The Cardiologist Eats Tofu

I corner him to introduce him to a new staff member. He grabs my arms and stares intently into my eyes. We are about to play a game. “Guess what I had for dinner last night.” He has been asking me this a lot lately, since he found out I’m a vegetarian. I’m ready for him. “White bean and kale soup.” I’m smiling, ready for my praise. He always has white bean and kale soup. “Nope.” He’s loving this. I’m wrong. He enjoys it a lot when I’m wrong. “OK, what was it?” He lets go of my arms, “A nice bed of fresh cooked spinach with tofu on top and some kind of sauce. My wife made it. It was great. We are now going to eat vegetarian two days a week.”

After I recover from the image of him eating tofu, I lavish him with the strokes he’s looking for. “Your wife is wonderful. You are a lucky man. I think I’d like your wife. And I’m proud of you for eating tofu.” He smiles. Then he says, “We had steak the night before that,” and walks away.

OK, I get it. He isn’t going to give up his steak. But I take heart that the cardiologist is eating less meat. You’d think that choice would be a no-brainer for a guy who spends his life mending hearts, but it isn’t.

Still, he’s proud that he’s doing the right thing. Even if his wife is the instigator, he’s agreed to participate in this experiment of hers. He’s not alone either. In Mark Bittman’s column today he reveals that Americans are eating less meat. And can you believe it? One of the predicted 2012 health trends identified by a social science research company called The Values Institute at DGWB is:

“The Rise of the “Flexitarians.” They predict that in the pursuit of health, more Americans are going to adopt a flexitarian diet, markedly reducing the amount of meat they eat without adopting a totally vegetarian diet. They attribute the promotion of Meatless Monday meals as a contributor to the trend.

Small changes add up. For my cardiologist, it’s two vegetarian meals a week. That’s one more than last year. Maybe, with encouragement, he’ll lead his patients to Meatless Monday too. Here’s to the Rise of Flexitarians!