Part-Time Vegetarians

Grass fed meat and pasturized chicken is extremely healthly and excellent for the environment.
It is factory/corn/soy-fed meat that is the problem for health and bad for the environment the way it is practiced.
Read "REAL FOOD, what to eat and why" by Nina Planck for a good, clear and even inspring explanation of the health benefits of grass-fed animal products. The DVD King Corn exposes the problems with our corn-based industrial food chain.

Why is so much of this article about vegetarians eating meat again and things like Madison believing it's rude to turn down meat? I thought the whole point of flexitarian was to promote a reduction in meat intake amongst people who eat meat. Flexitarian really has nothing to do with vegetarians. Trying to make the case that vegetarians should eat meat again actually increases the overall meat consumption and hurts the environment (since 18% of all greenhouse gasses come from meat production - more than all forms of transportation in the world combined.)

You either are or are not a vegetarian. This whole part-time vegetarian is fake. As far as I know, most people who become vegetarian do so for ethical reasons, not because they just don't feel like eating meat for a week. There are terms for people who eat meat and vegetables. It is called being an omnivore. How hard is it to call oneself that instead of making up some stupid label to make yourself feel special.

It can be easy to be a vegetarian if you know what foods contain animal products in them. Being a vegetarian, I also buy products that don't use animal by-products. There are tons of companies that make them, that are not expensive and are very good in quality. I also buy shoes not made of leather, which are easy to find and can be the same price as other leather shoes. It isn't just about not eating meat, but a lifestyle that one adopts.

People who claim to be a vegetarian, but still eat fish, call yourself a pescetarian. People who also eat chicken and fish, you are an omnivore.

Being or not being vegetarian is a black and white concept. If you eat any meat at all, you're not a vegetarian. People are being silly/stupid when they use that term to describe their diet when they actually partake in meat once in awhile.

Being a vegan is extremely easy, especially with all the vegan food available now. I was very disappointed in this article because it was very one sided and did not accurately depict why people choose to go vegetarian or vegan in the first place. There was some mention of health reasons and the environment but it seemed to just be thrown in there without actually putting in facts and quotes from REAL VEGANS! Factory farming is barbaric, animals are tortured and killed in the most heinous fashion. And yes it is also horrible for the environment to consume animal products. This article seemed like it was written by a meat eater who just did their limited research questioning other meat eaters and maybe one real vegan. It seemed like the writer was too scared to talk about valid reasons for going vegan because then they would have to take some moral responsibility for still continuing to eat meat. Very biased article!

In one instance the author claims it SO hard to be a vegetarian all the time. Then in another they discuss how easy it is to eat more vegetarian meals because they are readily available nowadays and most people are eating more veg food than they even realize. Make up your mind. This article stinks.

This article was junk. The author was so biased against a vegetarian diet it made me want to throw up. What happen to the day when journalists would present the facts on both sides and let the reader come to their own conclusions? This person likes to say over and over that vegetarians can't stick to eating only vegetarian, they like to go back to eating fish, chicken, etc. I've been an ethical vegetarian for 13 yrs, never wanted meat again!

This article was junk. The author was so biased against a vegetarian diet it made me want to throw up. What happen to the day when journalists would present the facts on both sides and let the reader come to their own conclusions? This person likes to say over and over that vegetarians can't stick to eating only vegetarian, they like to go back to eating fish, chicken, etc. I've been an ethical vegetarian for 13 yrs, never wanted meat again!

Yeah I know being a vegetarian is better for my health, ethical, better for the environment, but I just can't do it. So I'll be a "mostly vegetarian" and pat myself on the back for being a "mostly good" person.

ETHICAL COWARDICE!!!

I have been a flexitarian for 20 years for many reasons (health, environment, ethics). I never eat beef, pork or chicken, but infrequently eat tiny portions of tuna and salmon (monthly?). I find that I eat a lot more fruit, vegetables and nuts, as meat crowded out other foods. It???s rare to go to a restaurant that doesn???t have something I can eat, but I don???t eat out a lot because of the salt/fat/sugar. I applaud all of those who make positives changes. Some of my friends and relatives who were rude or abusive about my choices are now following in my footsteps as they are having more health problems.Some of my relatives and friends who used reducing or eliminating meat consumption.

Good article. This is exactly how I eat, after finding that colon cancer runs in my family. Usually, I have meat on weekends, sometimes only one day a week, and more often chicken than red meat. The rest of the time, it's vegetables, fruit, cheeses, sometimes eggs, and sometimes fish. If I am offered a hamburger, I eat it, but I make up for it by skipping meat for several days in a row.

Personally, the thought of becoming a vegetarian tomorrow, for instance, is incredibly intimidating and I think that many people find it difficult to make such a commitment on a whim. However, what most don't realize is that cutting back meat consumption even slightly is good for your health as well as the environment - you don???t really need to label your dieting habits, just practice them. I actually work for the Meatless Monday campaign and we advocate cutting back your saturated fat intake by 15% (one day out of 7) to lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. For those wanting to make the adjustment to their diet but don???t know if they can, try by going meatless on Mondays. We also have a ton of great recipe ideas ??? just go to www.meatlessmonday.com/recipearchive.

I have no interest in cutting back on meat, nor do I applaude those who do so for shallow cultural reasons or because they mistakenly believe that they are saving the world. I'm a big beleiver in liberty and have no problem with people not eating meat or engaging in other quaint behavior so long as they don't attempt to foist their views on the rest of society.

I stopped eating animals 35 years ago - because I realized I didn't have a right to kill an animal - or put a contract on one by buying meat products - simply because they were tasty when prepare a certain way. I started getting my selfish ego under control when I was 24 years old. It is the ego which tells us we have a right to kill a fellow creature to satisfy our taste buds. This world would be much better off all our souls won the battle with our egos.

I've been following this mode of eating for years, due to fact that I don't actually enjoy cooking meat but do like to eat it every once in a while (maybe six times a year). My partner is what he calls a four-leg-aterian, which is basically devoid of mammal meat but includes poultry and fish in moderation. Most vegetarians I know are flexible as far as fish goes. I feel healthy and satisfied eating this way.

Reading that even most vegetarians can't completely abstain from meat, I feel lucky that eating no animals at all is something that I can do. I find it easy. For my first 15 years of abstention, I ate a few bites of chicken or fish, but for my second 15 years, up til now, I'm never tempted. Never. There are dozens of reasons to abstain from eating animals, and to those who proudly brag that you'll eat whatever you want to eat, I've read that human flesh, properly fricasseed, is absolutely delicious. Bon appetit! -- signed, Jonathan Swift

Vegetarianism is not a religion, nor is it a physical condition - it???s a choice. Anyone, ANYONE who consciously chooses to eat less meat is helping themselves, helping the planet, reducing the sum total of suffering in the world and generating compassion. I???ve been a vegetarian for 20 years now and I find the concept of ???flexitarianism??? very heartening.