A fundamental aspect that you should be clear about is that by reducing the consumption of meat you will have to increase the intake of other foods in order to supplement the nutritional contribution.
Many people, and especially in recent years, have tried to reduce the consumption of meat, either for health reasons, for tastes or to fight against animal abuse. However, many people ask how to do it in a healthy way.
Reducing the consumption of meat will reduce the risk of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and problems with uric acid or hypertriglyceridemia.
However, for people who are not used to, taking this step suddenly can be a radical change. For this reason, we recommend a series of strategies to start eating less meat and make it easier to adopt this eating habit.
Strategies to reduce meat consumption
1. Meat is not essential for health
There is a widespread myth that meat is essential to maintain the health of the body. However, this myth is false, since we have a wide variety of foods that provide us with the nutrients necessary to keep our nutritional needs met.
In this sense, begin by decreasing the weekly frequency with which you consume meat and also reduce the portions you eat. Also, remember that meat is not only red meats or poultry, but also:
- Sausage
- Botifarra
Contrary to what many people believe, it is possible to cover the nutritional needs of the body even if meat is not consumed.
2. Vegetables and legumes, your great allies
A fundamental aspect that you should be clear about is that by reducing the consumption of meat you will have to increase the intake of other foods in order to supplement the nutritional contribution.
This increase will be, surely, of the vegetables that give you iron and proteins that you need. For this, it is essential that you increase the consumption of lentils, since they are a great source of protein, fiber, vitamin B, minerals and iron.
However, there are also other complete foods such as beans and beans, soybeans or cereals such as rice, oats or wheat.
3. Monitor the weekly purchase
An especially simple strategy that you can carry out to reduce the consumption of meat, may be to stop buying it. If you do not have meat, you will not eat it.
In the weekly purchase, try to buy more vegetables, fruits and vegetables. You will be surprised by the variety of foods of vegetable origin offered by the market as well as the wide range of recipes available.
4. Reduce meat consumption little by little
As we have already mentioned, it is important that you reduce the amount of meat little by little in order to effectively achieve your goal. For this you can start by:
- Eliminate breakfast meat products.
- You can dine vegetables several times a week in substitution of sausages or other products of animal origin. Salads, omelet or a vegetable preparation can be good options.
- Discover new recipes without meat, because when you discover all the possibilities that there are you will feel much more animated to reduce meat consumption.
The recipes made with vegetables and legumes are ideal to start replacing the meat in the diet.
In the case where you want to reduce the consumption of meat for health reasons, the best strategy for this is to opt for light sausages such as, for example, turkey, ham or lean meats such as chicken.
If the reason you want to reduce the consumption of meat is to practice a vegetarian or vegan diet, then you must completely reduce the consumption of any food containing meat. Of course, it is always easier to do it little by little to accustom the organism to this type of feeding.
5. Fish instead of meat
If you are one of the people who want to stop eating so much meat for health reasons and not by adopting a vegetarian diet, a good way to achieve this is by adding more fish to the diet, so that they substitute meats in different recipes.
Blue fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and beneficial fatty oils. For this reason, it is a perfect option to consume it instead of meat. In addition, there are other fish, such as grouper, bream or hake, which are low in fat and very healthy for the body.
Conclusion
If you want to change you’re eating habits and reduce meat consumption, remember that any change in diet requires a time to adapt to it. However, when you get it, you will notice the results and you will feel much better with yourself.
