Reducing my meat intake has been a long term goal of mine for about a year now - I've never felt good about eating too much meat, but find it very hard when it comes to a drastic change of diet. So, instead of diving straight in, I have slowly been reducing my intake - check out "A Beginners Guide to a Plant Based Diet" to see where I started. Well I'm happy to say, that for about 3 months now, I have been going meatless during the weekdays. And you know what - I haven't noticed much of a difference! So if you're thinking about reducing your meat intake, here's why it is definitely a good idea to give it a go...
1. I T 'S C H E A P E R - Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Milk, Beans, Soy Protein, Quorn... They're all cheaper than buying the equivalent protein intake in meat! I think we get a little blinded by the fact that, for example, a chicken breast can have 30g+ of protein in & see it as the wonder food for all our protein needs. But in reality, a fresh 1kg of chicken, to last the week, can cost you anything from £6 upwards. Whereas, my weekly intake of Quorn only costs around £4 & my Soy Protein, only around £0.40 per serving. So I have definitely noticed a drop in price for my weekly shop!
2. A N I M A L F R I E ND L Y - The biggest drive for me. I expect a lot of you who eat meat are also animal lovers - which when you say that statement, it doesn't really seem to add up. But in reality, eating meat is the norm in our society & I think a lot of people don't give it a second thought. Now I'm not saying you shouldn't eat meat - I still do at weekends - but I do think it's important that we start giving it a second thought! With the population ever growing, food becoming more convenient & so many new meat related foods available, I think you'd be shocked at how much meat you actually eat in a week. Have a think & maybe try to cut out 1 of those sources a day? After all, it all helps!!!
3. C A R B O N F O O T P R I N T - Another massive pro! The production of a meat substitute, such as Quorn, is more environmentally friendly & more efficient than meat! For example, Quorn's carbon footprint is 90% less than beef's & 75% less than chicken's footprint. Now to put that in real terms, if your were to eat Quorn instead of meat once a week for a year, that would save enough energy to boil the kettle around 20,000 times - think of all that tea!!!
4. W E I G H T L O S S - Yes, chicken & white fish are a superb source of lean protein - I don't think we can argue with that! But meat substitutes, such as Quorn, are a strong competitor too, being very low in fat & high in protein. So I'd urge you to give it a go, try substituting it into your favourite dishes - such as spaghetti bolognese, lasagna or curry! And you'll immediately be cutting the fat.
5. M A C R O & M I C R O N U T R I E N T S - As well as being high in protein & low in fats, Quorn in particular is high in your dietary fiber - something that meat severely lacks in.
I know this post is heavily centred around Quorn, however, if like me you think you'd struggle with the transition & are worried about your protein intake, it is definitely one of the foods I would recommend! Making the substitution of chicken & mince to Quorn has been a breeze! But in addition, I also add more kidney beans & peas to all my recipes, to help bulk up the protein intake a little more. So I urge you to give it a try - even just for 1 day a week! Now a little inspiration to know what to cook? Well next time I will be bringing you a few of my favourite meat free recipes!
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