Yes you heard me right. Even with all the environmental incentives and global push to reduce our carbon footprint, it’s not that easy to stop eating meat.
History of Eating Meat
Our diet or food preference is formed since birth. What your mom consumed during conception influences your preference as an adult. Your diet will be formed by what you were exposed to when you were a kid. In western culture, bake beans and sausages, and further east; lamb dish with beans, and in east Asia; porridge and pickled vegetables. If you’re brought up on meat, you will continue to enjoy and crave meat as you’re biologically wired to do so.
Modern Food
Today, we’re spoilt for choice. Any modern supermarket would carry at least 3 varieties of common meats; chicken, pork, beef. You will also easily find an assortment of locally available fish and seafood. This plus the fact that it is cheaper makes it a desirable protein. You can get more calories/energy per 100 grams of meat vs say tofu which, which is about 239 vs 76.
Going Off Meat
So not only does the availability of meat makes it hard to switch away from them, but our habits of consuming meat since childhood makes it difficult. Yes you might say hey it can be easy for some to switch and go meatless quickly, such as vegans but there are those consuming obvious mock-meat, or plant-based meat that are made to replicate the taste to a certain extent. One of the main reasons why we love meat is the taste, which has a huge range based on how the meat is treated; cure, roasted, deep-fried, etc. It sounds even harder now to stop eating meat. It is difficult for meat substitute to replicate such complex tastes.
Train Your Kids To Go Meatless
So instead of stopping yourself to go meatless, impart this lifestyle onto your children. There is absolutely no scientific proof that a non-meat stunts the growth of children. Children can easily consume plant-based food and still experience a normal childhood. Nurture them on the benefits of a varied diet, consisting of a wholesome combination of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, grains. A balanced plant-based diet has many health benefits, from better cholesterol levels to lower chances of obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases.
Until next time, stay healthy.