Thinking of going meatless? Take it slow and follow these simple steps.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
As awareness of the cruelty and unethical practices of the meat and fishing industries rises, many people are choosing to adopt a plant-based diet, or at least reduce their intake of meat.
Not only spurred on by infringements of human and animal rights across these industries, the increasing popularity of veganism, or going meatless on some days, has another major impetus — the meat and fishing industries’ sizable carbon footprint, along with their irreversible and unsustainable impact on the environment.
If you intend to adopt a vegan or a partial vegan lifestyle, a gradual transition is easier than going ‘cold turkey’. Here are some tips on how to ease off animal products.
1. Try plant-based meat or create your own plant-based meat
If you aren’t ready to give up meat completely and right away, you can first reduce your daily meat consumption by substituting meat with foods that taste like meat — the Internet burgeons with culinary ideas for this. For example, you can create meat-like textures and flavours, by grilling or deep-frying fruit like jackfruit and breadfruit. Today’s supermarkets also carry a wide range of plant-based meats that taste a lot like slaughtered meat — Beyond Meat, Impossible patties, Bac-Os, FriChik, Quorn, Soyloin Steaks — this list goes on. Give them a try! Thanks to modern science, mock meat has come a long way from consisting of just tofu and gluten. Give these delicious plant-based inventions a shot and you just might fall in love with them! Many people have even mistaken these substitutes for real meat.
2. Read up on alternative sources of amino acids
Tofu and mock meats became very popular in ancient China, because people discovered that humans can subsist on their main component, soy beans. Super foods like lentils were grown and eaten across the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East because of the same reason. Our bodies need 20 different amino acids for growth, repair and several other metabolic functions. However, the human body can only synthesise 11 of these and the remaining 9 (known as ‘essential amino acids’) need to be consumed from our diets. While animal meat is rich in amino acids, foods like soy beans and lentils are packed with the full range of essential amino acids. We can also absorb amino acids from a host of delicious plant parts like bulbs, nuts, tubers and seeds.
3. Learn about animal-friendly foods
We can also lessen our impact on animals and the environment by buying cruelty-free alternatives. Most chickens that are reared to lay eggs live in small cages their entire lives, but eggs that are certified ‘free range’ come from chickens that are allowed to roam around and get the exercise that they need. While dairy cows are kept in an induced state of pregnancy so that they will keep producing milk, switching to almond, oat or soy milk means no cows will be harmed in the process. If you don’t want your daily non-edible essentials to harm animals either, check the packaging of household items like bath accessories, home cleaning products and laundry detergents, which will state if they are free of animal testing.
4. Look up vegan dining options that are listed online
Before visiting a particular neighbourhood, you can use Google to find vegan restaurants and restaurants with vegan options. Many vegans choose to prepare and pack their own meals, so that they don’t need to hunt for vegan food when they are out and about.
Even without meat, vegetables can provide us with all the macro- and micronutrients that our bodies need.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
