The Path Away from an Omnivorous Lifestyle

Evidence continues to accumulate that eating substantial amounts of meat is detrimental to health, the environment, and possibly to global social stability, as valuable land and water resources are rapidly depleted to support vast numbers of animals.

Last year, after deciding to limit my meat-eating, I began to shift to a primarily plant-based diet. After joining Weight Watchers to get off some pesky pounds, I discovered that filling up with fruits, vegetables and legumes left me less hungry, a lovely benefit! I lost a substantial amount of weight, and so far (fingers crossed!), I’m maintaining my weight even as I experiment with adding more whole grains and complex carbohydrates to my diet. I believe that limiting animal protein has been instrumental in my success and overall physical well-being. Mark Bittman, celebrity foodie, shares my experience (see his new book, Food Matters).

As my diet continues to evolve, I find myself in early 2009, rarely eating meat and seafood. I don’t miss it, which is somewhat surprising. I’ve always enjoyed meat and poultry and never intended to stop eating it entirely. But over time, the desire to eat meat has dwindled. As a consequence, I’ve had to learn new ways to cook, which has led to discovering wonderful foods and recipes that I never would have tried before. I’ve expanded my horizons and added much more diversity to my eating experiences. Certainly America’s increasing ethnic diversity has made the shift easier. More food cultures are available to us all now — Mediterranean, East Indian, Asian, African — many of which have strong vegetarian traditions. I’ve learned to appreciate simple foods, fragrant spices, and new cooking techniques. In many ways, eating mostly plants challenges one’s creativity and educates the palate.

Not unexpectedly, people have noticed the change. I’m the only one in my social network who eats this way so I tend to stand out. For some, I’m a pain in the neck as I sort through what is available to eat from a table laden with the Standard American Diet (SAD) — which is dominated by factory farmed meat, highly processed/refined carbohydrates, and high fat, salty, and sugary “foods” (and “sad” it is, for it is the root cause of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and immune disorders). But for more open-minded folks, I’ve been a curiosity, a source of education as they tasted my weird food and discovered some things they didn’t know they’d like. As I’ve answered questions about why I eat this way, a few have made small changes of their own.

But among those closest to me, there has been abundant criticism, teasing, and sometimes outright hostility regarding my choices. I work hard not to pound my family and friends over their choice to still eat meat. They know that I wish they’d eat less meat for the sake of the planet’s future and their children’s health. They think that if the meat is humanely raised, then they have done enough, for they’ve posed the problem as an animal rights issue. They cannot yet see that it is impossible to feed the world on humanely raised, grass fed, pastured animals. There isn’t enough space to do it. Period. We have to significantly limit our intake, regardless of the meat’s origins. In their children’s lifetimes, if not in their own, meat will become a very costly commodity, much as it was when my grandparents were young.

My friends and family are socially conscious, intelligent, caring people. They have progressive values and try their best to live by them. Yet eating as much meat as they please is a line they’ve drawn in the sand, a way to demonstrate to me and themselves, that they are free and relatively affluent Americans. They are very in-your-face about it too. They take every opportunity to remind me how much pig they eat and take great pride in updating me on how much their children enjoy meat. Their mantra is “I love meat, I’m going to eat as much as I want, and no one is going to get me to change that” (a long mantra, I know).

I’m mystified about the aggressiveness of many meat-eaters. What about having a “near vegetarian” in their midst triggers their need to extol the virtues of a meat-based diet? What logic might persuade them to be open to changing their habits? I recognize that a diet that is 80% plant based isn’t for everyone. Mark Bittman offers a compromise by eating “vegan until dinner”, when he then eats anything he wants. His impetus was both his health (his doctor wanted him to become a vegan!) and his increasing awareness of the environmental burden of his lifestyle. By making his changes, he dramatically improved his health while significantly reducing his reliance on meat, seafood and dairy. It hasn’t been very hard for him either. While I wish he would save meat for a couple of days a week, his solution is certainly more progressive and responsible than the lifestyle of the majority of Americans.

Perhaps one day, those of us who are forgoing meat, will not be perceived as a threat or an anomaly. But whatever a person's reasons for avoiding or minimizing meat, today I’m making a free and conscious choice, trying to bring my values and lifestyle into greater alignment. The time may come when devoted meat-eaters will be forced into change by economic and environmental circumstances. I don’t look forward to the uproar that will ensue!