How to eat less meat

[Simon]

So we all know about the environmental downsides of meat. But how can a person lower their intake of meat? What are the options besides meat? Is there any meat that is more environmental friendly? If something like that is even possible.

And if you already now dont eat any meat, if you are an vegetarian for example. How and why did you stop eating meat?

Please share your ideas, thoughts and knowledge with the rest of us here! :)

[armadillo]

Cool thread :cute:

Meat is not safe anymore to eat. The way animals are kept,fed and stored are awful and can make anyone become a vegetarian.

I myself eat meat once a month,or once every two months. And most of the times it's chicken and fish. Beef is said to be the worst choice to make,and pork isnt that healthy anymore either,at least here in Greece. I'd love to be a vegetarian though,it doesnt seem so hard to cut down on meat. It can be easily substituted by peas and pasta.

[ThinkDwell]

Um, actually I read an article the other day about beef that is fed only grass. Cows fed grass only (what they SHOULD be eating) as opposed to corn based feed, fart less. This is actually, along with being the most disgusting info on cattle raising I have read, a very significant factor in decreasing the amount of greenhouse gas contributed by the beef industry. Grass fed cows taste better, too, I guess.

[Layla]

Yes, I read grassfed is better too...

& don't forget - if they say corn-fed, they're probably talking about GMO corn (or GMO soy) unless it's specifically stated that it's non-GMO/organic... (& even then, sometimes the corn bags may not be labelled OoO - if anyone has seen The World According to Monsanto documentary, you will know what I'm talking about!)

I was completely vegetarian for a year or so, when I was younger. Ate a lot of diary products (eg cheese, yoghurt, quark/cottage cheese...) & soy products... But nowadays soy products are 'iffy' too... A lot of soy is 'roundup ready' GMO soy.. so look for specifically labelled & certified organic & 'non-GMO' soy if you consume any...

later on, I did eat some meat occasionally, but very little (maybe once a month or even less). I can survive easily on vegetarian food, but I found it did make me 'sluggish' a bit, & I was lacking some nutrients... minerals & vitamins & more proteins... So then I ate a bit too much meat for a time, & my joints didn't like that either (especially after eating beef) - a balance seems necessary.

Beans are a vegan 'staple food'... & there are very many different sorts for a bit of variety. Lentils & chickpeas are yummy too... Peas are nice too, but 'moderation in everything'...

Some grains have more protein too... for example amaranth & quinoia, check them out! (they are yummy too!)

We also often eat buckwheat (available as kasha - which cooks really quick!) or millet... (at least once a week usually)

rice is another 'staple food', again organic is better, some praise wildrice highly.. There are different sorts of rice & it is best to rotate...

Hemp seeds are another protein source (laugh away all you can! ) - & yummy too, if you're lacking omega3/omega6! (if you eat a lot of flax or tuna/fatty fish you will probably be turned off by hemp... The organism knows when it's lacking stuff..)

PLEASE don't just eat usual non-wholewheat wheat PASTA & some veggies! This can be very unhealthy! (especially if you eat a lot of chocolate/sweets together with that... - some people have gotten ill this way, &/or gained a lot of weight too..!!)

Wholewheat & possibly organic is better! Still, a lot of people have wheat-sensitivities nowadays, & it is best to rotate foods so you don't develop food sensitivities!

Ideally, you eat a different food (protein and grain and vegetable) every day, & then rotate... It would be great to have eg 4 days - or 1 week - worth of menus, & then rotate...

as I said somewhere else, it's good to check nutrition on fitday.com or Cronometer... & possibly keep a food diary, if you're having any problems.. (even if it's just lethargy or tiredness or feeling bad... - it may be a food sensitivity!)

Anyway, for those of you who eat too much meat, going a bit more vegetarian is likely to prove healthy! (my Dad cured his rheumatism this way!) Listen to your body & try to find your own balance...

[Bobby]

I stopped eating meat by default actually, the person I was living with was a vegetarian and so I felt weird keeping meat in the fridge and just didn't eat it. We then went out one night and I ordered meat and felt so ill afterward that I looked up if there was a possibility of your body getting used to not having meat - there is.

Enzymes in your body are built up to break down red meat and all that comes with it (hormones, complex protein, fat) and when you don't eat red meat for a long time those enzymes disappear, resulting in me feeling like I needed to stick my finger down my throat.

This made it very easy for me to ditch meat all together - its been 2 years now. I don't crave it which makes it easy for me although I do take a food supplement which is very high in protein to counter for what I don't get in my diet.

The upside is that I also lost a lot of weight, so for all of you out there looking to shed a few kilo's - cut out meat!

[Layla]

lol, actually I would agree with most of that...

You really get used to not eating meat..

When I was still pretty much a vegetarian, & other people offered me to eat it, or forced it upon me, it actually didn't 'smell right'...

& the stuff about weight loss can be true.. especially if you eat healthy food (not the pasta-chocolate vegetarians)

Glad to hear it's working out for you!

/remember, if you feel tired or without energy or develop a hearing sensitivity or tinnitus, it might be good to check your vitamin/mineral levels.. I wish I knew that back then.. :)/