Eating meat in our modern world has become a complicated matter. Meat can be full of antibiotics, hormones, other animal byproducts, disease, feces – the list goes on. One way to try and avoid these additives is to buy organic, local, free-range, and hormone-free. This can be tricky as these labels are confusing and sometimes deceiving. Do your homework and buy from the farmers market when you can! Keep in mind that the low meat prices you find in the supermarket have been artificially pushed down to be as cheap as they are, and you are what you eat. When buying meat think of it as a delicacy – something we don’t need all the time, or even often, and that can be splurged on in order to get the best quality.
Try experimenting with vegetarian proteins in place of meat. There are tons of options out there (though these don’t come without their own particulars!) Quinoa, buckseed, hempseed, chia seed, soy, seitan, tempeh, nuts, lentils, beans, rice – the list is endless. Watch for GMO products and keep in mind that buying organic applies here as well!
Here is a great article that explains in detail how much protein is in vegetarian protein sources, what their value is, and recipes to boot. So do some research and get creative in the kitchen!
https://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins
English, Nick. (2014, April 29). 12 Complete Proteins Vegetarians Need to Know About. Greatist.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from www.greatist.com.