Welcome to 2015. Have you set yourself any challenges for the new year? Maybe you want to spend more time with friends, read more books or adopt a healthier lifestyle. Perhaps you want to try new things.
What not try Tofu instead of Chicken?
YouGov research for Eating Better published at the end of 2014 found that 20% of the British public are eating less meat, and up to 35% would be prepared to try eating less. Many people cite health as a key reason to reduce their meat consumption, and the Department of Health recognises that eating less meat and more plant-based foods is a great way to help your heart and for high meat consumers reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
And did you know that most families in the UK rely on the same handful of favourite, meat-based meals to cook and eat? Week in, week out, mums and dads are giving their families dinners like spaghetti bolognaise, roast dinner, shepherd’s pie, curry and casseroles or the classic meat and two veg.
So if you’re thinking about trying to eat more healthily in 2015, and considering making a few different dinners, allow us to present you with the Eating Better Challenge.
Eating Better is encouraging families to take the Eating Better Challenge this January – and throughout the year – and enjoy tasty, affordable and healthy meals by incorporating more plant-based foods and less meat into their daily dinners.
“Eating less meat is a simple way for people to benefit their health and the health of the planet, as well as save money,” says Sue Dibb of Eating Better. “The good news is that by following Eating Better’s top tips and making simple tweaks to everyday meals like these, you can save money and make meals healthier.”
The Eating Better Challenge top tips:
- Use half the meat in curries, casseroles and stews and double the amount of vegetables. Add a tin of beans or lentils and extra veg to a curry or a stew. Grate a courgette or carrot into pasta sauces.
- Replace some or all of the mince in spaghetti bolognaise, cottage pie and lasagne with Quorn or other meat substitutes.
- Buy smaller portions of meat and use to add flavour, rather than as the main ingredient.
- Try eating more meat-free meals and having one or two ‘meat-free days’ each week. Look out for veggie options, or make veggie versions of your favourite dishes like vegetable curry. Go easy on the cheese though, as it’s high in fat.
- If possible, use the money you save from eating less meat to choose meat that is free-range and outdoor reared and produced to higher animal welfare standards such as Freedom Foods or organic.
Making these small, simple changes to your cooking should help reduce the amount of saturated fat and salt in your diet, boost your five-a-day and save you some money.
What meals would you change to reduce the amount of meat in your diet? Will you rise to the Eating Better challenge in 2015 and make different dinners that use more vegetables and less meat part of your everyday eating?
Eating Better is encouraging families, food-lovers and food-bloggers to try the Eating Better Challenge and share their different dinners with us. We’ve created the hashtag #EatingBetterChallenge for people to tweet their recipes and pictures to us @Eating_Better.
Why eat less and better meat?
According to our research, people cite concern for their health and the cost of meat as key reasons to eat less, as well as fears over climate change and animal welfare.
High levels of meat consumption, particularly red and processed meat, are associated with increased risks of bowel cancer and heart disease. In respect of bowel cancer, the Department of Health advises that people who eat more than 90g/day of cooked and processed red meat should reduce their intake to 70g/day. Additionally the livestock industry is a massive contributor to greenhouse gases which increase global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock sector are estimated to account for 14.5 per cent of the global total, more than direct emissions from the transport sector.
Follow us on Twitter and send us your recipes and different dinner pictures using the hashtag #EatingBetterChallenge.
Post written by: Siobhan O’Neill, 5th January 2015
Friends of the Earth is one of the Supporting Organisations that helps to promote Eating Better’s vision and mission.
