Eggplant Parmigana
A Flexitarian is someone who eats a mostly vegetarian diet but occasionally chomps on a burger. Or a really good piece of steak.
If the term Flexitarian wasn’t so obnoxious I’d probably use it to describe myself. I mean, sometimes I drink alcohol, sometimes I don’t. Doesn’t make me a flexiholic. Sometimes I feel like a Nut . Sometimes I don’t. Doesn’t make me an Almond joy, right?
Also, PETA kind of took all the fun away with the following statement. It also makes me kind of wish I was the kind of gal who got satisfaction out of digging into a raw juicy domesticated animal…just because…
“Given the environmental, cruelty and health impact of a meat-based diet, going vegan is best, going vegetarian is good, and being a flexitarian is like smoking two packs of cigarettes instead of ten, beating one pig down the slaughter ramp instead of two, and pouring a pint of gasoline down a drain instead of pouring down a gallon,” says Kathy Guillermo, director of research for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
While I’m sure Ms.Guillermo went on to bash my parenting, clothing and sex choices I was too busy trying to wipe her smugness out of my eyes to catch it all…
I used to be a meat eater who threw in the occasional vegetable but accidentally turned into a vegetarian who eats meat occasionally. Which sounds sort of the same but isn’t really. I think the main difference is the mentality shift, recognizing that a plant based diet is healthier for me and the environment but not quite willing to give up my brother in laws kick ass chicken wings.
Also, I’m too lazy to be a vegetarian. And until I figure out – and address – the cause of my overeating tendencies, I’d be that vegetarian – the one who lives on potato chips, cheesewhiz and white bread.
But for the last two weeks I have had the luxury of having my meals prepared for me by Rose-Ann at Chefanista and truly feel the difference. I think the combination of portion controlled meals – but the right kind – and an absence of all red meats is what’s contributing to my almost annoying high energy levels. This weeks meals included dishes like eggplant parmigan, asian noodle salad, shrimp fritters and roasted pear with vanilla yogurt and pecan crisp. There have been the occasional chicken dish but those feel like the exception, with fish and tasty legumes making up the general diet.
For anyone interested in learning more, I’ve watched a few documentaries lately on this topic. While the information was compelling there was definitely a propaganda vibe to most of them. Enjoy with a grain of salt [preferably organic salt and don’t even think of adding steak to the salt}:
- Fork Over Spoon
- Food Inc
- Food Matter
- Fast Food nation
- Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
April 16, 2012
Balance. and no overbearing judgement. I feel like acting like a six year old sticking my tongue out when I hear pontificating from supercilious extremists. Maybe more people would decide to take the leap towards healthier, more ethical eating if they weren’t being relentlessly pounded into feeling like what they were doing was so baaad. It sort of makes you want to dig your heels in and say, ‘so what?”
April 16, 2012
I eat that way because I prefer that way of eating, but I don’t use that term and I don’t think labels are generally helpful.
I was a vegetarian (lacto-ovo, not vegan) for about 10 years and then I started eating fish, so I was a “pescatarian” for several more years. Then I slowly started re-introducing meat for a variety of reasons. I still gravitate towards the veg/fish items on the menu and I would say I eat that way 80% of the time. But I like a small amount of meat here and there, kind of like a condiment. I believe that what Michael Pollen says “eat less meat, better raised” is probably better for our health.
Now if I could just stop the emotional bingeing, I’d be way ahead of the game, but that has nothing to do with meat.
Oh, and PETA is a joke IMO for many reasons. For example, today they had two young ladies dressed only in “lettuce bikinis” approaching the mayor of TO in an effort to try and convince him to go vegan. Stunts like that have nothing to do with healthy eating.
April 16, 2012
Totally agree with you and Mara’s comment. We are living in an information era. Getting info is uber-easy. We read about an extrem and then the other. It’s good because it (hopefully) forces us to re-think about issues. Huge difference between my parent’s (catholic-think what you’re told) generation and our kid’s (information + opinion everywhere).
April 16, 2012
In as much as I admire PETA for their tireless work against animal cruelty, the quote is self-defeating. Why alienate people for choosing a healthier-perhaps even more informed-diet by judging them for not going (ahem) whole hog vegan? I’ve been vegan for over 10 years, yet I am married to a lovely dig-in-his-heels omnivore, and we are raising our 2 year old son as a vegan. I don’t think it will be too long before our son realizes that he and Momma eat differently from Dadda. At that point, what good would it do to tell my son that the way Dad eats is akin to “beating one pig down the slaughter ramp instead of two”? Anyway, I digress. I think the best way to convince people to eat less meat is to expose them to deliciously prepared vegan fare. If they mix in one or two vegan/vegetarian suppers into their meal plan for the week, fabulous. If they’re intrigued and become flexitarian/vegetarian/vegan? Even better. Thanks for a great article, Marci.
April 16, 2012
What Mara said. The more that organizations like PETA preach from their pulpit of superiority, the more I feel like acting in the most immature and contrarian manner possible. We’re all intelligent enough to make our own decisions based on personal preferences and health concerns.
April 17, 2012
personally, I like the term flexitarian. I dislike the PETA organization for a lot of reasons, and that comment did not make me like them any more! Being a flexitarian means making a step in the right direction, and instead of applauding people for making the effort, they slam them for not being full vegetarians. That is not helpful in the slightest.
I feel WAY better when I stick to a mostly plant based diet and feel my best when I try to eat high raw. That said, I enjoy animal product sometimes, and I don’t like refusing something someone has made for me because it is not plant based.
April 17, 2012
I like the term flexitarian. It sounds reasonable and moderate and perhaps balanced. At our house we have a variety of food intolerances going on which include dairy, gluten and caffeine. I spend a lot of time chopping and preparing fresh fruit and vegetables, and making tasty meals (often one pot) that we can all eat and enjoy. That means meals may or may not include meat, but most are dairy and gluten free such as curried lentil and rice, veggie chilis, stir fries, frittatas, pasta dishes (rice noodles), soups and stews ~ all of which lend themselves to endless varieties and combos of healthy ingredients. To curb the sweet tooth I am amassing recipes for muffins, cookies and loafs in which I use unsweeted almond milk and a variety of flours such as brown rice, millet, sorghum, etc, and a mix of fruit, nuts, and seeds, no chocolate because the caffeine in it disturbs my system. This way of eating lends itself to easing off meat gradually if you want to. It is also so satisfying on many sensory levels. Chop, chop, chop…….
April 17, 2012
I think it’s so true that people passionate about a cause need to think about their approach. What is the gain if you are that polarizing? All or nothing seems self-defeating. The chances of completely converting someone are vastly greater if you allow them to reach their own epiphany rather than living in fear—this said as I enter my 12th year of not smoking.
April 17, 2012
The term flexitarian is so hilarious – I think I am going to use it all the time! I would completely describe myself as a flexitarian. I usually eat fish and vegetables and sometimes chicken.
I know that PETA equates that with kicking puppies, but eh?