23 Jun 2021

When I was 6 years old, we watched Charlotte's Web in school. That night, my 'rents were trying to get me to eat some steak and I dialed '000', wanting to tell the police that my parents were making me eat Wilbur.

From then on, I've been a vego.

A lot of my mates have transitioned into vegetarians as well, or at least been super open to meatless meals which I love! I'm not here to shove vegetarianism down your throat - whatever floats your dingy! But it's no secret that going vego helps the environment, reduces animal suffering, and can give you more nutrition (among a million other things), so here are some easy ways to cut out eating meat.

Make changes at your own pace

Going cold turkey may not work for you, so don't feel bad about taking things slow. You could start with meatless Mondays, and then add on an extra day when you feel comfortable. Maybe you could start by just avoiding red meat, but still eating chicken and fish, then moving onto the next meat when you're ready. 

Don't beat yourself up about it if you break your rhythm and eat meat. You're already doing an amazing thing by even wanting to go vego so take things slow! I believe in you! 🥰

Start with what you already eat

Some of my mates were shocked to try my vego alternatives. "But it's so good?!??!" they'd say. Whether that be stir fry, curries, pizza, burritos, wraps, lentil shepherds pie, almost anything can be whipped up into a vego way (and taste 11/10).

What do you normally eat? See how you can make that vego. What can you swap out? Some vego/vegan alternatives either taste like meat, or have a similar texture - there is a lot to choose from so get ready for some experimentation.

There are red hot vego sausages, nuggets and burger patties. 'Quorn' is like mince for tacos and spaghetti bolognese (my brother 100% thought that was meat when I made it for him). 

Find some new, easy, delicious meals

Get out of your comfort zone and try new vego recipes. There are millions of youtube tutorials that'll walk you through the cooking process step by step (which I need because I'm a pleb in the kitchen), cookbooks and online recipes that'll make sure you're never, ever bored.

My go-to meals are:

Mexican Corn Fritter Tacos by HelloFresh -- here.

Vegetarian Chili by An Appetizing Life -- here.

Lentil Shepherd's Pie by A Virtual Vegan -- here.

Sweet Potato Soup by Taste -- here.

Vegetable Stir Fry by The Recipe Critic -- here.

Cauliflower Potato Curry by Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures -- here.

Do your research

What should you be getting into your diet? I obviously can't explain every gritty detail of iron, protein and omega-3 fat sources in this article, so take to the interwebs to get learnt up.

I have been vego for a very long time now. I have never once had a problem with it - in fact, I have THAT much energy that people think I'm a crack addict half the time... lmao. My point is, I easily get enough protein and iron from the food I consume.

I know that I need to get in a lot of high protein veggies, like green peas, spinach, corn, avo (hell yes avo on toast foreverrrr), mushies, kale and potatoes.

I know that tofu, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, quorn and tempeh are where it's at!!

I personally don't feel the need to take supplements every day - I pop a B12 tablet every now and then but if you're transitioning, maybe suss out taking Iron tablets, B12 or Vitamin D tablets. Again, this is your own journey so do what feels right for you! Don't listen to the internet like it's gospel, or me. Listen to your bod! 

 

So, there you have it! Wilbur will be stoked to hear what you're doing and I am too! 🥦🍆🍅🥦🍠🥗🌯🌽🥕🥒🥔🥙