A few years ago I decided to cut down on eating meat so the food shopping bill was cheaper. 2 evening meals out of my 7 became a meatless meal. I figured it was better for my wallet, my health and the environment. Over these few years my awareness of how our meat is raised and slaughtered just for our consumption increased. I never really understood why people chose to be a vegetarian or a vegan, I simply thought it was just because they didn't want to eat meat. This is true, however it is also about so much more than this.
I recently came across a new non-profit organisation Reducetarian.org via Facebook after seeing one of their social media adverts a friend had shared. The concept behind the Reducetarian is really simple, you simply eat less meat. It caught my attention and I was interested in finding out more about this 'movement'. I had already a few years ago removed meat from 2 of my meals but I also knew I enjoyed eating meat so do not think I could ever become a complete vegetarian or vegan. This meets you in the middle, you choose how much meat you wish to stop eating, small acts which make big impacts!
So I decided to take my 2 meatless meals and up it to 4. I have pledged over a 30 day period to reduce my meat consumption and I am hoping by the end of this pledge I will be happy enough to continue.
I am now coming to the end of my 3rd week, it has gone much better than I thought it would. I find there are certain things I am not ready to give up eating, mainly seafood. The hardest thing I have found is finding new meals so that I am not just repeatedly eating pasta or vegetable chilli. I like a good mixture of food each week and enjoy trying new recipes - this does help :) I am upping my 4th week to be a 5 meatless meal week, this is how I intend to continue once the pledge is over.
So what are the benefits?
IT'S HEALTHY
With less meat and more fruits and veggies, reducetarians live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
IT'S EASY
Reducetarians set manageable and therefore actionable goals to gradually eat less meat.
IT'S GOOD
Eating less meat is good for the well-being of animals and the environment.
