I’ve been 90% plant-based for almost a month now.
After reading and writing about the book ‘How Not to Die’, and being confronted by the science on health, environmental, and ethical reasons for eating less meat, I decided to give it a go.
I’ve had a few principles that have made the whole process easier.
1) In my previous attempts at vegetarianism I took an “all or nothing” approach. This made meat tempting, and when I caved, I felt like a fraud and the whole habit fell apart. This time round, I’ve opted for a target of 90% plant-based, and have found it much easier to integrate with my daily life, as well as social calendar.
2) I’ve optimised around maintaining a high protein intake. I feel even more motivated to maintain a plant-based diet if I can still hit my target protein intake as part of my exercise programme. I’ve been pleasantly surprised here. A mixture of tofu, tempeh, seitan, peanut butter, protein bread, soy milk, and protein bars enable me to hit these targets.
3) 90% adherence over the long run is better than 100% adherence for a sprint. Consistency over time matters, not what happens in the next few weeks. So I’m happy with my current levels of plant-based adherence.
This is still an experiment, and I’m only a month in. But I’m really enjoying it so far, and feel little desire to eat meat.
Sushi, though, that one is still hard to resist.