If you know me personally (lucky you), you’ll know I’m not a vegetarian. And as cringe as the word is, ‘flexitarian’ seems a little more apt. The thing is, I do like meat. I like it a lot less than I used to, but I still enjoy it when I do eat it.
I’ve always advocated buying quality meat from the butcher, but to be honest, no matter where you buy it from it is incredibly difficult to know if the animal you’re eating has been treated well, or not. No matter how many ‘welfare assured’ stickers they whack on the packaging.
Read My Top Tips for Healthy, Balanced Eating.
When I was carefree and backpacking southeast Asia and India, I found myself eating a lot less meat. Especially in India. In fact, I was borderline vegan in India. As a country, they eat a mainly vegetarian diet anyway. Meat can also be risky there too, and expensive, and Sophie’s Scran was on a tight budget. So, when in Rome, I enjoyed all the veggie food I could get my hands on.
Read The Best Vegan Dishes I Ate in India.
During this time, I also developed a new appreciation for cows and just how stunning they really are. It was heartbreaking to see them eating plastic, cardboard and rubbish off the streets, but, at least the people of India don’t slaughter and devour them. They just let them roam, freely.
So, since being home, I kept up the veggie-esque diet. But why? I’d say mainly because of these five reasons:
- It’s cheaper
- It’s often quicker and easier
- It encourages me to get creative when cooking
- It encourages me to try new things in restaurants
- It means I’m eating a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables
There are apparently some other health benefits too (like lower cholesterol levels, less risk of cancer and lush skin) but to be honest, I don’t like to read into it too much as there is a lot of crap research out there.
Oh and apparently, a mainly plant-based diet is loads better for the environment. For example, ‘animal agriculture’ (the breeding of animals to make animal products), takes up a lot more energy than I originally thought. I mean, all those cows and pigs and chickens all need to be fed, and watered, and transported. And they need somewhere to live too before they’re slaughtered. Animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than the combined exhausts from all transportation, according to these guys. So even if you buy an electric car to help save the planet, it’s pretty much useless if you continue to eat meat with every meal.
Anyway, shocking facts aside, what, if anything, have I noticed in myself having eaten a ‘flexitarian’ diet for almost a year? Mainly these five things:
- My skin is brighter
- I’m less bloated (flatter tummy, yay!)
- I find it easier to maintain my weight
- My digestion is on point (gross, but true)
- I have more energy
I’m also really enjoying trying new foods. And now, when I do eat meat, I question the quality, for my sake and the sake of the animal.
And, as I’m only eating meat 2-3 times a week, I REALLY appreciate it when I do and therefore enjoy it more. Some items on my October to-cook list are below, these are some veggie dishes I want to master this month:
- Homemade falafels and hummus
- Spiced tomato and lentil soup
- Baked halloumi one pot
- Indian cashew curry
- Spinach and aubergine curry
What are your thoughts about eating less meat? Are you a veggie, vegan, or full-on meat eater?
I completely respect you for your opinion and yes, breeding animals does take a lot of hard work, but it’s is also hundreds of people’s lifestyles, their job, their home, their spare time, their whole lifestyle all revolves around breeding animals to sell to slaughter or market for human consumption. Pastoral farmers would loose everything if people didn’t purchase their products
Author
Hey Katie, yep, that would be a shame and I would never wish ‘losing everything’ upon anyone. But it’s an industry that is putting a great deal of strain on the planet, worldwide, so in the future hopefully, other industries will thrive instead. My favourite black pudding maker has started to produce a completely plant-based alternative. So it shows that some in the industry are already making huge adaptions, which I think is bold, courageous and incredible. x
I love this post Sophie.
I’ve been veggie for 11 years and will becoming vegan next year, all purely for moral reasons and I love hearing when those who eat meat understand the benefits of veggie/vegan. Whether you do it full time or not, adding more veggies into your diet can never be a negative!
I look forward to seeing more of your veggie recipes 🙂
Author
Aww, thanks, Tanesha! I just wanted to set the record straight and lay out my own reasons for eating so much veggie food and often favouring it over meat! I’ve never felt better and eating less meat is definitely a big part of that
I’ve really cut down on how much meat I eat over the last 4 months and can really notice the difference. Eating meat twice a week and then a mainly veggie diet for the other 5 means I’ve lost over a stone in weight and appreciate what’s going into my body!
Ruth // http://www.ruth-writes.co.uk
Author
Hey Ruth, wow, that is amazing! This is exactly what I’ve been doing, and I am enjoying it so much! We get the best of both worlds as we still get to enjoy meat occasionally too. Which really makes me appreciate it more, does it for you? x
We are cutting down on meat on moral grounds. I am finding it harder and harder to eat something that was once alive. We are upping the veggies big style too and learning new ways of serving them. Last night we had roasted cauli and beetroot with za’atar and it was gorgeous.
Author
Wow, this is fab! I am finding it more and more tricky too. Especially with pork, I don’t know why really I just don’t enjoy it like I used to. I have also seen some awful things online about cruelty to animals in slaughterhouses and it is just horrendous. The roasted cauli sounds amazing.