Daily hack: How to eat less meat

You can cut your meat consumption in half within nine weeks' time. Here's how.


It’s the same approach that many weight-loss programmes take, which require you to scrupulously note your daily calorie intake.

Following the same strategy can help you cut back on your steak intake.

And it’s an approach backed by science.

People have various reasons to want to reduce their meat consumption.

It may be for health reasons as well as to lose weight or save money and do one’s part in helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the meat industry.

However, we tend to underestimate our intake of steak, ham, chicken and other meat products.

This is the conclusion of a study conducted by scientists from a working group dedicated to environment and health at Oxford University. 

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According to the results, published in the European Journal of Nutrition and relayed by The Guardian, we can control the amount of meat we eat by taking the time to record it on an app or in a simple notebook.

The researchers have developed a website so that consumers involved in this study can count all the times they find themselves with a plate of food containing a meat product.

It should be noted that only individuals who eat meat at least five times a week were selected for the purposes of this research.

Those who were asked to record their consumption in the app managed to reduce the amount of meat they ate by 57% after only one month of testing.

Others who had the same objective without the digital aid were also successful but over a longer period of time; their consumption was reduced by 47% after two months of effort.

In any case, if you too want to reduce your meat intake on a permanent basis, you should not only set yourself a goal but also keep track of your various meat-based meals. 

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