10 Steps to Reducing Your Meat Intake

Are you looking at going vegetarian but finding it too hard to make the change? Maybe you're eating too much meat, have high cholesterol and need to give up that yummy side bacon? Are you doing it for global warming and reducing your carbon footprint by eating less burger? Make gradual changes to your diet over a length of time to adapt to your new dietary restrictions.

If you've seen Earthlings, Food Inc or the Cove, you're probably a little more conscious of your food choices. Georges Laracque, the 245 pound heavyweight hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens, converted to veganism after watching Earthlings, a shocking documentary on the relationship between humans and animals. "It's unconscionable what's happening to animals in this country and the way we treat animals we eat.... I realized I had to make some big changes," Laraque commented.

Here are some tips that can help you make the conversion to healthier living habits and improving your carbon footprint:

1.Eat 1 less meal a day that has meat in it.
2.Go vegetarian 1 day a week.
3.Say no to super sizing your burger.
4.Experiment with meat-replacement tofu products.
5.Only eat fish.
6.Better yet, eliminate red meat from your diet.
7.Try cooking with more protein-rich beans.
8.Only eat free-range or organic meats.
9.Replace lost protein with delicious protein smoothies.
10.Nuts, nuts and more nuts. Almonds contain as much protein as red meat, have a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids and are a delicious treat on its own. Stay away from salted almonds.

Over time, you'll find that meat eating is less of a habit and replaced with a mostly vegetarian diet and smaller meat servings. More and more people are becoming vegetarian as rates of high cholesterol and heart disease reach stratospheric levels. Consider your health and impact on earth by eating more consciously. It's a win-win!