I am incredibly excited to introduce you to Meg, the author of this week’s instalment of The Plastic Plan. As a vegetarian, I thought it would be appropriate to write about my experience of being meat-free. You can check that out by clicking here. Meg, on the other hand, is relatively new to vegetarianism and her post includes 5 easy ways to reduce your meat consumption. So, let’s get into the post!

1. Have 1 or 2 days a week designated to consuming no meat

In my house we have ‘Meat Free Monday’ which means that no one in my house eats meat on a Monday. At the start it was quite difficult to find recipes that were delicious without meat, but as time went on it became easier. I don’t even think about eating meat on a Monday! It has become my favourite day for that reason. If you are struggling for meat-free recipe ideas, I wrote a blog post compiling them all together. The link is here for those interested.

2. Buy less meat products in your weekly shop

This forces you to eat less meat because it isn’t there in the first place. For example, if you usually would have ham sandwiches for your lunch everyday then don’t buy ham for a week and see what else you could have for your lunch! You may even find something else you like more than ham sandwiches – that is meat-free – which may become your usual lunch.

3. Involve a friend to become vegetarian alongside you for a week

Having someone commit to being veggie with you helps you stick to your goal because you can help each other cook yummy veggie recipes and prepare meat-free snacks. If you enjoy the week together then you could make it more consistent. Perhaps one week a month, or even try going cold-turkey and ambitiously cutting out meat straight away.

4. Think of the benefits this simple switch creates

If everyone in the world went vegetarian for one day a week think of how many animals’ lives would be saved. This year around 184,500,000 tons of meat has been consumed, as of Monday 13th July. Going vegetarian for 1 day a week means you have been vegetarian for around 52 days in a year and that would be a massive achievement!

5. Incorporate eating less meat into your daily life

Make it seem normal and it soon will become normal

Meg, The Blog Girl

I feel like I’ve touched on this tip before but I want to discuss it in more depth. If you make yourself eat less meat just within your day it won’t seem as daunting. For example, instead of reaching for some jelly sweets, which contain gelatine, why not choose a breakfast bar or even a chocolate bar? *most chocolate bars are vegetarian, but always check* To step it up a notch, you could reach for some fresh fruit.

6. Don’t cut meat out all at once (if you regularly eat meat)

It is much much harder to stick to being vegetarian without a plan. Although I said 5 tips, I felt this was too important to skip over. What I mean is: if one day you wake and promise you are going to be vegetarian from now on, you will find it really hard if you haven’t researched meat alternatives or found any meat free recipes. Finding things hard may result in giving up, and that is not ideal. Especially not in the circumstance of saving the planet. Therefore, gently begin the process of becoming vegetarian if you know it will be difficult for you. Ease yourself into a meat-free lifestyle, with the tips I have previously mentioned!

I really hope you found my tips useful and are now going to have a go at a meat-free lifestyle! Remember, little changes make a big difference.

Which tip did you find most useful?

the blog girl ❤

Now you’ve read the post, it’s about time you go over and check out Meg’s blog! It’s a multi-niche blog, covering lifestyle, food and positivity. If you’re interested in the food aspect, I think you should follow her wonderful Instagram. Her beautiful feed includes lots of baking photos, with her captions being equally – if not more – important. Meg never fails to brighten my day with her sweet comments and our little chats. I would highly recommend all of her profiles!

That’s it from me. If you wish to hear about My 2 Year Experience Of Being Vegetarian, click here.

Love you all loads!

catherine x

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