Looking to cut back on meat without going vegan? These 5 simple tips and plant-based recipe ideas make it easy to eat less meat and enjoy more plant-based meals—no sacrifice needed. You’ll lighten your planetary footprint, and gain health benefits as a side bonus.

If you’ve been thinking about cutting back on meat but aren’t sure where to start, you’re not alone. More people than ever are exploring flexible eating habits that put plants front and center—without going fully vegetarian or vegan. Whether your goal is better health, a smaller environmental footprint, or just trying new recipes, eating less meat can be both satisfying and sustainable. Discover my five easy, practical ways to reduce your meat intake and add more delicious plant-based foods to your daily routine—no extremes, just real-life changes that stick.

As a plant-based dietitian and nutrition expert, these are the tips that I recommend in my books, presentations, and interviews. I find these simple steps so simple and practical that anyone can follow them. And it’s so important to reduce meat intake, as Americans are top consumers across the world, and research shows that reducing animal foods—especially red meat and dairy—and eating more plant-based meals is one of the most powerful things we can do over our lifetimes to protect the planet by reducing carbon emissions, water and land usage, and eutrophication. Replacing animal foods with more healthy plant proteins can also reduce your risk of chronic leases, such as heart disease, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity. EAT-Lancet reports that Americans need to reduce their meat intake by 82% to meet our climate and health goals. So, what are you waiting for? Dive in with my five easy steps to go more meatless.

My 5 Simple Tips to Eat More Plant-Based

1. Make Breakfast Plant-Based
One easy way to cut meat from your diet is to just omit it at the breakfast table—clean and easy. After al, who misses meat at breakfast, when you have so many wonderful plant-based options, such as steel cut oats bowls, whole grain pancakes or waffles, fruit muffins, and veggie breakfast burritos!

2. Make Your Favorite Meals Meatless
One of my favorite tips is to make a list of your favorite dinner recipes, from chili and curry to lasagna and tacos. Then think of ways to swap out the animal foods, such as meat, cheese, cream, and eggs, for plants. It can be a fun challenge, and often times so easy. You can find so many meat substitutes to replace virtually every type of meat, and you can also swap out meat in many recipes for tofu, tempeh, beans, and lentils. Check out my recipes for spaghetti, burritos, enchiladas, chili rellenos, tacos, and chili for inspiration.

3. Call upon Global Cuisine for Inspiration
Some cultural foodways—Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Ethiopian—really know how to do plant-based cooking right! If you’re afraid that your plant-based meals will be boring, just remember how delicious Indian chana masala, Vietnamese vegetable pho, or Mexican black beans are! That’s right—most cultures based their food traditions on plants. Even America has its own delicious, plant-based food traditions, such as beans and rice, black-eyed peas and cornbread, and even peanut butter, bananas and toast! So, do get inspired by traditional diets and recipes centered around plants.

4. Don’t Over-Complicate Things
Sometimes all of that chopping and recipe following may seem complicated, when you ponder cooking plant-based meals. I hear this complaint from so many people who are fearful of going more plant-based. But it doesn’t have to be that hard! Make it easy on yourself. Just think of simple meals you can put together in minutes: black bean tostadas (try the recipe in my book Plant-Powered for Life), hummus with pita and veggies, and canned chili beans with whole grain bread. You can also try using fresh vegetables, which are already trimmed and ready to add, bagged or prepared veggies, canned beans, and pre-cooked grains to make meals lickety-split. Meal prep is a great way to save time, too.

5. Don’t Think No; Think Yes!
You may be thinking that skipping meat will mean you’re missing out on something. But there are more than 40,000 edible plant species on the planet—and for each species there are sometimes thousands of varieties! Just think at the variety of heirloom tomatoes, for example, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Plants offer an endless array of sizes, flavors, colors, textures, and aromas. You can never be bored with plants! My books provide you with all the inspiration you need to go meatless.

Discover More Tips for Eating Plant-Based

How to Spring Clean Your Diet with Fresh Eating Tips
10 Easy and Delicious Tips for Making a Meal Out of a Can of Beans
8 Non-Scale Diet Tips from Dietitians
Get the Benefits of a High Fiber Plant-Based Diet
5 Tips for Green Eating

Top 10 Beginner Plant-Based Meals

Check out my favorite beginner plant-based meal recipes to get started.

Vegan Bolognese with Lentils and Walnuts
Black Beans and Rice Vegan Bowl
Vegan Tamale Pie
Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos
Chipotle Black Bean Burger
Snow Peas and Seitan Vegetable Stir Fry
Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
Noodle Bowl with Thai Tofu and Vegetables
Spicy Hummus Veggie Tacos
Edamame Bok Choy Rice Bowl