You may have noticed that we live in a culture that is obsessed with meat. We eat meat at almost every meal and as a country (the US) we consume more meat per person than anywhere else. For those looking to make the switch to being Vegetarian this can create a few obstacles. Here are a few ways to ease the transition to becoming Veg or at least decreasing your meat intake.
I f you are already a vegetarian (or vegan) I am preaching to the choir, but chances are if you have made it this far you are still on the fence and looking for options…Be sure to read my post on WHY I am a vegetarian and it will remove all doubt you may have had.
1. Try the 2 week trial:
2. Try a new produce/grain item each time you food shop
3. Go to a different grocery store
4. Meat free Monday ( and then Tuesday, Wednesday….)
5. Meat of the month: give up one meat each month for a slow transition to the meat free lifestyle
6. Start with a meat free home
7. Try home delivery of local produce
1. The 2 week trial: make a choice not to eat meat for 2 weeks and take the time to notice how you feel. I think most of us don’t really take the time to notice how the food we eat influences how we feel (unless we get sick) – but the reality of it is that the food we eat is the most important thing we do to effect how we feel on a daily basis. As you go through your 2 weeks without meat pay close attention to how you feel and if there is a change in your body, your energy level, your mood or your clarity of thought.
2. Try a new Item at the grocery store: Once I became a veg I realized that there was a whole world of food that I was missing out on because I habitually made the same food choices each time I went to the grocery store. To broaden my food horizons I decided to take a small step by picking one new item to try each time I go to the grocery store. Sometimes it would be a vegetable that I had no idea what to do with, but a quick internet search would take care of that. Most recently my selection has been from the produce section, but it could be anything - a new grain or bean or spice ( anything except meat). As we broaden our concept of food and learn new things to cook and new ways of cooking we see that there is a WHOLE world of food that we were missing out on. This will help with that feeling of “I don’t know what to eat” once you take the plunge to be veg.
3. Go to a different grocery store: This is all about breaking habits. Most of us have a routine when we go to the grocery store of where we park, what isle we start at, what items we get and the order we get them in. For the most part we get the same grocery items each time we shop. This holds us in the same patterns of eating when we are home and makes us stick with the same tried and true recipes. When we go to a different grocery store we are forced to look around more and this helps us to be mindful of the process instead of falling back on habits or routine. In the new environment you may notice a new (healthy) food you want to try and that will lead to a new recipe and then a new (healthy) habit. As you go through the grocery store stick to the outer isles, avoiding the meat and deli section. The majority of our food should come from the produce, frozen, cereal and grain isles. The center isles contain the processed, preserved and canned items that will pull down the health value of our meals.
4. Meat free Monday: This is an idea that has been around for a while to help the country decrease their variations consumption of meat. Pick one day- Monday- to eat meat free meals. This will push you to learn new recipes and start to incorporate new foods into your diet slowly – and it is a great way for families to start the move toward healthy eating habits. Once you are comfortable with one day a week work up to 2 meat free days and then 3…until you are a vegetarian. What a smooth transition.
5. Meat of the Month: this is another way to slowly make the transition to being vegetarian so that you have some time to adapt. Each month pick one type of meat to give up (chicken, beef, pork, fish…). This will make you slowly start to explore other food options and introduce new recipes. After a few months you won’t even miss all that meat.
6. Meat free home: If you are ready to take a more drastic step toward a Veg lifestyle start with a meat free house. You can either eat all of the meat products you currently have and not replace them – or take all your meat products to the food bank for a quicker transition! From that point on all of the meals you eat at home (or make at home) will be vegetarian. One of the challenges that new vegetarians face is finding something to eat at restaurants or parties as these usually do not cater to vegetarians. As you start to find strategies to deal with that challenge you may want to treat yourself to meat when you go out to a restaurant or party. Eventually you will be able to give up this crutch, but having that flexability to start can help with the transition.
7. Home Produce Delivery: This is a fun experiment for anyone- meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Look into getting home delivery of produce from a local farm or co-op. Many programs offer seasonal or organic options to increase the health benefits, but the other perk of this is the convenience. It is like the fast food option for produce – it comes right to your door no grocery shopping required! When we have fresh produce on hand we are more likely to incorporate healthy item into our meals. This also helps us to learn what to do with new produce items that we might not have picked up ourselves. If you pull something out of the box and you are not sure what to do with it a quick search online will give countless options to try.
8. Bonus Item: Check out PETA’s Starter Vegetarian Kit: http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/free-vegetarian-starter-kit.aspx
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