Flexitarianism: Vegetarianism For Slackers

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But that’s a good thing. Some vegetarians are absolutists when it comes to avoiding meat, usually for moral reasons. But if you are inclined toward vegetarianism simply because you think the world eats too much meat, and it is killing the planet (both true), then all you have to do is eat LESS meat. You can start easy, and just cut back on meat. Or go big, and eat a lot less meat. Either way, you are doing a good thing.

I headed in this direction about a year ago, and started by cutting out most red meat. I called myself a “bipedal vegetarian” for laughs (meaning I would only eat meat that ambulated on two feet, as in turkeys and chickens). That was pretty easy, so I got rid of the two-footers too, and started to think of myself as a vegetarian. But not wanting to be righteous or absolutist (which gives vegetarians a bad name) I would always happily eat beef or chicken if that was what I was served at someone’s house. In fact, I welcomed the occasional fix of juicy, red steak. There was one problem, though: my wife–a Brazilian, which means a ravenous meat-eater–would always scorn my so-called vegetarianism. So I was happy to discover that there is another label for the meat moderators of the world: flexitarian.

It’s not a great label (and flexitarians no doubt would welcome an improved and hipper label), but it’s an excellent state of being. So if there are any would-be flexitarians out there, I offer this useful kick-starter guide to eating less meat from EcoSalon:

Call it flexitarianism, conscious meat consumption, or low meat eating, lots of people are saving the flesh for special occasions and adopting a veg-centric diet. If you’ve been thinking about going vegetarian or vegan for the planet, but you really like meat and think you’ll miss it, or you’re worried that your nutrition will suffer, or you don’t want to subject your entire family to an extreme change, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be black and white…

[snip]…The first step is to change your mindset from thinking of meat as the center of the plate and shift your shopping and cooking habits. It starts at that all-important moment when you’re thinking of what to make for dinner. Train your brain to build the meal around grains, beans, and vegetables, instead of a pork chop. There are many ways to do this and none of them are difficult.

Read on to initiate yourself as a newly-fledged flexitarian. You will feel a lot healthier, a lot more in tune with the planet, and your spouse won’t taunt you every time you tuck into a T-bone. HowCast also has some advice: