With meat becoming harder to find in grocery stores, people are looking for new ways to get their protein.
When you can't get your hands on chicken or steak, there are countless options to fill the void.
"If you're going meatless, eggs, beans or legumes or some nuts and seeds, those are some other options for meat," says Daphne Olivier, a registered dietitian in Lafayette.
While the real thing is flying off the shelves, you can still find plenty of pretty close replicas in the stores.
Jessica Ellis, who has been vegan for about a year, shared her favorite.
"Go for the Beyond burger," says Ellis. "When you pull it out of the package it looks like a burger patty. Put it on the grill, or I put it in the frying pan. It even has juice like a normal burger. It smells like it, tastes like it."
This can satisfy a major craving when there might seem no better option, but dietitian Daphne Olivier says be cautious not to overeat any meat substitutes.
"They're usually highly processed, so it's not a whole lot different than having a chicken nugget or a chicken patty. Just because it's high in protein doesn't mean it's a good option for you," says Olivier.
Most meat eaters worry that without it, they won't feel full. Both Jessica and Daphne say there are plenty of healthy fats and food that grows straight from the ground that will fill you up.
"Mushrooms are really good. You can make a mushroom steak," says Ellis.
"Some good healthy fats. Olives, some avocado, even coconut. Those things can fill you up, and also fiber is really filling," says Olivier, who also has some tips on making the meat you do have last longer.
"For the meat that you have there are some things you can be doing to make it last longer like a soup or a stew where of course you'd be adding some vegetables and some beans to it. Also some stir fries or mixing up whatever meats you have with some eggs in an omelet. So using what you have to expand it and feed more people by adding different types of vegetables to it is a great idea," says Olivier.
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