How to give up meat and feel great: the ultimate beginner’s guide

How to give up meat: step by step guide

We all think that the transition to a meat-free diet is difficult, but you will soon realise that you could have taken the first step long ago, especially with these strategies to make your journey easier.

Here are my practical suggestions on how to make the change:

Step 1. Start gradually

Cutting out meat suddenly can be difficult for many, so I recommend starting with a gradual reduction.
To help you with this transition, I have developed a diet plan called the CHEtarian Diet: it is the most balanced, complete and cost-effective way to stop eating meat without gaining weight.
If you don't feel ready for a revolutionary change, don't worry, you can still do something very effective:

- Meatless days

You can choose one or more meatless days of the week, as suggested by the popular 'Meatless Monday' movement; which since 2003 has helped many people take the famous first step with the motto 'one day a week, cut out meat'.

And if anyone tells you that's not enough, don't listen to them. Just think, if you apply this simple and straightforward strategy for just one day a week, you will have already achieved a 15% reduction in consumption. And that is just the beginning!

You can start the revolution by cutting one day a week for a month or two, and then, if you feel like it (and I am sure you will), you can start cutting another day a week, without rushing and without feeling overwhelmed.
In this way, you will be able to reduce your consumption by 30% in just 3 months, without feeling deprived and/or uncomfortable.

- Puppies first

You can also give up eating meat by saying no only to baby animals like lambs, calves, piglets, and then the bigger ones. Thinking of their heart-warming faces will be a great help on your transition.

- Choose a species

Or you could start the change by saving one species at a time. Ruminants have the biggest impact on the environment. So why not start with them? For the first 3-4 months you can give up eating cows, then it will be easier to say no to pigs and sheep, and then chickens and fish.

It can normally take between 3 and 12 months to give up meat for good.
Some lucky people manage it in just 1 day, as well as stopping smoking cigarettes; but there are also people who happily decide to eat meat just once a month for the rest of their lives. And who can blame them?

The important thing is that consumption is significantly reduced.

Step 2. Experiment with new recipes

A crucial aspect for those who want to stop eating meat is to discover new recipes and new ingredients that are tasty, satisfying, easy, healthy and cheap.
There are many international cuisines with traditionally meatless dishes, and by expanding your knowledge you will always find new inspiration and new flavours to try.
In this way, the lack of meat will not be a burden, and your dishes will certainly be much more varied.
The CHE Food Revolution website has lots of delicious, healthy, ethical, inexpensive and protein- and nutrient-rich meat-free recipes.
But don't think about changing your diet completely: the Mediterranean diet, for example, which is so popular for its longevity, originally contained very little meat and animal products in general; just re-learn to be 'truly' traditional and return to good old-fashioned eating habits.

• You will soon discover that legumes are not just the main ingredient in winter soups, but can be the protagonists of a wide range of dishes: from pizza to pasta, from burgers to desserts (yes, you are beginning to see how deep the rabbit hole goes).
• When you miss meat, you can also introduce some plant-based meat alternatives, such as supermarket products that perfectly mimic the taste, appearance and chewiness of meat. But don't overeat them (the ideal is two or three times a month), because they are ultra processed, loaded with salt, fats and unhealthy additives, just like the original processed meat products.
• Also, learn to plan your weekly meals (meal prep), shop according to the menus you have decided on, and always keep some ready-to-eat legumes and easy-to-prepare vegetables in the freezer.

Step 3. Focus on nutrition

When you stop eating meat, it is important to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need to avoid deficiencies, such as iron, vitamin B12, essential  amino acids and omega-3.
You can learn more about this by reading my tips in the 'Food Awareness' section, so that you can make the most of the synergistic power of foods eaten in combination and ensure the correct intake of essential nutrients.

Information is also essential for this reason: some people try to give up meat with the best of intentions, but often with a great deal of superficiality; as a result, when they discover that they have a deficiency, they wrongly blame the meatless diet instead of themselves, creating an aura of danger and confusion!
So be well informed about the following points.

Proteins

Plant-based proteins are found in foods such as pulses, soya and derivatives such as tofu, tempeh, wheat proteins such as seitan; nuts as walnuts and almonds; seeds such as pumpkin or sesame seeds and quinoa, and seaweed like spirulina or wakame.
Try to consume at least 1g of protein per kilogram of body weight, especially in the first stages of the transition.

Essential amino acids

The body needs 9 essential amino acids, which must be obtained from food. With the exception of soya and quinoa, plant-based proteins do not contain all nine of the amino acids found in meat. Cereals for example are rich sulfur-containing amino acids like methionine and cystine, but poor in lysine, threonine and tryptophan while pulses lack the sulfur-containing amino acids, methionine and cystine while rich in lysine and other; so in order to meet the body's needs, they are better consumed in combination:

• Pasta and chickpeas
• Rice and lentils
• Corn and beans
• and other dishes that have combined the essential amino acids traditionally for centuries.

Vitamin B12

As vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal products, vegans should consider taking supplements or fortified foods(4).
However, if you are not vegan and still do eat eggs, it is important to know that one egg is usually enough to meet your daily requirement.
It must be said, however, that supplementation is very common, cheap and safe; and consider the fact that all animals coming from intensive farmings are given the same supplements.
In addition, everyone, including omnivores, needs to supplement vitamin B12 after the age of 50 due to the body's reduced ability to absorb it.

Iron

The non-haem iron found in plants is less easily absorbed than the haem iron found in meat; fortunately, the plant world is full of iron and certain tricks - such as vitamin C(5) - can improve absorption by up to 30%. Read more here

Step 4. Psychological and social support

Stopping eating meat is not only a nutritional problem, but also, if not above all, a psychological and social one.
In fact, a short-circuit is created, a kind of paradox: you decide to refuse food offered by the members of your group, which they appreciate.
In practice, by simply saying "no to meat", you are excluding yourself from the sharing of a common pleasure; and this could trigger an atavistic attack mechanism, which is nothing more than a kind of veiled defence: we have all experienced the ostracism, the sarcasm, if not the downright malice of omnivores towards non-meateaters! Here it is simply an uncontrollable reflex (at least at first), something visceral that goes back a long way.
I really wish you the best of luck and hope that your family and friends do not take your choice as a 'personal affront' or a threat to their conviviality and existence; and that you are never mocked, bullied or humiliated in any way, but rather supported by those who love you.
However, you should be prepared to be asked many banal questions, such as 'If you don't eat meat, where do you get your protein from?'; or a lot of unsolicited health advice from people who have been eating refined and industrial foods all their lives.

So here are some suggestions to help you make the transition less painful:

• Find community support.
  Join local or online groups, or find friends who follow a meat-free diet. Social support can make the transition easier and less lonely.
• Learn how to handle social gatherings.
  If you are at a dinner party or picnic, take your meat-free food with you, but make plenty to share with others.
  This may be easier in a restaurant, so much so that the places that do the most to cater for everyone's needs also offer delicious and elaborate dishes for non-meat eaters.
• White lies.
  It is not necessary for the whole world to know your motives: there is no rule requiring total transparency with everyone and in every context, if you don't want to.
  Sometimes, if you have to eat with people you do not know well, you might as well say that you do not like meat or have an allergy to meat products to avoid unpleasant questions.
• Be activist, but be tactful.
  You have made an important decision and now you want to shout it to the world, I understand you. If you want to do activism, know that I appreciate you. However, please choose empathetic methods, use calm and non-accusatory tones; and please try not to choose gory content: people need to keep their eyes wide open on these issues, not close them!