2 Months Without Meat

I’ve been noticing for the past 5 or so months that I’m not really attracted to eating meat anymore. At first it was just ground beef, even just thinking about made me feel gross and I couldn’t imagine eating it. Then came chicken, which I’ve always loved, but I was just super uninterested in eating it. If I made it for lunch I had to convince myself to finish it because I was so bored and didn’t even want to chew it up. Eventually I had similar feelings toward pork chops and steak too. Usually they were still good but I could only eat a small amount and not super often.

All that being said, it seemed to make sense that I just stop eating meat. Maybe forever, maybe not, I try to base what I do or do not eat on how it makes me feel. Right now it doesn’t feel like something I want so I’ve been exploring meat-free eating.

The biggest challenge that I have noticed is making sure to get enough protein in a day. I do pretty well between breakfast, lunch and snacks but I find dinner to be more difficult. And because I’m not getting quite enough I find myself being tired in the evenings and eating a lot of dishes in the pasta family.

To combat the tiredness I’m trying to inject as much extra protein into meals as I can. I add Chia and Hemp seeds to my yogurt, I have quinoa for lunch where I would have usually had rice and I’m trying to keep a bag of almonds or cashews with me for that little pick me up. Cashew butter on banana and apple is really good too.

After the first month I started drinking a powdered all-in-one nutritional shake. It has protein, greens, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, omegas and fibre. It’s not the best tasting thing ever, but it isn’t terrible either. I used to drink it in smoothies when I had a Magic Bullet and now I just mix it in a glass of water. I always enjoyed it when I was drinking it a year or 2 ago, but it is quite expensive so I guess I stopped at some point. I’m finding now that it really comforts me knowing I’m getting so much of what I need in a day from one drink. Not to mention it has really helped with my energy levels and keeping me awake in the evenings!

I’ve been more conscious of what I have for snacks as well. Of course, sometimes I still just want chips or ice cream but when it comes to snacking during the work day I pick better options. Homemade date bars, raw nuts, yogurt with chia, hemp and frozen fruit, an orange or apple/banana with cashew butter are some of my favourites.

Beyond being tired I’ve also found that my attention span can sometimes be quite short. I can happily say that those are the only real “symptoms” I’ve seen from this food change though!

I`ve also been trying out some new recipes and making different dishes in hopes that I don`t get bored. Once they are fully approved by my belly and I`ve perfected them, I`ll make sure to share. Lately its been quinoa bowls, broccoli cheddar soup and veggie-cheese wraps. I dabbled in veggie "burgers" too but I'm not sold on them just yet.

7 weeks in I did have one meat meal. I felt like I wanted some chicken so I had it. No guilt, no "cheating," just having what I felt like I wanted. It was a tasty meal and I enjoyed it but I don't feel like I'll want it again anytime soon. I'm really happy that I did that actually, I think that it helped to show me I'm still doing something good and that it hasn't just become a habit or momentary fad.

As I continue on this food journey I'll keep you posted! Hopefully I'll have a recipe or 2 for you soon too!