of all the foods you can eat instead of the fact your kitchen no longer houses animal flesh. Even if you’re short on time, you can make easy meals from whole food essentials that require little time or effort.

If you can’t go 100 percent meatless at first, try one, then two, and then three days a week. Challenge yourself to eat more meatless meals day by day and you probably won’t even miss those meat-filled dishes as much as you think. If you do, don’t beat yourself up or lose motivation. Remind yourself of all the benefits you’ll be experiencing without as many animal foods (if any) on your plate.

Keep finding inspiration and if you have any questions or concerns, shoot us an email or leave a comment below. We’d love to hear what you’d like to know about thriving on a meatless diet!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep
• Plant-Based Cookbooks

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