Part-Time Vegetarians

I BELIEVE YOU CAN BE A FLEXITARIAN. I'm a full time vegan and I've been that way since I was 5. But anyone who wants to be a part time vegetarian/vegan should do it. If this means they eat less meat and dairy and the demand goes down than less animals get butchered.

Interesting fact: Practicing Eastern Orthodox Christians could be considered flexitarians as they usually fast from meat and dairy over 200 days out of the year. Almost every Wednesday and Friday is a fast day. Prior to Christmas there is a Nativity fast lasting 40 days and prior to Easter (Pascha) there is a Lenten fast lasting more than 50 days. Then there are smaller fasts like the Dormition of St. Mary (2 weeks) and the Apostles Fast (up to 2 weeks depending on the date of Pascha). Some fasts, like the Apostles Fast, allow fish, but most of them are strict (no meat, dairy, alcohol, or oil). Fasting is good for mind, body, spirit, and environment!

in response to billybobdupree, I hope you were joking - anyone who thinks they are helping to not waste animal flesh by eating the meat of skinned animals is sadly mistaken. It does not work that way! Also, calling fur and leather beautiful is appalling - fur is only beautiful on the animal it grew on.
By the way I am a vegan and so I do not wear leather or fur - vegans do not consume animal products of any kind in any way! It was strange the way you phrased that - like an accusation to vegans because you mistakenly think a vegan/vegetarian would wear leather. In any case, I would advise anyone & everyone to greatly reduce (or the best case, avoid altogether) meat and dairy products both because they are unhealthy and unsanitary and alsi because they are cruel industries.

I've been saying for a long time: if everyone ate a tenth of the meat they do now, it would seriously curtail (if not eliminate) factory farming. Those who advocate against animal cruelty should embrace flexitarianism, as opposed to politicized anti-meat ranting that alienates two people for every one it brings over to their side. Meat is not "evil"; at least not compared to overconsumption and unsustainable (meat or non-meat) farming practices.

About 2 years ago a friend of mine started educating me on Organic foods. I thought Organic food was for hippies! It's all about becoming aware. The more I learned, the more I got into it and started informing my own friends and family. Today, I only shop at Whole Foods and my local Farmer's Market. I read books, and watch videos to become more aware of "what" I'm really eating. Today, through what I have learned, I will NOT eat red meat, or pork. I have read about and watched how animals on factory farms are raised and the torture that is inflicted on these poor animals by slaughter house workers - they seem to do it for their own amusement, in many cases. They literally torture these animals, talk about, it and laugh about it after. It's not just as simple as a slit of the throat! A great quote from a great book: "Skinny Bitch", is "if slaughter houses had windows, we would all be vegetarians". How true. I have watched videos... These animals live in terrible conditions from the day they are born. They are beaten and tortured until - FINALLY - they meet their death. All I can say is, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! I do consider myself a flexitarian. I will eat Poultry, IF AND ONLY IF it is raised "ORGANIC" and the label "claims" that it's raised "HUMAIN". Also, I will eat seafood ONLY through LEGAL /SUSTAINABLE fishing practice (found at Whole Foods). My small justification for this is that seafood, at least, gets to "live" free in the ocean... up until it is caught. There is NO torture applied to these creatures (in some cases, yes), and years of suffering and confinement enforced on them. I also only drink ORGANIC Soy Milk, and eat very little ORGANIC cheese (yucky stuff comes from factory dairy cows... stuff you can't even imagine. Stuff you are consuming and not even aware of.) Become aware! I NEVER knew what I was REALLY eating - it NEVER even crossed my mind - until I became AWARE! I am athletic and lift weights! I NEED my protein. But I can honestly say that I enjoy my vegetarian (even Vegan) meals. I read Oxygen magazine and I follow a "clean eating" diet (this mag has the BEST recipes!!). I can feel the difference. I feel healthy (no red meat and pork). My digestion is on track again! Plus there are so many environmental issues that go along with factory farming. Global Warming anyone (it's just a theory)? What about our soil? Our water? This is why I eat Organic - NO CHEMICALS in my body or on our planet! Also, lets face it. America is FAT. All the chemicals being consumed in meats, dairy, and all the chemicals being sprayed on crops, get built up in our systems and SLOW DOWN our METABOLISM. Anyways, it's a lifestyle choice for ME. That's all that matters. I chose to become AWARE. These are MY beliefs. I own them. There is logical reasoning (in my head, at least ) behind every reason for why I will or will not eat something. I do not claim to be a vegetarian. I

I wanted to jump in again and say I agree with bduffy's second paragraph (of course not that I can guarantee their agreement with everything I will say). As a vegan, I have to be disciplined, and I don't always get the "treats" when everyone else does. Maybe I'd like something sweet too when everyone is having cake for the office birthday party, but I can, and have to, wait. Eating something that came from an animal goes against my morals, so to break down and eat it is being untrue to myself. I think this is something non-veg*ns, and even veg*ns for health reasons can't really grasp. Veganism is deeply important to me, something I'm incredibly passionate about. It is akin to a religion (although I do realize there are distinctions). So while some people can scoff and say it's just what I eat, it's a large part of my personal code of ethics, so it is a big deal.

why go with out eating?..what ever happened to hotdogs and beans..or a great big cheeseburger...i am skinny because i hate to eat a bunch of fancy foods, and at my age i only need i meal a day..and lots of water to drink..these kind of storys crack me up...

I have been feeding my family of 5 this way for over a year now. I believe to associate it with vegan or vegetarianism is offensive to those groups though. If you eat meat products, you are not a vegetarian. I do not claim to be one. I feel it would be difficult for me personally to raise my children in a healthy way without some animal-derived products... dairy in particular. I have a high degree of respect for those who can commit completely to the vegan way of life. I also think that the frugal use of dairy products, and even meat a few times a week can be a healthy way to feed my family. Why must we put a label on everything? Of course Less Bad Junk in the diet is better than More Bad Junk. One cookie is always a better choice than six. And on the cruelty issue, until I learned to butcher and process and store the carcass of a deer myself, I did suffer guilt. I now feel that in the event of a socio/eoconomic breakdown.... our family would be fed.

While I sort of agree with some of the ideas here, I take issue with the statement that it's just too darn hard to be a vegetarian. I think if a person is interested in going vegetarian they should go "the whole hog" at first and be really strict with themselves to find out just how much of a commitment it is. I think the downfall of flexitarianism is that any sort of diet restriction requires discipline, even being a part time vegetarian. I think the line between eating meat regularly and only eating it occasionally can become too easily blurred, and I've seen a lot of people just break down their resolve and start eating meat all the time again.

Being a vegetarian is NOT that hard in this day and age. Almost every single major restaurant chain has at least one vegetarian option or something that could be modified to become vegetarian. Sure, it means that you have to think of your health, your ethics, the environment before your taste buds, but being committed to a cause always means following some kind of guidelines. I was a vegetarian for ten years and never had any problems with daily life, eating out or traveling and I adjusted my tastes. If I had a craving for something I would compensate with a substitute. Now I am a vegan and I truly appreciate the idea of putting my ethics before my taste buds. I can't just eat a cookie whenever I see one or feel like eating one. I have to wait until the point when I can buy a vegan one or bake at home. The sacrifice of doing this, of saying, my silly indulgence is not worth going against my morals has been very satisfying, much more so than actually eating that cookie. Yes, special diets require more planning and discipline, but I fail to see how that is a bad thing. I think indulgence is one of the major pitfalls of our society.

If a person decides to be a flexitarian, I think the main point to emphasize is that you have to have some sort of commitment or guideline to follow. Do you live vegetarian on a day to day basis and indulge only on hoiidays, or do you eat meat only once a week? Having a disciplined idea and understanding the reasoning behind what you are doing and what sort of impact you are making with your choices is probably the best way to go. Eating a primarily plant-based diet is the healthiest diet and in the past people did not eat anywhere near as much meat as modern Americans do, and I think it would be great if more people decided to take a look at how much meat they are consuming and it's impact on the world.

I think that the PETA representative's argument is way off-base. I think we can all agree that, if you have to do something, it is better to do it moderation than in excess. Yet, she argues that you may as well smoke 10 packs a day if you're going to smoke 2--I think even doctors would disagree with this!

I guess I would be a "flexitarian." I don't eat much meat, and there are certain types of meat I won't eat at all (mostly because I went to a lot of petting zoos as a kid and can't bring myself to eat the animals I once petted). I think the food-lifestyle you choose is purely your choice, and we should respect the choices others make as long as they respect ours as well. I had a vegetarian roommate who didn't complain when I would eat meat around her, and I never ordered anything but cheese pizza while I was living with her so that she could share in it.

It is silly to think your decision to or not to eat meat is better than anyone else's.

Here is my problem with this article, and forgive me if someone has already said this. I'm vegan, and I have no disillusions that the entire world will join me any time soon. Some people eat meat. Some people don't. I don't agree with people who call themselves a vegetarian one day, though, and have a burger later in the week. It confuses people who aren't familiar with vegetarianism about what IS vegetarian, and it makes dedicated veg*ns appear wishy-washy. I agree with saying why not just call it "moderation." It doesn't need a cute little name so that everyone will jump on the trendy bandwagon.

This is a great article! I can attest to the success of being a "flexitarian" not only in regards to my health, but also in my ability to persuade people to consider giving up meat. I tried veganism, but couldn't maintain my energy during intense training; it was expensive and complex. Furthermore, people I speak to are more open to reducing their meat intake rather than cutting out meat completely. Ultimately, I think that does more good for everyone.

Everyone should look at the Christian Orthodox (i.e, Grek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, etc.) practice of fasting. On a fast day (and periodic long fasts during the year,) Orthodox Christians eat no meat, dairy. It works out that they will eat a vegan diet for about 6 months of the year.

(FINAL) PART 4:
2) While this second point is not directly related to the article, it is an interesting add to many of the comment discussions. I didn't read every single comment posted, but I did read many and only 1 of all those I read mentioned the opposite environmental concern regarding vegetarianism ... the potential for overproduction and overconsumption of corn and soy based products. This is one challenge I had with my switch in eating practices - when I was strictly avoiding meat I realized that I was often solely relying on processed soy products to feel like I was "getting my protein." Again, this comes back to education - learning/knowing how to balance a diet correctly with a multitude of fresh foods. I don't know enough about the world's current state of soy production, but I do know a bit about the challenges of the corn industry (this topic is the one I saw mentioned in a previous comment) and I'd hate for soy production to head that route. Plants and agriculture are good for the environment and good for people - in a huge variety of ways - food source for living creatures, health/stability for creatures and the earth (think: oxygen production, planet cooling, and that naturally humans mentally crave nature), etc. However, both need to be managed wisely for all components to successfully work together. Similarly, animals (domestic and wild) are good for the environment and good for people - in a huge variety fo ways - food source for living creatures, health/stability for creatures and the earth (think: benefits of natural manure, transportation, human enjoyment, ecosystem necessity - keystone species), etc. However, domestic and wild animals need to be managed wisely for all components to work. Am I advocating that people manage all aspects of the Earth, of course not, but in places where people have a presence management of living and nonliving resources is imperative to our health and the health of the Earth. So for those commenting about evils of meat consumption to our planet (that's an exaggerating paraphrase ... see point #1, please, and don't get offended!) ... I caution to not forget to evaulate the impacts that ALL our actions and choices can have.
Vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, convenient vegetarian, omnivores, and carniovores aside we all have the obligation to our health and the health of our planet to educate ourselves, talk to each other respectfully, compromise without compromising our values or others values, understand, and work together to make smart, sustainable, reasonable choices.

(Who knew a "silly" article I saw linked on my hotmail page would inspire me to a paragraphs long comment?!?! I guess some kudos to Karen Springen are in order.)

PART 3:
1) I find it very amusing that many people get up in arms about terminology. Yes, terminology is important for making distinctions and communicating, but I think an ounce of forgiveness/acceptance would go a long way in an idealistic step towards peace. That may sound corny, but really, wouldn't our relationships, our dealings with others (on a personal and global scale) be that much more peaceful if we didn't spend so much time nit-picking the words people occassionally use to describe themselves and/or others. I have called myself a "convenient vegetarian" - I very much realize that I'm not a "true" vegetarian anymore because I'm eating fish and may occassionally eat other meat products. I thought "convenient vegetarian" was a somewhat funny name to describe myself - honestly, I've haven't quite figured out if I'm "convenient" for myself or "convenient" for others. Regardless, when people ask about my eating habits (and this discussion is somewhat frequent especially if they know where I work - a zoo) telling them is a great lead to conversation about why I've choosen my eating habits. So for those on both sides of the argument referenced in this article .... is it *really* that important that we nit-pick over exact wording on a topic such as this? Maybe our efforts are better spent elsewhere.

PART 2:
Anyway, I was strict for about 8 months, but due to a couple factors decided it wasn't quite right for me. I added fish back into my diet - however, I don't eat a lot of it and I only purchase seafood listed as sustainabe according to the NOAA and/or Seafood Watch Sustainable Seafood programs (if you don't know about this, do your research - I believe it's essential for seafood eaters to protect the health of our oceans and in the process our own health as well). I also decided that I would stay committed to heavily veggie and fruit lifestyle, but would not turn down meat containing meals cooked by other people (ie. when I am invited to dinner or am offered a non-self-ordered meal plate during a conference dinner, etc.). I've been calling myself a convenient vegetarian. That's the background on me and if you're still reading this comment :) here are the two points I'd like to bring up:

PART 1:
For about two years I've been a "vegetarian" ... I had been considering the committment for close to a year, but was waiting to be finished with my graduate degree so that I could read more about the lifestyle and really learn how to balance my diet without including meat. However, I watched Fast Food Nation and, though I eat fast food on only a rare occurance, the visuals of the slaughterhouses and killng techniques pushed me over the edge - I stopped eating meat immediately. For about 8 months I was very strict about being true to what I ate, unfortunately I hadn't had much time to research how to "do it right" and I did feel my body was feeling the effects of a poorly balanced diet (note: I'm not saying you can't balance your diet as a vegetarian, I just didn't know how to do it! Finding this balance of vegetables with protein and the right nutrients/vitamins is essential and if you don't learn how to do it, it is difficult - I think this may be the underlying challenge that many new or attempting vegetarians face).

I've been a vegetarian for several years....my father and I were cattle ranchers, i was all about "Eat Beef...." blah, blah, blah. I quit for environmental, animal mal-treatment, and health reasons (too much GIRD). I think this article represents a good step in the right direction, but I agree with most of the posters that people who do occassionally consume some amount of fish and/or poultry should NOT consider themselves vegetarians. I really feel that people should not judge or make issue with someone who does not eat meat in public gatherings (who gives a !#%!%# what someone eats).

Who knows, perhaps a hundred years from now the people in our civilization will look back on meat-eaters and think "What Barbarians!".

You all need to have a little more respect for people who will cut back on meat. Any little bit will help save animals and the environment. For so many it is just never going to happen that they would become a vegetarian or even care how much meat they eat. SO you vegetarians, big deal on being called a vegetarian. Good for you and all, I do commend it, it is hard, but don't be all snooty toooty and upset with people who are trying to better themselves, the animals and the environment by cutting back on meat.