Plant powered

Living lightly on the planet isn’t about being perfect. It’s about figuring out how to do a bit better, in ways that suit us, wherever we’re at on the journey. And that has certainly been my approach when it comes to my food choices. I try to eat as locally as possible – but I still buy bananas, I just choose the fair trade ones. I try to avoid packaged food – but I still love a bag of potato chips, I just go for the biggest bag so I get less packaging for more chips. I still eat meat, I just try make better choices…

• Social vegetarian: I am a self-defined social vegetarian. When I am out for a meal I will always choose the vegetarian or vegan menu option. Not only does it make it easier to choose, but it makes me a lot more adventurous with plant based meals, and gives me some great inspiration for cooking at home. Choosing a plant based menu item also helps to show the eatery that there is demand for it.

• Pick a day: Meat free Mondays (www.meatfreemonday.org.nz) is a global movement encouraging people to eat vegetarian or vegan on a Monday. Clearly it doesn’t have to be a Monday, but sometimes marking out a specific day or meal each week to be meat and or dairy free can be a great option.

• Go further: Serving up smaller portions or padding out meat dishes with extra plant based ingredients is a great way to make meat go further. I will do things like add extra veggies and lentils to mince dishes or make sure I do a substantial plant based side dish like a potato bake or a roast pumpkin salad to fill people up. Not only does it save some money but it’s a great way to up our veggie intake.

• Buy better: When it comes to meat, I like to be mindful of what I’m buying and who I’m buying from. I’m lucky enough to be able to shop at a local butcher. I love that they handle everything from farming and processing to curing and selling. They’re big on regenerative farming practices and animal welfare. Their meat is great quality, but understandably it is more expensive. So, I balance that out by buying and eating less, I also eat nose to tail as much as possible so that we’re not paying for premium cuts of meat.

Eating a more plant based diet is a really big win when it comes to reducing our impact but isn’t an all or nothing game. It’s about doing what we can with where we’re at.