Ways to Eat Less Meat

It has been proven time and time again that a vegetarian diet helps to prevent / manage diabetes and heart disease, and decrease risk of other diseases. Even if you take up a flexitarian diet where you eat meat occasionally, you’ll still receive those health benefits. Here are a few more compelling reasons to try going completely (or at least frequently) meatless:

3 Reasons to Eat More Meatless Meals

1. Reduce Your Grocery Bill

Meatless proteins are less expensive than meat, so if you put even a few vegetarian meals into each week, you will definitely save money each month. Beans and tofu are very budget-friendly items, and it’s easy to buy vegetables when they’re in season with prices at their lowest. With such a wide variety of veggies out there, you’ll never get bored because you can switch up the flavor profiles and textures while still getting all of the good fiber and nutrients. Visit our Produce Prep Guide to learn how to prep all kinds of fruits and veggies.

2. Create a More Balanced Diet

Animal proteins tend to have more saturated fat, which affects your risk of heart disease. They are also low in fiber, something most Americans need more of. When you substitute animal proteins with vegetarian proteins – more whole grains, beans, nuts, and veggies – you will end up with a diet that is higher in fiber and will offer you a host of essential vitamins and minerals that everybody needs to function optimally and reduce health risks.

3. Protect the Environment

Raising animals for food requires a lot of land, fossil fuel, water, and food, so cutting back on some of the meat you eat is a good way to reduce your environmental impact. It takes a lot less to produce 1 pound of vegetarian proteins than 1 pound of animal protein. Around 1.3 billion tons of grain are consumed by livestock each year and the Environmental Working Group has reported that the meat industry uses huge amounts of pesticides, fertilizer, fuel, and water. This results in a depletion of resources and a release of greenhouse gases, manure, and toxic chemicals into the world’s air and water. (Find out more here!)

It might seem like eating meatless once a week or twice a week will not make a difference, but it does! Even if you don’t see immediate results with the environment, your kids will thank you later and your health and grocery bill will thank you now.

A Guide to Vegetarian Protein Sources

Meatless meals are a lot easier to incorporate in your diet than you may think and, no, they don’t all have to have tofu. In fact, when you have a good vegetarian recipe, you may not even notice there’s no meat! Just think of baked potatoes, chow mein, palak paneer, or veggie omelettes.

Still, we know that many people wonder, How do vegetarians get enough protein? Luckily, the answer is simple! It’s totally possible to eat less meat and still get your daily requirement of protein, because the truth is – most Americans eat double the amount of protein they actually need! That’s why we have included daily protein requirements for a healthy diet in our infographic below.

Meatless ingredients like legumes, grains, dairy, soy, seeds, and nuts don’t only provide enough protein, they also have more fiber and almost always cost less than animal proteins. So, keep this vegetarian protein list handy so you can pick tasty, energizing options every time you go to the grocery store.

Fun & Healthy Ways to Eat Meatless

When people are adapting to new food restrictions, they often focus on the things they can’t eat when there’s still so much out there to enjoy. In reality, going meatless opens your plate up to even more options to choose from!

The main thing to understand is that vegetarian meals don’t just remove the meat and give you the side dish. Meatless meals are complete and balanced meals that simply replace meat with a mixture of proteins that are just as delicious.

In fact, a little shift in mindset can open up a world of options . . .

A great way to demonstrate the wide variety you can find in meals without meat is with a vegetarian buffet. A buffet might seem like a lot of work, but we’ve come up with a way to make a whole week of buffets simple and easy. The free download below offers 7 ideas for buffet-style meals. Using baked potatoes, tacos, or fried rice as a base, you can set out toppings in bowls and then everyone can load up on exactly what they like!

In addition to meatless buffets, we’ve put together some videos to show you fun and different ways to eat more meatless meals. Learn how to turn veggies into fun “noodles,” make a variety of vegetable fritter snacks, substitute rice for cauliflower rice, properly cook tofu, enjoy a filling grain bowl, and make homemade falafels.