Meat Free Mondays

2017 has definitely been the year of the veggie, and suddenly vegetarian, vegan and plant-based diets are no longer just a stereotype for barefoot hippies. Every week #MeatfreeMondays fills our Instagram feeds and describing yourself as a ‘flexitarian’ has become an actual thing; in fact a third of people in the UK are now ‘actively choosing to eat less meat’. If you’re yet to jump on the bandwagon, here’s what flexitarian-ism is and what you could gain from giving it a go…

Simply put, flexitarians are people trying to reduce their meat consumption, without abstaining completely. They’re passing on their favourite steak supper a couple of times a week, in order to do their little bit for saving water and protecting our planet. Meat free Mondays is all about helping people to do just that - reduce their meat consumption by simply having one veggie day per week. It’s realistic, attainable and acts as a great stepping stone into vegetarian eating! 

The Benefits

Variety

Especially when time is tight, it’s easy to get into an dinner-time inspiration rut, and many of us end up cooking the same things week in, week out. Forcing yourself to get out of your comfort zone in the kitchen is a great way of making sure you’re getting a varied diet and will keep your meals exciting. Get experimental and try out a few new recipes – you'll soon discover that tasty, colourful meals don't have to include meat! 

The Environment

Eating less meat has been shown as a great way of helping to combat global warming. Meat production puts a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (even more than transport!) and the amount of energy needed to produce meat is far great than it is for non-meat products.

According to Meat Free Mondays, "it’s calculated that it takes around 7kg of wheat to produce 1kg of meat – which could instead be used to feed 10 people a day. Calculate that on a global scale – there would be more than enough food to feed the hungry."

Save Money

Vegan options always seem to be more expensive when you're eating out, however when cooking at home, chickpeas, beans and other pulses are a whole lot cheaper than your average cut of meat - and that’s without thinking about buying good-quality, sustainable produce!

Some Neat Inspiration

If you're not used to cooking without meat, it's understandable that cooking up a vegetarian feast might seem a little daunting. But you don’t have go from eating your daily chicken and veggies to loving tofu and lentils overnight. Ease yourself in slowly, by switching up your usual favourites, like a beef chilli con carne, for Quorn  – we promise you’ll hardly notice the difference.

Need some inspiration for meat-free meals? Protein powder might be mostly associated with sweet treats, but we love using Neat Naked flavoured protein in savoury recipes too, such as our Mac & Cheese, Sun-dried Tomato Quinoa Burgers and our Spinach and Feta Veggie Balls.