There are many reasons why you might choose to decrease your intake of meat. Meat, particularly red meats, tend to be less lean than other sources of protein, and often have less nutrients to offer. On top of that, meat consumption is a major contributor to greenhouse gasses and global warming, making a meat free approach more environmentally friendly as well. But if you find giving up meat is very hard, you aren’t alone. Here are a few things that you can do if you’re not ready to give up meat entirely to move into a less meat-centric diet.

Introduce More Plant-Based Foods

The first thing that you can do if you’re not ready to give up meat entirely is to start introducing more plant-based foods into your diet. Rather than focusing your approach on eliminating meat, you can shift your mindset to one of including more plant-based options. By replacing just some of your meat intake with other protein sources and plant-based meals, you can move your diet towards a less meat-centric tendency. The best part is that it positively reinforces including plant-based foods, rather than focusing on punishing the inclusion of meat ingredients.

Eat More Fish

Another great thing that you can do if you’re not ready to give up meat entirely is to eat more fish. While fish are still a living animal that has to be killed and eaten, fishing has a less intense impact on the global climate than meat production. But beyond that, fish comes with many health benefits that meat does not. Fish is great for your teeth because it doesn’t require as much strength to chew. This can help you keep your teeth in better condition now and throughout your life as wear and tear build up slower.

Go Weekday Vegetarian

The final approach that you can take if you’re not ready to give up meat entirely is to try becoming a weekday vegetarian. Weekday vegetarians are exactly what they sound like: people who adhere to a vegetarian diet Monday through Friday and can choose to eat meat should they wish on the weekends. This is a good approach to take if you are considering going full vegetarian and want to see if you can adhere to it for a few days in a row.

Giving up meat can be a great step to take both for your health and the health of the environment. But that doesn’t mean giving up meat is easy. If you aren’t quite ready to give up meat entirely, consider these three approaches to move you in the direction you want to go.

Check out this article to learn how changing your diet can reduce digestive issues!