Not everyone has the same tastes in diet. Some people restrict certain foods, like grains or dairy products, due to medical issues, such as allergies or intolerances. Other people cut meat from their diet, choosing to live a vegetarian lifestyle. The latter is what applies to me. When I gave up the decision to give up meat, many people told me that my diet would suffer. They urged me to talk to my doctor to see if a vegetarian diet was safe.
I did talk to my doctor, but only for a standard health check to make sure I was getting enough of the vitamins I needed to stay healthy. You see, meat is high in protein. Therefore, it is a common misconception that people need meat as part of a well-balanced diet. It may surprise you to learn that there is a wide range of plants that offer as much protein as your favorite meat-based ingredients. I know because I use them in my own diet.
You Dont Have to Be Vegetarian to Eat Less Meat
The vegetarian lifestyle is not for everyone, but there are some very good reasons to eat less meat. These reasons are proven time and again in scientific studies. Even if you do not give up meat completely, you should consider eating less meat due to these reasons. They include:
- Animal Cruelty Commercial livestock animals live on a diet of force-fed grains. Many never get the joy of chewing a cud of freshly grazed grass, or sweet, fresh hay. The grains, more often than not, are genetically modified. The herbicides and pesticides that the farmers use on those grains get passed on to you in the meat from those livestock animals. You should also consider the diseases that breed in the crowded spaces where these livestock animals live, that also risk being passed into the meat.
- Ecologically Unsound One pound of meat requires 100 pounds of grain feed. Can you imagine the toll that takes on the earth? Plant-based protein takes less water and soil, which means it keeps the earth healthier overall. Eating less meat is an eco-friendly choice, as well as it is a health-conscious one.
- Save Money Meats are expensive, and the prices for choice cuts are rising on what seems to be a daily basis. Buying non-GMO, bulk organic grains as well as dry legumes offer plenty of protein and other nutrients. The greatest benefit of this is that those organic grains and dry legumes cost a mere fraction of the choice cuts of meats available.
- Fight Cancer Sure, meat contains protein. But did you know that plant-based protein surrenders animal acids that are essential for forming complete proteins in the human body? Proteins from cooked meat require metabolic enzyme production that puts a huge demand on the pancreas. If your pancreas is busy breaking down cooked meats, then it takes attention away from the organs true purpose, which is destroying free-range cancer cells before they form tumors in your body.
- Added Magnesium Most of the humans who lie in industrialized areas of the world are magnesium-deficient. The human body requires magnesium for more than 300 metabolic processes. When you reduce the amount of meat that you eat, and increase your plant-based proteins, then you are also giving your body natural sources of magnesium.
- Gut-Friendly Bacteria When you eat meat, the antibiotic injected into Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) cows, as well as the GMO grains that they eat, destroys your bodys gut-friendly bacteria. This type of bacteria is necessary for digestion. The bacteria is also part of your overall immune system. A healthy immune system is important, because it is your bodys number one defense against diseases and other health issues.
How to Reduce Meat in the Foods that You Eat
Now that you know why you should eat less meat, its time to put the knowledge into practice. Replacing meats with plants in the foods you eat is so easy. If you like lasagna, then instead of meat just add layers of baby spinach leaves with the sauce, cheese, and noodles. At breakfast you can add plant-based proteins to your quiche or an omelet. Have a baked sweet potato for lunch instead of a burger. And I cannot resist nachos topped with black beans, salsa, and almond cheese.
When you must eat meat, then whenever possible eat organic meats sourced from farms that do not use pesticides or other chemicals. The same goes for free-range chickens, farm fresh milk, and other foods that you put into your body. The healthier the ingredients in the foods that you eat, the more protection you have against diseases and other medical conditions that are associated with an unhealthy diet. And there is no better reason than that to reduce meat in your diet.
