How to Break a Meat Addiction

A meat addiction is one of the biggest things that stops people from being able to make the move to a cruelty free diet. More and more people now want to make the change to a meat free diet for various reasons but the main thing that is holding them back is that they love meat so much, they've been eating it for their entire life and they feel like they couldn't live without it.

Many refuse to acknowledge the existence of meat addictions and just expect people to completely change their diet overnight from full meat to complete plant based - for most people this just isn't possible at all and the majority of people who do try to go cruelty free this way will start to develop cravings for meat products and eventually go back. It takes time and dedication, it's not something most people can do overnight.

Breaking a meat addiction may seem impossible, but it is possible. Here's how:

1) Realise that it is an addiction. It's much easier to fight an addiction once you realise that it is one, tell yourself that those cravings for steak and bacon are due to an addiction, they aren't what you actually want, their just what your body is telling you it wants.

2) Make small changes. The biggest mistake that people make when cutting out meat is to dive straight into the deep end and completely deprive themselves of all meat products overnight. For the majority of people this method will not work and they will soon find themselves craving meat products and will eventually fail and resort back to meat. Instead start by making small changes, don't make a complete dietary change overnight - start small by just swapping out the products you would normally eat like changing burgers and nuggets for plant based alternatives such as veggie burgers, faux meat products and tofu. Although faux meat products are often given a bad name, they are vital for making the change - after a few months of consuming these products instead you'll notice that you're no longer experiencing the same kind of cravings for meat and if you chose to it'll then be much easier for you to go without them entirely.

3) Remember why you are doing it. Another reason why people often give up and go back is that they lose track of why the are doing it. Always keep in your head why you're making the change, whether it's for the animals, for the environment or for your health. Think about those animals' faces, even making small changes to your vocabulary like calling it "a chicken's wings", rather than "chicken wings" can make it a lot easier to lose your appetite for it.

It's a lot easier to stick to it when you know why you are doing so.

4) Try to change your mental attitude. The best way to stop a craving is to convince yourself that it is wrong. When you start to develop cravings for meat products, think about what goes into making that product. When you see bacon, don't think of it is as food - think of it as an animal's corpse.

Over time, thinking about it enough will make you lose the appetite to eat that product.

Going cruelty free is a journey, not an instant change. We all fall on the way, it's nothing to beat yourself up over. You don't even have to go completely cruelty free at once either, try taking it slow - first cut out meat, then slowly reduce your consumption of other products such as dairy and eggs. You can even try things like "meatless monday" or only eating plant based for certain meals. For most people once they get into the habit of eating more cruelty free foods and less meat foods it becomes much easier to cut them out entirely.