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No Meat May

(148 Posts)
ferry23 Wed 29-Apr-26 17:42:36

If I were a stick of rock, I'd have carnivore written right through me.

I have however made some progress over the past couple of years in cutting down on red meat.

So I thought I'd take a shot at No Meat May.

But I must have a massive appetite, because I've spent ages looking at recipes and most of them are what I would serve as side dishes to my meat - and I doubt I'd want to eat that much of them to make them into my main dish.

So let me challenge you no meat eaters - here's my criteria

- I like all fish with the exception of mackerel and kippers
- I don't want my no meat meal to be something disguised as meat - so no pretend meat.
- I don't like tofu, or paneer, or yoghurt/creme fraiche/sour cream/fromage frais or cream cheese.
- Soup and a roll doth not a meal make - that's called a "starter"
- I like chicken and turkey if that's not going too far down the cheating route.

OK......get set.....go......grin

Hit me with your ideas

Macaydia Wed 29-Apr-26 23:58:03

Eating fish more often than once a week is unhealthy but red meat is listed as a carcinogen (from W.H.O.) whereas chicken is not. What do you like for your starches? Pasta, rice or potatoes? Do you eat fruit?

Basgetti Wed 29-Apr-26 23:59:55

We eat red meat once each week. Fillet steak. Won’t be giving them up any time soon.
We’re omnivores 🤷‍♀️

ferry23 Thu 30-Apr-26 02:28:32

Yes I eat fruit, any starch is ok.

Macaydia Thu 30-Apr-26 05:29:53

These are things that helped me transition from red meat: Increase your fruit variety. Batch cook veggie soups and fill your freezer so you have portions ready to enjoy once a day. Increase your starch portions, double your veggie portions and half your meat portions. Experiment with vegetarian recipes and choose only one day a week that is strictly meatless. Seven days a week with no meat will likely make you want it more. Later, you can designate two days a week and so on. I have not heard of any health issues from eating birds.

Grandmabatty Thu 30-Apr-26 07:25:49

Why is eating fish more than once a week unhealthy? I've never heard that

watermeadow Thu 30-Apr-26 07:27:46

No meat is very easy, as all these meals suggest. What I can’t find is vegetarian-and-low-carbs-and-low-fat.

Astitchintime Thu 30-Apr-26 07:45:20

Grandmabatty

Why is eating fish more than once a week unhealthy? I've never heard that

Yes, I was wondering the same. We have fish at least twice a week so can you please enlighten us Macaydia?

Oreo Thu 30-Apr-26 08:10:41

Whitewavemark2

You could meet it all half way as it were.

I alternate - 3 days. Meat, fish and veggie. That works OK.

Yeah I do similar to that, it cuts down on meat and is easy to do.

MayBee70 Thu 30-Apr-26 09:13:45

I’ve bought some cans of chickpeas ( lots of protein in them) but haven’t worked out what to do with them yet.

ferry23 Thu 30-Apr-26 09:41:38

MayBee70

I’ve bought some cans of chickpeas ( lots of protein in them) but haven’t worked out what to do with them yet.

Ah, now I can help you there.

I've opened a large tin and I'm using half to go in a Keralan style veg curry - Potatoes, spinach, cauliflower, green beans and squash, spices, curry leaves, vegetable stock and coconut milk.

The other half I rinse and dry in some kitchen towel or a tea towel (some of the husk will peel off naturally if you roll them about to dry them). Toss in a little olive oil and salt and I throw them in the air fryer for about 12 - 15 mns @ 200 degrees. Use as a snack. You can use any seasoning you fancy befor roasting them, garlic salt, onion salt, paprika.

mum2three Thu 30-Apr-26 09:45:45

Eating the flesh of what was a living, feeling creature is a very primitive, barbaric activity. The civilised thing to do is give up eating meat altogether.

Grannybags Thu 30-Apr-26 09:46:22

Google says you should eat at least two portions of fish a week including one oily and one white.

That’s good because we live on fish and veg!

MayBee70 Thu 30-Apr-26 09:47:10

No excuse now then! I did think about putting them on the mantelpiece with a candle next to them and use them as a homage to the month. Having said that I eat very little meat anyway. Meat I can live without, it’s cheese that I love more than anything.

ferry23 Thu 30-Apr-26 10:05:10

MayBee70

No excuse now then! I did think about putting them on the mantelpiece with a candle next to them and use them as a homage to the month. Having said that I eat very little meat anyway. Meat I can live without, it’s cheese that I love more than anything.

Ooh MayBee I'm with you on the cheese.

A couple of times a year I share a cheese order with my daughter from The Cheese Lady. Got one yesterday and had to practice great restraint in not opening every single one and having a try.

Expensive but honestly, worth it for a treat.

I've many a can or packet lurking in my cupboards that could join your chickpeas on the mantelpiece. Actually, some of them have been there for so long that's probably the only place they're good for. I always start with such good intentions.

MT62 Thu 30-Apr-26 10:10:03

Price of meat, it will be meat free May, June, July… for some families 😊

M0nica Thu 30-Apr-26 10:30:05

mum2three

Eating the flesh of what was a living, feeling creature is a very primitive, barbaric activity. The civilised thing to do is give up eating meat altogether.

Eating other organisms is how life on earth is sustained. Every creature eats and is eaten by other creatures. As the prime top predator we just kill, but rarely eat each other.

Eating plants is damaging beings that we now know have complex interactions with other plants. Their relationships are symbiotic, when we crop and eat them we disturb these relationships and there is evidence that they feel the pain
www.theguardian.com/n]]otesandqueries/query/0,,-83446,00.html

The uestion is how far down this living pain suffering chain you go down before feeling you should not eat them. Would you eat fish, insects, algae, bacteria etc.

My justification for eating meat is that I only eat wild meat, organic chicken and ruminants that have been raise to Pasture for Life standards.

The animals so reared have the best of two worlds. A life that meets all their needs in their natural habitate but safe from predators and receiving medical treatment when they are ill or injured. Wild animals are, of course at risk of predation especially if they are ill or injured and in danger of dying from starvation or drought, if weather conditions are unfavourable.

But any food you eat is killing and destroying a living organism.

merlotgran Thu 30-Apr-26 10:44:40

I eat a lot of fruit and veg and very little meat - fish on Fishy Friday.
I love vegetarian dishes so I’ll give it a go and see how long it is before I’m tempted to have a chicken curry. 😂

orly Thu 30-Apr-26 13:40:12

No meat May, no way!

Ziplok Thu 30-Apr-26 13:45:35

Macaydia

Eating fish more often than once a week is unhealthy but red meat is listed as a carcinogen (from W.H.O.) whereas chicken is not. What do you like for your starches? Pasta, rice or potatoes? Do you eat fruit?

Not according to the BHF website and the NHS. It’s recommended to eat 2 to 3 portions of fish per week, one of which should be an oily fish such as salmon or sardines.

Norah Thu 30-Apr-26 13:48:11

MayBee70

I’ve bought some cans of chickpeas ( lots of protein in them) but haven’t worked out what to do with them yet.

Soak then cook chickpeas, drain.

Use in curries, hummus, chili, bean salads, falafel, soups.

Norah Thu 30-Apr-26 14:00:40

Would seem fish and fowl would be excluded in no meat May.

lizzypopbottle Thu 30-Apr-26 14:13:50

I'm anaemic and advised to eat red meat! However, I use an iron supplement in the form of a cheek spray. Iron tablets make me constipated. My haemoglobin is now normal but I need to get my ferritin up yet.
Don't dismiss plants as having no protein! Black beans are 16% protein and have mega fibre as do all the pulses. Even potatoes are 12% protein but are not a complete source. You need to add complementary sources of incomplete proteins to provide all the essential amino acids that are vital for your body to function properly. The complete plant proteins include soy (tofu, tempeh, edamame) quinoa, buckwheat, hemp seeds, chia seeds, spirulina, amaranth and pistachios.
Search Google for plant foods essential amino acids

EkwaNimitee Thu 30-Apr-26 14:17:27

‘No meat May’, just why?!
I’ll stick to my healthy omnivore diet, thank you.

MOnica has an excellent reply,

twaddle Thu 30-Apr-26 14:19:29

MayBee70

I’ve bought some cans of chickpeas ( lots of protein in them) but haven’t worked out what to do with them yet.

Curry.

lixy Thu 30-Apr-26 14:20:40

watermeadow

No meat is very easy, as all these meals suggest. What I can’t find is vegetarian-and-low-carbs-and-low-fat.

Try looking up Michael Mosely’s recipes - lots of his are veggie friendly.