Flexitarians: Vegetarians Who Eat Meat Occasionally
Avoiding meat on certain days is not new. Practicing Catholics have long abstained from eating meat on Fridays. This religious observance had a part to play in the creation of McDonald's fillet-o-fish because Catholics were allowed to eat fish on Fridays.
Choosing to go meatless just one day a week has given birth to a movement called Meatless Monday. It began in 2003 and has, by now, won followers from celebrity chefs like Mario Batali to pop music legends like Paul McCartney. Believe it or not, the former Beatles member has spearheaded his own Meat Free Monday campaign.
Last year in the Belgian city of Ghent, Thursday became designated as its "Veggiedag." Meat-free options are served that day in schools, public institutions, and many other eateries.
2.5 percent of Americans are strictly vegetarians, but undeniably, a partial-vegetarian scheme is a great deal more user-friendly. Even vegans such as Ingrid Newkirk, founder and president of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) admit that being dogmatic about a specific dietary lifestyle isn't practical, so although she's a vegan, she doesn't insist that everyone else become one. Instead, she encourages others to practice some level of vegetarianism.
Going meat-free one day a week sounds pretty reasonable; both nutritionists and environmentalists agree that less meat consumption translates into significant benefits for both physical health and the health of the planet.
For more information, check out Meatless Monday, a non-profit organization associated with the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health whose goal is to help consumers reduce their consumption of meat by offering information and recipes on how to enjoy a much greater variety of plant-based foods. From peachy chili bean tacos to cherry chocolate banana shakes, the delectable possibilities of non-meat items seem endless.
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