How to Become a Vegetarian (or Eat Less Meat)
I have personal news: I went vegan about three or four months ago. Considering that I’ve written thousands of words about how much I love tofu and black bean burgers , this “news” is hardly shocking, but since the meat talk reaches frantic new heights ( or depths? ) Every day, it seemed too relevant so as not to give up on them. Share.
To be honest, it was a long time ago. I have never been morally or ethically opposed to eating animals – I still do not – but capitalism is a whole different story, and at this point it is impossible to separate the two. You don’t need me to tell you that industrial meat production is a huge contributor to global warming ( and climate denial ), or that meat processing corporations are doing an almost caricatured evil by exploiting a low-wage, often undocumented workforce. The facts are available all over the world, and this is probably why more and more people are choosing to eat less meat.
But the choice is not difficult; it is less important to figure out how to eat less meat. What do you eat instead, especially if you’ve eaten meat all your life? Whether you’re going completely vegan or just skipping your diet, these tips will help you find answers to some questions.
Ask yourself the hard questions
Okay, I lied a little – there are a few more questions before the answers. Significant lifestyle changes should be cause for thought, but if the idea of eating less meat continues to make you uncomfortable, you should ask why.
What are the downsides? Well, you will eat less meat. That’s pretty much it. Of course, meat will still exist, but in most cases, you will simply be eating something different. Is this really the way out for you? If so, why? You can get protein and fat from a million other foods, should you have meat? After thinking a little about it, you will find your own personal reasons or realize that you don’t need meat at all, or at least not all the time.
Have a little brainstorming session
The easiest way to eat less meat is to eat more than anything else . A good first step is to sit down and make a list of the non-meat foods you already enjoy. Don’t be afraid to take this assignment very literally: even a list of 10 vegetables you like is valuable and will make meal planning easier.
Your list should not include foods that can be lean with the right substitutes. Known quantities are fair game – like your favorite frozen vegetable dumplings or a great vegan burger from your local pub – but don’t count on fake meat to save the day, especially if you’ve never eaten it.
Buy a deep fryer
Oh my God, I can’t believe I waited until 2021 to buy a deep fryer. It quickly digests all the fried vegetables you can think of, plus a wide variety of goodies like crispy tofu , super crisp potatoes , fried bread , frozen gnocchi , leftover fries , crispy shallots and of course frozen potato tortillas. – and it’s just from head to toe. Please don’t be a dummy like me: buy a deep fryer before giving up meat.
Dive into the beans
You may have foreseen this, but beans are the cornerstone of a lean diet. For some this will be great news and for others it will be a real disappointment, but if you are not a big fan of beans, try to remain open-minded. The world of beans is wider and tastier than you think.
The beans don’t have to come from a bag or can, and you don’t even need to eat them whole. Tofu and tempeh are perfect examples of the versatility of humble soybeans; Falafel is just chickpeas and herbs in a convenient deep-fried package. You can even make pancakes and pancakes entirely from beans: in Indian cuisine, chilla (or chila) are pancakes made either from beesan (chickpea flour) or from soaked beans that have been ground into a dough. (Soaking the beans with rice and letting it ferment will make a dosa dough .) Korean cuisine has nokdujong (or pindaettok) , mung-based pancakes stuffed with kimchi, bean sprouts, and green onions.
Broaden your horizons
Beans are just the beginning. Most of the time in the world, people were eating anything but meat, which means that we have come up with about a billion ways to make plants palatable.
Every kitchen on the planet has a rich tradition of lean dishes, and you don’t have to dig very deep to find them. Whether you pick them up on YouTube or in cookbooks (two of my favorite sources), homemade recipes from almost any culinary tradition will never fool you.
For dinner, I usually cook homemade Mexican food – beans, tortillas, salsa, potatoes, sometimes soyrizo – or literally any recipe from Priya and Rita Krishna’s Indian book, the best cookbook of the decade. As always, look for human-made recipes that are actually part of the culture they represent. The recipes will get better and you will learn more.
Buy more food
My last piece of advice on eating less meat is very obvious, but rarely mentioned: if you’re used to a meat-based diet, you need to eat a lot more other foods to make up for that. I’m not talking about nutrient macros – I’m talking about volume. A large steak is still a large steak after it’s cooked, but a huge head of cauliflower can shrink to one serving in a hot oven. When you go grocery shopping, make the mistake of buying larger portions than you are used to, at least until you feel your new norm. Something tells me that it won’t take long.