Vegan

i've been trying for the last decade or so as well and i think i will have to make peace with the fact that i'm never going to fully succeed; only minimize as much as possible.

i think that lentils are the closest thing to a meat replacement you can find; but they usually have a lot of carbohydrates. the fiber and protein helps a little bit in keeping the glucose level down and adding in fats/oils while cooking/preparation helps too; but i find that i sometimes have to pair it with meat to give my pancreas the break it needs.

some lentils are better than others and i place emphasis on the good ones to help me stay away from meat; but all the best & most delicious lentil recipes i know have been handed down through the generations and only seem to work with the "less better" lentils like pinto beans. (vegan and vegetarian restaurants have great recipes, but they're expensive and sometimes won't share their recipes).