Weight-loss techniques can halve meat consumption, Oxford trial finds

A trial found that setting daily meat reduction goals and keeping an online diary of intake helped frequent meat eaters cut their consumption in nine weeks.

The routine was popular with participants who felt it supported them to change their diet.

Many people want to reduce their meat consumption due to health or environmental reasons. Leap researchers wondered if tapping into psychological principles employed by weight-loss apps could help boost resolve.

They developed an online platform called the Optimise meat tracker, which was designed to tackle individuals' meat intake through self-regulation. Try a new vegetarian recipe, or eat no processed meat, if you log on and pick one meat reduction strategy from a list to focus on. They report on the next morning how much fish, poultry, red and processed meat they consumed. They are given feedback on how they have done.

The approach is based on self-regulation theory, which states that people monitor and contextualise their own behavior, reflect on it in relation to their goals, and try to modify it in response to feedback.

We know that people underestimate the amount of meat they eat, the health and environmental impacts of their meat consumption, and that our meat-eating habits are strongly engrained. The process of self-regulation tries to tap into all of that, according to the leader of the research.

To test the theory, researchers recruited British adults who ate meat at least five times a week but wanted to reduce their consumption. The participants received feedback on the health and environmental impact of their daily meat intake. Half of them were told to use the app for four weeks, followed by a second month when they were told to reduce their meat consumption on their own.

The other group was not given any further guidance on how to reduce their meat consumption.

Both groups reduced their meat consumption. After the first month, the intervention group reduced their daily intake from the equivalent of two average sized burgers or three to four sausages, to 96g, and to 107g after the second month, a 52% reduction.

Stewart said that there were small, manageable strategies which showed us that reducing our meat intake doesn't have to be hard.

After two months, the control group reduced their daily intake from 231g to 122g, a 47% reduction.

Many participants mentioned in their feedback that the self-monitoring aspect was an eye-opener and made them realise they ate much more meat than they realised.

Stewart's team has finished a second study that produced the same results. Leap researchers are discussing the future development of the Optimise website, which is available for people to use.