We Finns love our themed month-long challenges, of which Off-meat October is a good example. The idea of a meatless month was originally forwarded by the duo of Madventures, Riku Rantala and Tuomas Milonoff. Riku Rantala was challenged to be a vegetarian for a month, and he wanted to challenge others as well. The first year of Off-meat October in 2013 was a huge success, and since then almost everyone has known what you are talking about when you mention the phrase.
That’s how I came to be a vegetarian two years ago. I had been intrigued by vegetarianism for quite some time, but the challenge really made me realize how I felt about it personally. Since then, I haven’t looked back.
The first week of the challenge was probably the hardest one, as I had little idea how to cook balanced plant-based meals. Recipe sites helped me a lot, and so did my already-vegetarian friends. Even though it felt challenging at first, I was really motivated to make it work. And the challenge mentality made my competitive arse stick to it.
If you are interested in trying out the challenge, for whatever reason (health, the environment, sustainability, love of animals, curiosity…), here are my top tips for the month ahead:
- Search for recipe ideas online. There are endless ideas, and you can find tips for turning your favorite meaty foods into vegetarian versions as well. These are my go-to sites:
– http://www.vegaaniliitto.fi/www/fi/arki/ruoka/reseptit (in Finnish)
– https://tasty.co/search?q=vegetarian (in English)
– https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/vegetarian/ (in English)
- Stick to what you know at first. You don’t have to know how to make tofu, zucchini noodles or raw cakes right away (I don’t even know how to make those things yet…). If you like pasta, try to make Bolognese sauce with vegetables or soy mince instead of beef. If you like hamburgers, try the vegetarian version of a burger patty. There are many possibilities.
- If you find yourself jumping from a heavily meat-induced diet to one with only vegetables and legumes, worry not. There are plenty of substitutes for meat nowadays, such as pulled oats, härkis, soy mince, et cetera. The grocery stores usually dedicate a complete shelf to these kinds of products. Utilize them!
- Don’t give up after a few meals. A different diet always feels radical at first, but once it becomes a habit, you won’t fret about it anymore. And even though your food may taste weird or unpleasant at the beginning of your vegetarian or vegan journey, your taste palate will adjust if you give it time.
- Use spices! Seasoning is everything with vegetarian and vegan food. Even though vegetables have nice flavors, the food may taste a bit bland without a generous amount of spices. The spices I always have in my pantry include vegetable stock, salt and pepper, chili, cumin, Tex-Mex seasoning, turmeric and curry powder.
- Finally, remember that you don’t have to be perfect. If you wish to eat more sustainably, healthily or show your love of animals through your diet, you can eat veggie food a couple days a week if leaving meat out completely seems too difficult for you. That already is making a difference.
So, if you decide to accept the challenge, good luck with that!