06/30/2009

Easy Ways to Start Eating Animal Friendly and still eat meat

Mama loves animals. Almost everywhere I go, I end up rescuing a furry little critter. Just the other day while visiting my parents, a straggly little dog came up to me and rolled over so I could rub his belly. After playing with him for a little while, I found his owner a few houses away.

One of the things I sometimes wonder about is eating meat. If I love animals so much, how can I justify eating them? Well, I have an animal friendly diet that includes meat. It sounds like a contradiction…but it can be done.

If you want to begin reducing meat in your diet in the hopes of supporting animal welfare, then I have some easy ideas for you for delicious meat substitutions. I promise, it will be quick and painless!

• Use Meat in Smaller Amounts. If you want to start reducing your meat intake, start by using smaller amounts in soups, pastas, or stir frys. Resist the urge to buy a 12 ounce rib eye steak (yum yum) for dinner.
• Buy Animals treated with humane conditions. Look for cage free and free range eggs, USDA organic meats, and Certified Humane labels on chicken, pork, or beef. These labels mean that certain standards were met and verified showing humane standards for the animals. What really goes on behind closed doors in the food industry is shocking, disturbing, and outright mean.
• Try Tofu. Tofu is a great substitute because it takes on the flavor of whatever you’re cooking, so you can scramble it as eggs, use it in a lasagna, add it to salads, try it on kebabs, the list goes on and on.
• Use Veggies as Main Dishes. You may be surprised to find out that there are many hearty vegetables that can be prepared as an entrée. Try Eggplant Parmesan, for example, or even grilled or stuffed mushrooms.
• Try meat substitutes.Nothing will ever completely replace the taste and texture of meat. But, adding meat substitutes to your meals will give it a new taste and will still fill you up.

Go out on a limb, try it.

- Mama