If you’re wanting to make a change and go more plant-based (or even if you don’t/have no idea why you’d need to) this is for you! Let’s start with a story before getting into the logistics of it. I often post about plant-based eating on my social media (and on here a little bit) but I have not shared my own dietary preferences or story. Mostly because, I don’t think my choices should be relevant in swaying your own or your perception of me.

However, since this is all about diet, I’ll share first. From as early as I can remember I’ve always hated eating meat. More so because I just didn’t like the texture or the taste. From the time I was little I’ve been getting the question of “how could you not like meat?!” And I’d always say well, isn’t there a food you don’t like? It’s the same thing!

My parents didn’t take me on my word with this one, so they’d always ask me to try meat and different seafood that they’d be eating, just to see if I’d like it. I mean yeah, they would make me sit at the table until I ate it but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt here…

Anyways, by about age 10, my parents gave up on me eating meat and stopped making me eat some at dinner which is when I basically went completely vegetarian. Not because it was “trending”, not because of the ethics, not because of anything except for the fact that I simply didn’t like it. Of course overtime my passion for conservation and animal welfare made me appreciate my dietary preferences even more, and by the time I was in graduate school I was mostly eating a vegan diet at home. But to be honest, until then I never thought of being vegan vs. vegetarian, I just ate what I liked!

Then when I went off to Thailand in 2019, I was practically eating a vegan diet all the time because that’s what we made at the elephant sanctuary I was working for. I was eating eggs but no dairy and found that the transition off of all dairy (which by this time was mostly just cheese) was quite easy for me! I decided at that point that I commit to taking on a mostly vegan diet.

Since then, while yes I could best be classified as a vegan, I choose not to really label myself. When people ask about my diet, I tell them I’m plant-based (because that’s true, I am!) and I just feel like I shouldn’t have to conform to a diet name.

This is true for you too. Maybe you want to cut back on the amount of meat you eat, that doesn’t mean you need to be a vegetarian, a pescatarian, or a vegan! The fact of the matter is, you don't need to fit into a diet name at all because that isn’t what matters. The most important part of diet, in my opinion, is that you are eating in a healthy and balanced way, and that you are not doing any harm. In cutting back on meat consumption (especially beef) you can make major impacts for the climate, for the animals being slaughtered, and for your health!

The key ingredient

There’s no big secret to making this lifestyle change. There are tons of “how to” blogs and books out there for people looking to switch their diet but when it comes down to it the most important thing is commitment. I could write an entire book outlining tangible steps for switching to a more plant-based diet but if you don’t want to do it and are not committed to the process, then all that work would be for nothing. Therefore, you need to understand the benefits of being more plant-based! Here are a few to get you started:

• Many meats have carcinogenic properties.

• Eating a lot of animal products can increase cholesterol and blood pressure.

• Animals being raised for the meat industry (primarily cows) produce a lot of methane and carbon dioxide which are rapidly contributing to climate change.

• And the obvious… there are major animal welfare concerns when it comes to the meat and dairy industry.

If you want to dive deeper into these benefits, here are some of my past posts to refer back to:

• Diet and Climate Change : this post outlines the climate and health impacts of each popular diet! I go into every dietary preference from meat heavy, to completely vegan. Regardless of your diet, you will be able to find a section to explain how you impact the climate with your food choices.

• Diet and Climate Change part 2 : in this post you’ll find ways to cut back on your carbon emissions regardless of your dietary preferences.

By educating yourself about the health concerns that accompany a meat heavy diet and the impacts of meat and dairy production on land, habitat destruction, climate change, and animal welfare, cutting back where you feel able is a bit easier.

Ok, I’m in, now what?

Now that you have your “why” for sticking to this lifestyle change, your transition will be a lot easier! Simply because it’s hard for us to stick to something if we don’t have a concrete reason for doing it. However, if every time you go to the store to buy meat you remember “the habitat being destroyed to farm these animals is actively killing wildlife” or “I would feel a lot healthier if I lost a few pounds and lowered my cholesterol…” it’ll be a lot easier for you to walk towards a plant based alternative.

I would also challenge you to reflect on your eating habits a little bit. You may find that switching your diet to eat more plant based is easier than you expected and that the only reason you ate a lot of animal products is because it's what you were used to and never ventured outside your comfort zone! Many people find that they don’t actually miss animal products as much as they thought they would and that the switch was much easier than anticipated.

This is why I would recommend committing to whatever you can for two weeks. Whether you’re vegetarian and you want to commit to vegan for two weeks, or if you eat meat everyday and want to commit to eating it only three times a week. Maybe you eat fish and want to try being vegetarian. Regardless of what your version looks like, try it for two weeks and see how you feel! After about 10 days you’ll find that the integration is quite easy.

In fact, after about 10 days of not eating dairy, the addictive component of dairy products will fade and you’ll find that if you try vegan cheese, it’ll taste a lot better to you than if you tried it along side dairy cheese. If you’re cutting out meat, after about 7 days you’ll notice an increase in energy, stamina, and will be shocked at how good you feel!

By only committing to two weeks, it’s not scary and it’s not permanent. You won’t feel like you’ve taken on too much. After two weeks, check in with yourself and ask some important questions:

1. What did I like about the past two weeks?

2. Do I feel healthier or more energized than when I started?

3. Is this sustainable for me? And if not, what would be sustainable?

Staying consistent

Consistency in your diet will only come when you set attainable and sustainable goals for yourself. If you eat meat everyday and overnight try to be vegan, you are likely not setting yourself up for success. Start will small swaps and once that is easy and you are happy with it, maybe try something else! For a meat eater, cut out the most carcinogenic meat source first… pork. After not eating pork is nothing to you anymore, try only eating beef twice a week. Maybe that’s a piece of cake for you, so eat it only once a week, or once a month, once a year? Never?

And remember, anybody who says you have to eat a certain diet to care about the planet or be a conscious consumer is incorrect. You do not have to follow a certain diet or lifestyle. Simply make sustainable and earth minded choices where you can. If you cannot cut cheese out of your diet, fine. But maybe you only shop second hand. There is no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to leading an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Yes, the world majorly needs more people cutting back on their meat consumption or even going completely plant based, but we also need people who are saying no to fast fashion, who are working to rescue animals in need, who are donating to charities and conservation. Do what you can, where you can. But be sure you’re challenging yourself. If you’ve never tried reducing your animal product consumption, why not? There is no harm in trying something new for the greater good! You truly have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.